6 weirdly calming Instagram accounts
Not to be analyzed or scrutinized, think of these as just a little massage for your brain.
You've had a long, tedious day at work and you're about to walk into a hectic home. As nice as a relaxing bath, yoga session or long walk would be, sometimes you need a quick fix to take your mind off your stresses - something new, unusual and soothing. Think of the following Instagram accounts as just a little massage for your brain - not to be analyzed or scrutinized, just sit back and enjoy the oddly calming sensations. And don't be afraid to turn the sound up, many of these accounts make use of micro sounds (soft snipping, light scraping, etc.) that will trigger a unique effect known as autonomous sensory meridian response (or ASMR) - that can send a pleasant tingle down your spine and allow you enter a state of relaxation.
Annette Labedzki is a Vancouver-based artist and painter. Her paintings are often colourful and abstract and, in combination with paint mixture videos to achieve those looks, Annette has amassed over half a million devotees to her profile. With a smooth hand and deep, rich colours, it's hard to not be entranced by the movements and textures, which has become its own performance art. Annette has taken these little performances even further, most recently creating fluorescent pieces out of Oreo cookie moulds.
Who ever thought something so simple could be so satisfying? Using kinetic sand - which is a mixture of sand and putty causing a unique physical property - this account cuts, slices, grates, scoops and rakes a wide variety of sand colours and shapes. The substances are so undeniably smooth that you can almost feel the actions through the screen. Even the audio of the sand being sliced is incredibly tranquil and should send a tingle down your spine, thanks to the calming effect of ASMR.
For the typophile in you, Seb Lester has got your letters covered. Seb is an artist, designer and typographer with a focus on hand-drawn calligraphy. Not only is calligraphy a dying skill in today's world, the ease and perfection that Seb achieves by hand is both mind boggling and aesthetically pleasing. His more involved designed are still soothingly symmetrical with pleasant colours and classic art influences.
Mehmet Gunes is a pet stylist - he gives the furriest canines and felines the chicest trims. As any dog owner will tell you, seeing your four-legged friend with freshly cleaned and neatly trimmed fur is an incredibly pleasing sight. Moreover, all of the pets Mehmet styles are well behaved, happy and undeniably adorable.
Have a darker sense of humour? Then say hello to Joan Cornellà, a Spanish illustrator known for his surreally dark comics and cartoons. Joan often depicts unsettling and disturbing scenarios, but the pleasantness of his drawing style makes his work as humorous as it is bizarre. His male character with the perpetually smiling face is his trademark and quite an apt metaphor - eternally happy no matter what tragic situations befall him. This artwork is certainly not for anyone, but if you're in need of a little lunacy that will leave you laughing, take a trip to Joan's world.
Estaban Diancono is a self-taught motion graphics designer from Argentina who shares his uncanny animation tests with his followers. Much of his work revolves around twist on movement of the human anatomy - whether the "human" is made out of bizarre materials like hay or it's totally surreal circle of hands. As of late, Estaban's work has centred around heads and bodies, that are seemingly made of rubber, smashing against walls and each other. The smoothness of the animation is incredibly therapeutic, though the detail may have you doing a double take because of its accuracy. The perfect dose of weirdness to refresh and stimulate your mind.