Jordan Watson is the king of Instagram – and beautiful Instagram in particular. One man, 6 accounts, 2,989,700 followers. Just let that sink in.
Jordan’s been on Instagram for years, but like a lot of people, he quickly got tired of posting and looking at personal things that can only be described as quotidian. You know, selfies, sunsets, avocado on toast — the sort of basic shit that we all lurve to post. So he began collecting images of artworks — contemporary pieces, low brow, high brow, sculpture, photography, digital animation and performance — and began posting them under the moniker @love.watts as a kind of virtual scrapbooking. @watts.on came next, focusing on fashion and lifestyle, an account he curates with his partner Aureta Thomollari, or @Aureta as you probably know her. @watts.place features interiors, exteriors and design and is probably my personal favourite. @watts.coins is for cryptocurrency related images; @rollthis.passthat is for all things cannabis and art; and last but not least @watts is, well, all about Jordan Watson.
“At the core, I’m a digital curator,” he says. “I make a living off of curating beautiful images. It’s not a ‘regular job’ but I really appreciate that. My accounts are like individual galleries. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of images I see on a daily basis, so I wanted to organise my thoughts. Each account has gotten bigger, attracted more followers, more brand awareness and monetization. It’s all a function of time and dedication, and I put a lot in.” Jordan sources most of his images online via Instagram, Tumblr and art blogs, but also from countless submissions.
“I love beautiful things,” he says, “nature, technological innovation, wallpapers, you name it. But I’m also pretty private and find a sense of peace staying busy. So, to get to work for myself and continually share what inspires me is really what it’s all about.” He’s not wrong when he says he loves beautiful things. Take for instance this hidden treehouse resort. Or this digitally rendered mountainscape. There’s also some pretty wacky stuff on there: flame coloured pubes, dogs wearing masks and then whatever this is. In short, it’s a treasure trove of all things weird and wonderful.
“I choose images that people wouldn’t typically see in their daily lives,” he says. “That’s really important to me. I hope it gets people inspired to get creative in whatever field they’re in, whatever they’re doing. I give my viewers a free art fair every day, and like to think it helps to educate the eye.”