As a social photographer, it's so easy to get caught up working for clients and watching our bottom line that creative inspiration can become just another item on our To Do list.

So how can we stay inspired, and so do our best work for clients, without getting burned out? How can we fill our 'creative well' regularly?' as Julia Cameron from The Artist's Way would ask.

There is a way and it's called Instagram. As long as you can get online, inspiration can be yours in a non-stop stream of talent and buzzing creativity.

When Instagram first arrived, it was known for its over-processed images of people's lunches and lattes.  A few years on, the fascination with food is still there, along with thigh gaps, selfies and celebrities, but dig a little deeper and you are rewarded with many Instagram feeds that are clean, minimalist and architect-honed.

A few that I recommend are:

1. Emma Duckworth | @emmaduckworthstylist	2. Yuki Honda | @yuki37_2
3. Zaimah Zulkarnain | @nzmh	4. Niina | @niinao

They come from visually literate, creative professionals: interior designers, bloggers, textile artists and illustrators. There are even professional photographers, some sharing photographs shot on work cameras and many others showing another side of themselves, like their families or landscapes.

In order to get the most out of instagram you need to build a feed that inspires you, that you want to dive into with your morning coffee. What appears in your feed are all the photos from people you follow, in chronological order - a bit like a Facebook feed but without an interfering algorithm.

So to get started you need to follow some people. What do you love? Is it portraits? Interiors? Floral arrangements? Architecture? Colour? Find people with similar tastes to yourself and look around for good quality content.

Next post I'll offer a few tips about how to build an inspiring feed. Meantime if you're not using Instagram already, you can sign up at instagram.com. Better still, download the Apple or Android mobile app so you can take your coffee and Instagram anywhere. It's very mobile friendly.

Rebecca x

Rebecca Portsmouth is a wedding and portrait photographer in Greenwich, London, UK, who finds beauty in the simple things. She is known as @livingabstracts on Instagram and definitely has a feed that inspires. Thanks for sharing, Rebecca -Ed.

Be sure to check us out on Instagram as well @queensberrynz.