12 Inspiring Female Creatives
As we approach the last day of March, I wanted to share my favorite female creatives on Instagram in light of Women’s History Month. These talented and incredible female content creators span across landscape photography, digital art, poetry, and modeling. There are of course more amazing women in many other niches on the platform, but these 12 women’s content and voice inspire me to become a better artist and person and resonate with me the most creatively and artistically.
To start off, I’d like to give a shoutout to my two Bay Area adventure girls: Kasey Mantiply and Paige Tingey. Those of you who have been following me probably know how much they mean to me. Kasey was the first female photographer I met back in early 2018, and I met Paige sometime in the summer of the same year. Since then, we’ve gone on numerous epic adventures, struggled through sleep-deprived sunrises, shared memorable (and basic) moments, and done so much more. I am so lucky to have two such gifted, wholesome, and creative ladies in my life who are ready for an adventure anytime. One of the best things about photography is the people you meet and the friendships you foster in the community— and needless to say, Kasey and Paige have become two of my closest friends. ♡
@kaseymantiply
My editing session go-to person, climbing partner, forever Philz date, and the one person I know who lovesssss cold weather more than anything — which I just can’t understand because the cold and I don’t get along. Kasey is one of the youngest photographers I know but has already traveled to some of the most amazing places (Iceland and Greenland? oh yah) and worked with multiple brands that have a strong social responsibility for protecting nature and conserving our environment. Earlier this year, she decided to become a full-time freelance photographer, and I am so proud of her for following her dreams despite the uncertainty and difficulty of being a freelancer. Her adventurous soul and determined attitude are inspiring — you go, Kasey!
Kasey was the one who showed me how to import files to and organize folders in Lightroom Classic, making me finally switch from Lightroom CC (which was what I thought everyone started out with) after almost a year of editing photos. She also taught me best practices of many backend things in photography, like export settings, the approach to setting your rates for commercial and portrait shoots, etc. The two of us just came back from an adventure in paradise (Hawaii & also next blog reference) earlier this month, and I can’t wait for our next adventure together!
@paige_tingey
My equally directionally challenged twin — because we both aren’t great with directions and are almost always matching without planning to. Not only do we have the same backpack (Lowepro ProTactic 350 AW) and the same car (different color), but we have also shown up to meetups and trips wearing the same outfit many times before! #greatmindsthinkalike, am I right?
Paige and I get each other, not just our adventure hat (aka basic) moments, but on so many other levels: We both work full-time at a tech company, workout almost every day, and adopt healthy eating and living habits as much as possible — did I mention twins, by the way? I am so grateful to have a friend who is as passionate about photography as I am and at the same time balancing work and working out on the daily. Seeing Paige work hard, no matter in which area, motivates to work harder as well because I know we can both do it. Some days are tougher than others, but in the end, we still get to do what we love to do: photography and adventuring.
Now to the actual photography part — I’m sure most of you are already familiar with the dreamy and glowy look in Paige’s photos. She is also great at playing around with light and shadows in her edits, often times giving off a more dramatic, three-dimensional touch to her photos. Paige has explained her editing process to me and shown me how she edits a couple times, but I don’t think I will ever be able to achieve her signature look. Her editing style is truly uniquely hers and hers only.
On that note, the three of us can be shooting at the same spot and take the same exact photo/frame but all end up with different edits. (Case in point here, check out this recent example at Death Valley: Paige, Kasey, and me.) And that’s another great thing about photography and what makes it so fun: Even though the same raw photo was taken, the finished products are often very distinct from one another because each photographer visualizes that same view differently in his or her mind.
Now, back to the list, here are the rest of my favorite female creatives in alphabetical order!
@alliemtaylor
The first time I landed on Allie’s page, I thought it was the most beautiful feed ever. Every photo flowed seamlessly, from one row to the next. I love the soft but colorful tones found in her photos, which also bring a sense of wanderlust and peace. In her photos are also some of the most amazing landscapes and destinations around the world, making me wish teleportation were a real thing. I remember investigating her feed for so long because I wanted to emulate the colors and vibe as much as possible. Allie is no doubt one of my biggest influences in how I choose my colors and tones. What do you think, see any resemblance?
@annamcnaughty
If I can do a fraction of what Anna can do in Photoshop, I would never have FOMO for not shooting a beautiful, burning sunrise or sunset again because sky replacement composites would become second nature to me. I’ve seen many wonderful work of other digital or Photoshop artists before, but Anna’s is out of this world, literally. Recognizable by her glowing elements and starry night skies, her artwork takes you to another dimension or something in your imagination. I feel enchanted whenever I see one of her creations, and I imagine that’s not unlike the feeling of being on a magic carpet or traveling through space with pixie dust.
@chelseakauai
Chelsea is not only one of the coolest human beings EVER but also one of the most compassionate. Now, I’ve never met her but that’s what she seems like from her photos, stories, messages, and her brand. From swimming with sting rays in the deep ocean to riding with camels in the dry desert, Chelsea always seems to be on the most unreal adventures. Aside from the epic scenes in her photos and how badass she looks in all of them, my favorite thing about Chelsea is her unwavering values for herself, our community, and the greater good. I always enjoy reading the messages she shares in her captions; they’re all meaningful and powerful, reminding me to be a kinder and better person every day.
