How Leslie Jordan turned Instagram into his greatest showcase of all time
The way Leslie Jordan’s creative direction led him into the world of social media, and eventually Instagram, has been incredible. The way he made his most important Instagram story into a full-blown multimedia masterpiece that would change the way we share our stories forever is what makes Jordan’s Instagram account one of the most special.
Jordan started off by being a video editor. In the 1980s, when he was 13 years old, he began producing and distributing video of his exploits for the school’s wrestling team. He shot videos of himself using a VHS camcorder and editing them on Apple computers. This wasn’t a big deal to him as he was using a fairly primitive technology. Today, his account is a true testament to his ability to turn his passions into full-blown works of art.
His account now showcases the way in which he has learned to use Instagram, a platform he considers more visual than digital, for the purpose of showing off his incredible artistic talent. He started the account in 2011, posting photos of beautiful landscapes in his hometown of Memphis. His use of Instagram came about when he posted a photo of his mom wearing a scarf around her neck. That image quickly went viral, and Jordan became incredibly famous as a result.
Jordan continued to grow his following, and eventually turned his creative abilities into a full-blown account with a following of over 13.5 million people. He has since amassed a collection of over 50 million likes on his Instagram photos and video, and his account has had the opportunity to be featured on the Today Show, the New York Times, and even the Colbert Report.
Jordan became extremely successful using Instagram for many reasons. While he became very popular with the way in which he would use the platform to show off his talents, he also knew its potential to become a tool that allowed him to reach an audience that was often lost to mainstream media. When he first started getting major media attention, his followers were primarily his schoolmates. Today, he has nearly 80 million followers, and that number is growing at a rapid pace.
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