Having read somewhere that local is the new global or was it that global was the new local, I soon found my confusion summed up in the catch phrase “glocal”. The internet can be a confusing space for those looking to inject specifically local creativity onto their glistening screens. In order to help Bubblegum Club readers navigate the inter webs for locally curated tumblr feeds I decided to come up with this little list of helpful hints.
One of the best ways of seeing South African creativity in action is through platforms such as Tumblr where our own creatives share their insights on what is trending and “to die for” on the interwebs. Here are my helpful pick of tumblr sites to help you help fill your message board with content from South African Bloggers and content makers.
According to her site she is a fine art student based in Durban. Her board features tailored grunge looks specific to the urban street scene. She loves her sleek straight cuts and features beautiful jewellery pieces. She also features some beautiful artworks and photography.
With a description of “European born South African Unicorn” I could not but include her as part of my list of blog gems. Her site features plenty of youthful faces in a causal daze with model-like allure. Plenty of pastel background photography with angular architectural shots, if you’re into that sort of thing.
This blog by Cape Town based writer/researcher (her slashie game is hard ya’ll)
Provides a good mix of imagery and writing content both of which feature a South African editorial focus. A good one to follow to bring back some intellectual discourse into your dashboard feed. She also features beautiful poetry and her selfie game is on point.
This blog features the works from the creatures of the successful “The honey” blog. Her photographs are breathtakingly beautiful. Featuring the gritty images of Johannesburg streets and the haunting portraits of its locals. A must see for anyone wanted to be reminded of the bustling intersectional lives us black folks lead.
Who doesn’t want to see that name flashing on their Dashboard early in the Morning! This site boasts an 80s funky fresh theme that’s guaranteed to keep the eyes glued to its screen. Its focus is on illustration, design with mostly hip hop fashion stylzzz. It’s a playful blog and good for a little creative pic me up if you find yourself in a vanilla digital overload funk infused daze.
Honourable mentions.
These creators have already been featured in Bubblegum Club articles but their blogs are still a joy to peruse.
Its name is also of the collective that focuses on textile and design. This blog features images curated by its founder Nkuli Mlageni as she travels the world collecting inspiration. She features the photographs her works throughout their production process and the images of those she encounters on her worldly travels.
The creators of this blog have become somewhat of a controversy since they were last featured on Bubblegum Club over the use of their persona, The Honey, to campaign a popular South African brand. What ever your position, their work is fire and pays homage to a sleek township origin.