Pinterest angst
I blogged on Monday about what I felt was an overly complicated system for storing extra buttons—and my easier solution. I know that for me, simpler is much better.
While I’m a fan of Pinterest, it got me thinking about how so many of the DIY things on Pinterest I find out of reach. They’re just too complicated. Or too beautiful. Or require more steps than I ever would consider taking. Does that ever happen to you? My friend Shannon calls this Pinterest angst.
The great thing about Pinterest is that you can create pinboards that reflect your taste and things you’d like to do. To avoid Pinterest angst, I try to pin things are simple enough for me to realistically do. Otherwise, when I look at my boards on Pinterest, I start to feel inadequate. Kind of like I used to feel when reading Martha Stewart Living magazine.
I sense a bit of a Pinterest backlash afoot. A quick google searched revealed WTF, Pinterest?, which is a pretty enjoyable read. It doesn’t seem quite as snarky as Regretsy which reproduces (and mocks) some awful things found for sale on Etsy. There’s also a blog called Pinterest Fail where people post photos of their failed projects they found on Pinterest (along with the Pinterest photo that provided Pinterest inspiration).
How about you? Do you ever feel Pinterest angst? And do you know of any other blogs or websites capitalizing on that?
Tagged with: pinterest, social networking
Comments
Julie, you and I are cut of the same cloth. (Not that either of us ever cuts cloth.) Thanks so much for your comment!
Janine Adams May 26, 2013 05:01 AM
So true. It’s easy to get ‘pin happy’. Where I pin, pin, pin without thinking “will I do this?” or is “this really my style?”. I’ve become careful to only pin things that I know I’ll reference later – not so much I’m going to DIY create but because it might provide inspiration or a starting point for a simplified project. I view pinterest like a file cabinet. I don’t file if I won’t reference it later, the same is true for pinning. That’s my rule of thumb!
Theresa - Ready Aim Organize May 28, 2013 10:28 AM
What a great phrase—‘Pinterest angst.’ I knew i couldn’t be the only person who felt that way! I recently blogged about my favorite pins on Pinterest and wrote a ‘disclaimer’ in my post stating that I was not in favor of posting photos that promote ‘perfection.’ I try not to repin any photo that looks too ‘perfect’ or unrealistic. Thanks so much for your honesty. Glad to know I’m not alone in my thinking.
Stacey Agin Murray May 28, 2013 06:54 PM
Theresa, I love your perspective about not overpinning. It is like a file cabinet, isn’t it? The more stuff you pin that’s not truly useful, the harder it is to find the useful stuff. Thanks for your comment!
Janine Adams May 29, 2013 04:25 AM
Stacey, thanks so much for your comment. I’m glad that the term Pinterest angst resonated with you. I just checked out your great post on Pinterest and really love the disclaimer!
Janine Adams May 29, 2013 04:28 AM
Just found another one: Pintester, whose tag line is “Failing at Pinterest, so you don’t have to.” It’s definitely worth checking out!
Janine Adams May 31, 2013 05:28 AM
About Janine
Hello! I’m Janine Adams — a certified professional organizer based in St. Louis, and the creator of Peace of Mind Organizing®.
I love order, harmony + beauty, but I believe that the way that you feel about yourself and your home is what truly matters.
If you’re ready to declutter with a purpose and add more ease to your life, you’ve found the right blog — and you’ve found the right company.
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I’m with you, Janine. I enjoy Pinterest, but it does annoy me (to a lesser extent than Martha) because there’s the overarching implication that we should all be doing/making/facilitating these artsy things. I always hated Martha Stewart’s whole doyenne of domesticity rigamarole, to the point of calling it the Myth of Martha. She’s got people…you know she doesn’t sit and really make all that stuff herself. And I hate for our clients to feel diminished by the lack of productivity in actuality in their lives. Pinterest is fine as a fantasy world. I look at Pinterest the way I look at a cookbook or a fashion magazine. I know I’m never going to do ANY of that. But like the time spent buying a lottery ticket, it’s a nice little fantasy world.
Julie Bestry May 25, 2013 06:13 PM