My DA is an Instagram page of my feminist poetry edited over videos/images with a vintage aesthetic. I developed this project to create a space where I could showcase the poetry, videos and images I already make and inform others about feminism. I also want to work in the film industry, so my DA was a great way to develop these skills while gaining feedback on my creative vision from an audience.
My DA wasn’t focused on feminism initially, but I realised, random poetry was not a solid utility for my users. Therefore, based on my research into the community around my DA and my own inspirations I decided to focus my DA on feminism through an artistic lens. Over the last year I’ve become increasingly more educated/involved with feminism from other feminist Instagram accounts and artists, therefore it seemed only right to focus my DA on it.
- List of accounts I’ve been inspired by: @abbymjame, @spitbawl, @vulgadrawings, @feminist, @florencegiven, @sarahbahbah
I began using free editing apps but quickly found this frustrating and limited, therefore, I invested in Adobe Creative Cloud. Although this was an expense, it made the process of making more efficient. My editing skills have improved dramatically over the course of creating my DA and in turn have become more #FIST as I have found better and quicker ways to edit content. I found ways to edit in my desired aesthetic using vintage/retro overlays from YouTube, without wasting time colour correcting. To make this process even more #FIST, I found a Super 8mm Instagram filter that provides the same effect without having to add it in after. My current methodology has only been met with positive feedback from my users (the Instagram filter was especially liked), it has cut down my editing time and allowed me to create more consistent content, upping my posting to more than once a week.
I’ve found that my reels don’t get many likes, however, in general they do bring a lot of traction to my page. My latest reel was viewed by the same amount of people in a week, as my previous reels had been viewed in a month. Recently I changed my icon on my DA to Angelica from the Rugrats to better suit my name, persona and overall vibe of my DA, when I asked my users, they confirmed this was the right move.
My DA was most improved by the prototype, breaking and remaking stages. These stages were instrumental in improving my motivation for my DA, articles on glitch art and the Maker Manifesto reminded me why making was important and encouraged me to try new things. The consistent content I made during this stage was met with mainly positive feedback thus encouraging me to maintain it.
Using my DA as a safe place to discuss feminism in an open and educational way has determined a clear utility for my users. I plan to continue my DA as my creative outlet and to provide my users with information on feminism. Follow me @rugratbrain for continued feminist content!
Hallie Rutter 
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