Originating as an underground art exhibition in the back streets of Surrey Hills – one so popular it ended up being shut down by the police – @theladiesnetwork is now a multi-platform agency supporting the work of female creatives in the areas of art, music, business and design.
We sat down with founder, creator and one of the leading ladies behind the scenes, Lara Vrkic, to celebrate and recognise how she’s using Instagram to fempower other women in the creative industries…
What inspired you to create female feed The Ladies Network?
I wanted to create a platform that celebrated female creative talent and built their commercial profile. This came from being generally annoyed that there weren’t more women participating in exhibitions and being commissioned for creative projects. @theladiesnetwork was officially formed after an exhibition I organised called ‘The Ladies’ in Surry Hills.
The event was shut down by the police because there were over 800 people packed into a tiny space on Randall Lane. The next day I was approached by media wanting to know about the project. Weeks later, we had a website and social media accounts.
The Ladies Network is now an inclusive digital space that encourages creativity and builds confidence in creative women.
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How has Instagram helped you grow your business?
After the first exhibition I went on to organise four more, largely curated from artists I found on Instagram. Instagram was an integral tool for driving participation in our events, reaching audiences with our online content and sustaining the network through merchandise and artwork sales.
How did you develop such a strong brand identity?
I was lucky to work with my two very talented friends Evie Phillips and Rosie Whelan on our branding. We agreed that it was important for our brand identity to be welcoming, relatable as well as professional. This set us apart from projects that had a more DIY feel, attracting collaborations with brands such as Merivale, The Art Gallery of NSW and SBS.
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Which other creative female brands or Instagrammers inspire you?
Last year I worked with Christelle Scifo from Fleurette when she reached out to include my glassware project Studio Tetatet in an exhibition she organised with China Heights. I had long admired her creative work and ability to collaborate with both local and international brands.
After meeting her I became inspired by her ability to take online interactions and connections into the real world. She is encouraging, supportive and a genuine advocate for fellow female creatives.
Your feed is so aesthetically pleasing! Do you have any tips for planning your content?
I usually collect a week’s worth of content at once. Then I try to organise the images in a Powerpoint to ensure the colours work together. At the moment I’m enjoying posting in three’s to keep visual consistency across the feed. This also gives me the ability to showcase more from the one project because I’m awful at making a selection when I love a series of works.
I really enjoy the flexibility of Instagram and think the best tip is to not plan too rigidly. It’s an opportunity to be spontaneous, reactive and showcase what you’re inspired by in the moment.
How would you define your niche or creative style?
I don’t think what we do is particularly niche anymore which is actually amazing! When I started The Ladies Network there were very few online communities that worked with the same level of detail and professionalism as we aimed for.
There are now a greater number of opportunities for women to be involved in sharing or supporting female creative talent and Instagram allows for audiences to engage with these communities locally and globally.
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“There are now a greater number of opportunities for women to be involved in sharing or supporting female creative talent. Instagram allows for audiences to engage with these communities locally and globally.”
What are your top tips for making stunning, unique content that stands out from the crowd?
Make sure your content is authentic to you. It’s easy to look at other accounts for layout and content inspiration. Accounts that follow a common format are less engaging than those with a unique personal approach. You’re not going to be as engaged in the project.
Do you have any Instagram hacks?
I’m a Social Media Consultant so I pride myself on Insta-hacks! Location tagging is one of my favourite tools. We location tag for events to drive participation and tag users in content to drive reach.
What is your editing process? Top editing programs or apps?
I repost a lot of content from artists, so it’s important to keep the integrity of their creative by showing its full size and natural colours, free from filters or editing. The only app I use is White Border. It helps me keep the full size of the work within the square dimensions.
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What are your words of wisdom to empower other female creatives wanting to follow their passion or build their business on Instagram?
Just try it out. You have nothing to lose! Creating an account is a great way to collect your thoughts, creative ideas and market-research product ideas.
I have three accounts aside from The Ladies Network. They each serve as an outlet for different creative interests. It’s fun to start these accounts and play around with different techniques and styles before defining what it is you want to build. It’s also a great way to decide whether there is an audience appetite for it.
