I’ve seen a fair number of posts that question whether Pinterest is making us hyper competitive and fueling the wanties even more than mass media has been doing for decades. I’m an avid Pinterest user. But I also have two giant 5″ D-ring binders in my basement that I have been filling with clippings from magazines and newspapers for three decades. Indeed. Three. Decades.
As a designer, I love to curate ideas of inspiration – colors, textures, fashion, art, design, craft, words and yes, recipes. I’ve been doing this so long I have things in my curated (paper) notebook that are yellowed now. And certainly dated. But I look through them now, and there are still inspirations among them.
I don’t think Pinterest can make you feel inferior without your consent (Thank you, Mrs. Roosevelt) In fact, I love the sharing, and I make every attempt to curate new things (pin it!) to my Pinterest boards as much as I share others (because sharing is good!)
I won’t ever make all the recipes or crafts or sewing projects I pin. I probably will be inspired by the style outfits, and try all the scarf tying options I pin, and I might read all the infographics at least once, maybe twice. But that’s OK, Pinterest is as much in the viewing and curating as it is in the doing. If one percent of the inspiration to be a gentler mother, to do fun things with my children, to create or to organize ends up actually IN my life, it’ll be a good thing.
Does it create the wanties? Not so much for me. Most it creates the “to-do-ies” for me. I can’t do all the projects I’ve pinned and that’s OK. Just like I can’t sew all my sewing patterns. That’s OK too. They exist as inspiration and my daughter will think they are sooo retro cool when it’s her turn to start sewing.