Pinterest! What Is It Good For? Absolutely Quite A Lot, Actually.
Why should you have a Pinterest account? I mean, surely it’s just a massive waste of time, right?
Well, the truth is, yes, it can be a massive waste of time. But, it doesn’t have to be. It can actually be a really useful tool. Like all forms of social media, it’s all in the way you approach it. We can use it to numb out, or we can use it to add value. The choice always lies with us.
So, how do I use Pinterest? Here’s how…
Every new moon, I create an altar. I select items from around my home, and I keep my eyes open when I’m out and about for anything that draws my eye. What I’ve started to do is create a second altar – a virtual one. I browse through the images on Pinterest and repin any images that resonate with me. I don’t censor myself, I just go with what feels powerful. It’s a really interesting practice that I can reflect back on, and which can give me real clues as to what my heart is yearning for.
Here’s where I let you in on a bit of a secret. I’m planning a site redesign, and to help both me and the lovely Tracey Selingo to determine what it is that I actually want, I created a board specifically with this focus. Colour schemes, fonts, aesthetics, meaningful quotes… every pin is helping me to clarify my vision, and helping me to communicate it to Tracey!
I have a board called Sacred Truth, which is where I pin snippets of wisdom that resonate with me. Quotes are very popular on Pinterest, and what I find is that some of it sings to my soul, and some of it turns my stomach. By pinning that which best expresses my own beliefs and values, I now have a visual representation of the fragments of my life philosophy.
My dream is that, some day, I will wake up and my Pinterest wardrobe has materialised in my bedroom. I’ve created a board called Scorpio Style and I pin any clothes, shoes, accessories, outfits to that board. I’ve been doing this for a while, and it’s really helped me to clarify what I really like – the colours, the cuts, the shapes, the fabrics. I now have a better idea of what my own aesthetic is, and I’m not sure I could see that as clearly as I can now.
Sometimes you find a photograph that tells a story so compelling that you can’t help but ask yourself questions. These questions are prompts for the imagination. My board Sacred Story is filled with images like that – images to instigate creative writing. The weird, the wonderful, the funny, the tragic, the surreal, the mundane, the fantastical, the historical, the contemporary… it’s all there. A wonderful resource straight from the muses
Ok, so now I really want to know how you use Pinterest! What are your boards? What are you curating? And, if you don’t use Pinterest, are you feeling inspired to give it a go now?
Ooh, and you can follow me on Pinterest here!
3 Comments
Juli
Hi, Amy! I’m loving Pinterest. Fairly new to it, and, as yet, uncertain of how to organize it all. I have decided simply to pull in what speaks to me..and see, over time, what story it tells. Sometimes certain colours really grab my attention – turning up in so many of the images I’ve pulled – be they architecture or landscape, or artwork. Other times, it’s words and quotes that get my attention. Many times I’ve been surprised by what speaks to me. I think, for me, the choices I make represent, missing elements in my life in the moment, or hopes and dreams for the future, or are touchstones for feelings and ideas I want to return to.. I find searching (seeking?) through the images not so much a mindless activity as a mindful one, raising my awareness of my own likes and dislikes, and providing gentle insight into what’s beckoning at that time. And, being a very visual person, I love having this virtual pinboard of images and inspiration to return to.. One of the things I do, especially when I get stuck on how to categorize an item, is to simply press ‘like’. All the ‘likes’ come together in one place on my Pinterest space…and to see them all together – well, sometimes it reveals something about me that I didn’t know. I like that. Thanks for writing this piece…because, I confess, I feel a bit odd plucking images on Pinterest as though it’s an unacceptable past time when, in fact, it can be a very soulful one. Thanks, again…and, absolutely, yes, I do..follow you on Pinterest. It’s lovely to see your presence there!
Tracey
Your boards have been such a wonderful peek into your mindset for our project. This is such a great post!
Barbara
Amy, I love this idea! I didn’t know what Pinterest was, but since I’m very visual I’m going to try it out. I love the boards that you created. Also, I’ve been thinking of making a new vision board, but I think it takes always a loooong time to find the right images in the magazines I have that mainly contain ads and things you can buy… I want also pics that reflect states of mind. So now I’m thinking of making an online vision board – that should work as well as a physical one! 🙂