@christianschaffer
Ahhh, Christian. I fell in love with her page the first time I laid my eyes on it. She’s got just about everything I like in a landscape photo: the pastels, layers upon layers of mountain ridges, the pink & purple tones, and fog. Not to mention she used to live in Yosemite (my favorite place in California!) and is currently a #vanlife member, which is something I’d like to try doing one day. My favorite part about Christian is learning more about her through the stories she shares in her captions, which are so captivating and thought-provoking. Many of my friends have also said that that my feed reminds them of hers, and that’s because I definitely try to replicate those pastel colors in my own photos as well. If there is one female artist on my list I would like to meet first, it would definitely be Christian.
@helloemilie
Emilie was one of the first creators I followed on Instagram when I first started photography, and I’ve been amazed over and over again. Her feed is another one of those that brings you a sense of wanderlust, so strong that you can almost taste it and touch it. Additionally, the colors on her page! Everything seems so well thought out — every photo a conscious decision to be posted next to another — creating a seamless flow of colors and stories to be told. The tones and shadows in her edits are mysterious and dramatic, and that’s exactly why I enjoy scrolling through her page so much. They say a photo is worth 1,000 words. Well, Emilie’s photos are exactly that: nothing needs to be said and yet so much is conveyed.
@eliiiijo
Elizabeth and I go beyond the content creation of Instagram world. We were both seniors enrolled in the same business elective course at UC Berkeley in 2017 and were assigned to be on the same project. I remember she had just picked up modeling for fun during senior year (I hadn’t yet started DLSR photography), but she was already a natural. A year or so later at a portrait meetup in San Francisco, I got to confirm that myself: it was effortless to photograph her. Besides being a natural beauty, Elizabeth isn’t afraid to express herself fully and creatively and let her emotions run. Photos of her are artistic, raw, inquisitive, sometimes bizarre and contradicting, but most importantly, unique — you can tell she is very comfortable in her own skin and proud of who she is.
@kanecandrade
Another Bay Area OG, Kane was also one of the first few photographers I met when I started out my photography journey back in early 2018. She also invited me on a road trip to Oregon that summer, which was my first road trip ever and sparked all my future wanderlust and the desire to simply get lost somewhere. Not only was this trip the beginning of the #adventurelife and #weekendsends for me, but it was also a turning point in my photography journey. I started taking better composed photos after this trip and, using Kane’s presets as a base / learning tool, learned how to elevate my editing. Funny and down-to-earth, Kane is always giving back to the community somehow. I remember her giving me one of the best advice I’ve gotten in photography: Point your camera in the other direction. Us photographers often have the tendency to “comp-stomp,” but we don’t all have to be shooting the same exact thing. Capture what speaks to you and draws you in, not just because everyone else is doing it. I encourage you to try it next time.
@parisverra
Paris is probably my favorite model on Instagram. Her elegance and beauty are so captivating and and otherworldly, like how-can-this-person-even-be-real kind of otherworldly. There was this one video of her where she was walking/twirling on her tip-toes in a white dress on a ledge above a sea of clouds, and she looked like a playful angel that just landed on earth. It looked so effortless and graceful. If I tried anything like that, I would have tripped over my own dress and fallen. My favorite photos of her are the ones with the wild animals: from elephants to cheetahs to koalas to owls, she’s photographed with them all. She also has some of the cutest outfits and accessories I’ve ever seen — any girl would love to have her wardrobe.
@rainbowsalt
Bianca’s super power lies in the pictures she’s able to paint in your mind and emotions/feelings she’s able to evoke with her words. I first discovered her account from following @thoughtcatalog, where she is the Creative Director. I’ve always enjoyed reading short love poems, words of encouragement, and passages of life lessons, but Bianca takes it to another level. She is able to draw out raw human emotions in her writing and make you feel like you are heard and understood, at least it does for me. Her writing connects her audience and assures them that there are other souls out there experiencing similar emotions in the world, emotions like joy, loss, anger, pain, hope, and love. Reading her words is like talking to someone who’s also gone through what you are going through and knows all the right things to say at the right time.
@rusticbones
Jessica is one of those who is great both in front of and behind the camera. On top of that, her creativity is also very unique, which can be observed in her Photoshop skills. The colors and tones on her page are also something I wish I can recreate on my own: they are earthy, moody, but also warm. Another thing that Jessica does really well is her sponsored posts and ads — personally, I feel like they are the gold standard of promotional content. The products or services she promotes blend in nicely with other elements in the photo so that everything flows and creates a natural storyline, rather than being forced or out of place. Finally, as if I couldn’t find more great things to say about her page, I also love how much flowers appear in her content — even her current profile picture has a giant sunflower! — because which girl doesn’t like flowers?
And that concludes my list of my favorite female creatives! These amazing women inspire me to work harder and challenge me to be kinder each day. I hope that at least one of these ladies inspires you in some way or that you found someone new to follow. Let me know in the comments below whose work resonates with you the most. If there are other empowering female creatives I should check out, drop their handles as well. As always, thank you for reading and I’ll see you on the next post!