5 CREATIVE GIRLS TO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM RIGHT NOW

Say what you will about social media and all of its trappings, but there is no denying the power that it has allowed young creatives to tap into. Many an emerging designer, photographer, artist, and model have launched their careers from Instagram and created their own mini-empires in the process (and on Tumblr or MySpace before that). In particular, social media has resonated among young women as a virtual space for creating community and elevating one another's voices; in a digital landscape that can perpetuate deeply hurtful beauty ideals and inauthentic behaviour, it is a breath of fresh air when girls and women can use it to have the opposite effect. In celebration of the power of social media to support community and creativity amongst young women, here are 5 talented girls whose feeds (and work) we are digging right now:

Lumia Nocito, Artist & Photographer (@lumia.nocito)

New York-based Lumia may still be a teenager, but she has a resumé that rivals most of the adults in her field. As a lighting and photo assistant to Couturesque favourite Petra Collins, Lumia has provided support on shoots with Bella Hadid, Selah Marley, and Barbie Ferreira. She also takes great photos herself (on film, of course) and has had her turn on the other side of the lens posing for campaigns for Adidas and Nordstrom.

Scarlett Costello, Artist & model (@scarlettcostello)

19 year-old Scarlett is a beauty icon in her own right (exhibit A: her interview with TeenVogue in defence of the unibrow) but she also makes accessories and fashion out of fabric scraps and found objects, including some pretty cool bags. Oh, and her makeup skills are pretty fantastic as well.

Lux Milk, Artist (@milkizm)

Lux is also a New Yorker and when she isn't creating colourful drawings and paintings, she sports a lot of sick outfits and hangs out with fellow cool girls Fernanda Ly and Yuka Mannami.

Tali Lennox (@talilennox)

24 year old LA-based Tali is a super talented painter who has already landed a solo show at the Chelsea Hotel. Tali also has a flare for fashion on the side, having modelled for Burberry and Prada. Oh, and Annie Lennox is her mom...

Sheena Liam, Artist & Model (@times.new.romance)

Sheena is an embroidery artist and signed model, whose work is both self-reflective and experimental, using (totally real) hair as the focal point of each piece. Next up, Sheena is making the move from LA to New York to continue pursuing her creative endeavours.