I have been a supporter of the #communityovercompetition movement sweeping the creative industries for as long as I can remember. So when I was perusing Instagram late in the evening and stumbled upon a post by The Rising Tide Society hyping up their upcoming “Instagram Challenge” I was immediately excited. I marked it in my calendar, downloaded Periscope to watch their intro video, and got in on the action as soon as they released their daily tasks every single day.

I don’t really know what I expected to get out of this challenge, and to be honest I don’t even think I had any expectations whatsoever other than to procrastinate a little bit and maybe make a few new friends. Even if I had an idea of what to expect, I think I still would have still been blown away by what this challenge did to my approach with not only Instagram, but also to my interactions with people in general.

Monday — #MyMondayMugshot

The first challenge of the week seemed as simple as can be. We were instructed to take a photo including our morning coffee or tea, hashtag #MyMondayMugshot, and then scroll through the hashtag and leave thoughtful comments on the photos we felt most resonated with us.

Despite the fact that this was such an easy thing to do, it nearly drove me insane. I spent the next twenty minutes staging my photo on my balcony to make it “just right,” sent options to my friend Alyssa to help me narrow down which one was perfect, and then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes in a total panic of comparing my work to others, debating whether or not my photo was good enough, and contemplating taking it down.

Then something crazy happened — 

I had a swarm of positive, reaffirming, warm thoughts left as comments on my photo. Any self-doubt that I had was instantly hushed, and replaced with things like “I love your transparency, feeling the same thoughts today. Happy to be a part of something greater with you!”
 – @victoria.selman


I couldn’t believe it. Something that would have normally driven me absolutely up the wall with nerves for an entire day was instantly turned to something I felt so proud of — entirely because of the community I was now a part of.

The next few days were followed by similar things. Simple small tasks like following ten people involved in the challenge, leaving comments, and taking a photo of your workspace. Everything went the same as day one, I would put myself out there, instantly tense up into a nervous ball, and then be calmed by complete strangers who were slowly becoming more familiar and turning into friends. My following was growing, yes, but even more exciting than that was the fact that those followers were people who were truly invested in me. They were encouraging, uplifting, and even talented in their own right!

I woke up Thursday morning to a bright iPhone screen after the daily task had been announced. I was tagged in countless photos by multiple accounts and didn’t really understand what was happening. After the initial shock (obviously thinking that my iCloud was hacked and people were posting embarrassing photos of my dog and I because clearly thats the only thing that made sense) I realized what the challenge was.

“Choose a Creative Entrepreneur who is absolutely rocking it this week! Consider highlighting someone you just met this week or a newcomer who is taking big leaps! Write something about how they inspire you, celebrate the work they are doing, and use your platform to impact positive change.”

I was floored. For the next 24 hours I was flooded with the kindest, most thoughtful posts from people who were complete strangers only a few days ago talking about how happy they were to have found me. This is when the real lesson from this week set in for me.

I started drafting this blog post on Monday and it was originally going to be tips on how to Instagram effectively, but this challenge taught me so much more than that. If I have taken anything away from this challenge, it is that Instagram is a social media. Yes, that sounds like an absolute no brainer, but how much do you really take the time to interact? The Rising Tide Society taught me that building a business online really isn’t about building a business online. It is about being an active member of a community.

Leave people comments to tell them what it is you love about their work. Tell people how great they are. Leave a lasting impression on someone, calm their nerves, and make a few friends along the way.

We are a community, not a competition. We are so much stronger together than apart.

To see all of my images from the challenge, head over to my Instagram page here.

For actual tips on how to use Instagram effectively, download this PDF by the Rising Tide Society.