The Internet is a blessing for many reasons, but the one thing that I am eternally thanking the Internet gods for is the accessibility that they provide us with. Never will I know the struggle of having to dig through actual, physical sources (something that in the olden days they called books) in my school’s library to obtain a piece of information. Nope, because knowledge is just a Google search away, and a good paper already at my fingertips as I click through yet another, ahem, Wikipedia article. Jokes aside, the Internet does make a huge difference in the way and the speed with which knowledge is distributed and obtained in our current education system.

Thanks to this same immense accessibility of information, art is also readily available online. Whether you are my grandad and have an (un)healthy obsession with Pablo Picasso, or you are like me and just want to jam to Vampire Weekend at the gym - art, in its different forms, is at your disposal on the Internet. This is extremely beneficial to us viewers, listeners, and ultimately, consumers. But it is also convenient for the artists, who can use social media and a variety of online platforms to obtain an audience, as well as then communicate with it. Ultimately, they can easily share their work with the people who want to see it.

Personally, I find this absolutely awesome. I love art, but do not necessarily have the means to buy every album released by my fav band (poor college student speaking here), or have access to museums where I could check out Van Gogh every once in awhile (poor college student in a tiny middle-of-nowhere town speaking here). Thus, I appreciate that I can follow artists I already love as well as discover new artists to love through social media, on platforms such as tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, or yes, even Facebook.

This short list consists of young-ish, modern-day (this is because they kind of have to be alive and able to use a computer to post their stuff online) visual artists whose work I find funny, relatable, or just plain beautiful - and in all cases totally worthy of following online. I hope these provide you with a tiny insight into the abundance of talented people out there on the interwebs, and inspire you to seek out some amazing artwork and find favorites of your own!

1. Kate Beaton
I’m a big fan of webcomics. Kate Beaton’s “Hark! A Vagrant” series is a brilliant example. History and English majors rejoice - these are full of hilarious bookish and historical references. They should crack up the literature and history buffs among us, but I think pretty much anyone can find them enjoyable, as long as you've:

Taken a high school English course:

Heard about Marie and Pierre Curie:

Read some Edgar Allan Poe:

In fact, Beaton’s comic pieces have become so popular that they’ve been turned into an actual, real-life, published book!

2. Rubyetc
I consider Ruby's work the epitome of #relatable. It’s actually unnerving how close to home her sketches and comics can hit.

3. Tea Leigh and Laura Supnik
Both Tea [Why yes, I did pick her for this list because her name reminds me of my own! (No I didn't - but that's pretty cool, right?)] and Laura make lovely nature-inspired drawings, but they're also talented tattoo designers.

Thank god both are already tattoo artists because if they weren’t, I would definitely want them to be. Their flower-y tattoo art is everything I want my first tattoo to be. Now I just have to transport myself to NYC, where they both reside - and I can have them ink me!

Also, yes, of course, I want avocados tattooed on my arms/thighs:

4. Sarah Andersen
"Sarah’s Scribbles" is another webcomic-type-thing that constantly baffles me with how cute and relatable it is.

I mean, need I say more? Also:

5. Nan Lawson
I found Miss Lawson through her pop culture-inspired portraits (specifically Harry Potter-inspired) and have come to appreciate the uniqueness of her style.

6. Gemma Correll
Apart from being a super talented illustrator, Gemma is also a master at puns, which must be why I love her work.

7. Christin Engelberth
Stepping away from cute tattoos and punny illustrations, I present you Miss Engelberth's work.

If you're in awe (as you should be), you can indulge and purchase her original paintings or, if you're so inclined, plates or pillows with her original artwork, in her Society6 or Etsy store.

8. Saskia Keultjes
There seems to be a pattern here - do I only like cute relatable comics? May be, but I've #noregrets.

Also, as we have already established, I have great appreciation for puns.

And, isn't this all of us right now, pre-finals week:

I'd say that's a pretty accurate description of me - down to the empty (presumably coffee) cups around my half-dead body.