addiction

My name is Terri and I’m a Pinterest addict. There, I’ve said it. Admitting to a problem is the first step in dealing with it, right? I don’t know how this got so out of hand so quickly. All I can say is that I’m glad there aren’t any calories in Pinterest or I’d be a goner. Cannot tell you how much fun I have had with this in the last couple of weeks – all the while working in my studio, baking and cooking, but hitting the computer during any down time. I can pin while dinner cooks. I can pin while cake bakes. I can pin while watching t.v. or a movie. I can pin before I nod off to sleep. I can practically pin while I brush my teeth. The other night I actually dreamt about pinning. That’s when I knew I had a problem.

Recently I discovered how fabulous the Pinterest app is for the iPad. It is faster and easier to use than the site on my computer. Who knew? I have the speediest fingers going when I’m playing on my pin boards. The only thing slowing me down is the speed of the internet. And our internet is pretty fast.

For those poor souls who are not familiar with Pinterest, let me explain. (I feel this is necessary as even once I had opened an account I just didn’t get how it worked.)

Step 1. Open a Pinterest account at pinterest.com. Free. Easy.

Step 2. Take a look at the photos displayed before you. Look at everything or select a category that appeals to you. Just start looking.

Step 3. Move your cursor over items you like. Boxes will appear so you can “repin,” “like,” or “comment.” Like and comment are self-explanatory. Repin means you want to copy it to your own pin board. Since you just started you don’t have a board, so you need to create one.

Step 4.  Hit “repin” and you will be taken to your board page. You will need to come up with a board name where you want to put your chosen image (pin). Let me just suggest that you don’t make your board names too broad or you will end up with too much variety on one board. You can always go back and edit where you want to put your pin, but it is tedious. Believe me. So, you’ve created a board and pinned something to it. You are on your way.

Step 5. Start again at step 2 and continue until you have a few things you like.

Step 6. You may or may not have noticed, but after you successfully pin an item, the box that tells you that also tells you who else has pinned that item and which board they have pinned it on. You can click on that person’s name to see all of their boards, or on the board title to see that specific board. The theory here being that if you pinned the same item that that person pinned, perhaps there are other items you would both like. You can check out their boards and pin items anywhere you find them. If you like a lot of things on a board, you can choose to “follow” that board. You can also “follow” all of a person’s boards. Confusing enough yet?

You can create new boards any time, change board names, move pins from one board to another, pin something to more than one board, delete a pin or a whole board. There is no end to the fun! The best thing is when you find a board that has loads of things you love. Your own boards can grow very quickly. There isn’t a prize for having lots of big boards, but when you are collecting fantastic images of things you like, it’s exciting to find great images.

I will admit that when I started, I just wasn’t sure why I would need a “pin board” online. I have imagery and photos and interesting tidbits all around me, but I would hesitate to call them organized. The Pinterest boards allow me to collect and organize all sorts of things – in one place. The variety possible is amazing and totally custom. I don’t know how it could be any better. (actually I do have a couple of suggestions but I’ll take them up with Pinterest sometime.)

So far some of the boards I have created are for print making, architecture, textiles of the world, ethnographic portraits, collections, tile/mosaics, inspiration, travel, markets, nature photography, sewing/quilting/stitching. I haven’t even gotten started with food and recipes. When you pin a picture, there are links back to the photo’s source, like the recipe that links to a food photo. This saves time making notes and trying to keep track of where you find things. I hope that I’ll be able to ease off on my addiction, but I don’t think I’ll be able to give it up. It is just too much fun.

These photos show samples of my board pages. When you view a board you keep scrolling down the page to see more images. If you accidentally pin something twice, it is easy to delete a copy. The board just rearranges itself like magic.

You can also pin directly from an internet page. The easiest way to do this is to install a “Pin It” button to your tool bar. Instructions can be found in the “about” section of Pinterest.

If you haven’t tried Pinterest and you want to check it out, do so at pinterest.com. You can look up my name to check out my boards – just search for Terri Illingworth. Oh, and if you get sucked in, I mean addicted, don’t say you haven’t been warned.