It’s a long story

Hey, I’m Claire Fog and this is my Instagram story archive :)

I’ve been posting deeply personal daily Instagram stories for the better part of a decade. These feature jokes, anecdotes, tales & hot takes and consist of multiple media, from pics & vids to homemade memes. They straddle the lines of Comedy, Memoir & Cries for Help™. All based on that loveable sitcom/absurdist horror: my real life.

This archive is partly just for fun - I wanted a space for the stories to live where all 43 super fans can lurk and laugh at their leisure. I also need a portfolio so I sound slightly less insane when trying to describe this project (looking at it now I’m not totally sure that’s been achieved). ‘Off Grid’ is where I’ll announce all updates as I try out adaptations & see where I can take the stories next.

Feel free to have a browse and I hope they make you smile :)

@foggystoriesss

Diary-keeping in the digital age

I’ve kept a diary since I could hold a pen and have a nice big cringe stash of a few thousand teen diaries locked away in the top secret location that is my parents’ house.

The Instagram stories emerged as a digital version of this practice - reliably documenting the happenings, thoughts and feelings in each day. I like to think they’ve retained that confessional, earnest, emotional quality of a teen girl’s diary plus a punch of more mature humour and good ol’ grown-up dread.

My substack column - ‘Claire Can’t Sleep’ - is structured around this archive, exploring some stories in more depth. The first post outlines the ‘origin story of the stories’ (hehe) as a means for forming new connection after grief (aw).

Towards an honest online presence

People often thank me for sharing my ‘flawed’, ‘imperfect’ and ‘chaotic’ life online and I’ve decided to frame this as a compliment.

In all honesty, I am passionate about being genuine online and I hope to create content that makes people feel less alone & more connected, in a bid to fight the doom scroll blues and relentless cycle of comparing and competing. If you’re of the same opine and want to chat, please don’t hesitate to get in touch :)