Ah, Pinterest, the app of hopes and dreams… all pinned away for future use.
Or not.
Lest you think I’m bashing Pinterest, let me assure you that I am not. I LOVE the app. I remember how excited I was when I first discovered it; it fulfilled all of my compulsive needs to squirrel away everything I ever found interesting online in one place.
I mean, everything.
The first few months of Pinterest, I collected virtually every page I found helpful, interesting, informative, or just cool.
And eventually, my Pinterest account resembled an episode of Hoarders: The Pinterest Edition. Virtual dumpsters were being parked outside of my Pinterest account, and a crew was waiting for the signal to haul the mess away.
Hoarding Counselor: “How long have you had this page pinned on the Top 10 uses for vinegar? And have you even glanced at this pin on ice sculptures in Peru?”
Me: “I just… I mean…one day I’ll…. I… can’t let go.” *sobs*
I found that my boards were stuffed to the gills with anything and everything that I found remotely appealing.
And I found that for me, my Pinterest problem was that it was TOO MUCH of a good thing.
The Pinning Pursuit: The issue with pinning anything I enjoy is that I never got to the point where I could actually enjoy the tips, tricks, activities, etc. because there were so damn many! I was pinning more pages than I could ever read, under the guise of “someday I’ll get to this”.
But the problem was, I’d never get to it, because I was too busy finding even more interesting things to pin. What was intended to be a helpful method of organizing online material evolved into a cycle of overwhelming mess, making me feel like I was cluttered, inefficient, and wasting lots of time.
Image Courtesy of www.someecards.com
Inferiority Complex: The more I viewed pins depicting the beautiful, crafty, and organize lives that other moms are apparently living, the worse I felt about my OWN life. I’m not crafty- no one wants to see me attempt to wield a glue gun- but before Pinterest, ignorance was bliss. Once I observed other moms pinning pages of brilliant, healthy snacks, projects, and impeccably organized children’s rooms, the more insecure I felt about my OWN lack of skills.
Image Courtesy of www.someecards.com
But lest you thinking I’m bashing Pinterest or crafty moms, I can assure you that I’m not. I’ve learned that while I truly admire their skills, that’s not me, and more importantly, I’m ok with that.
I still use Pinterest. A lot. And I still love it. A lot. But I’m no longer interested in trying to become someone I’m not on Pinterest. My boards now genuinely reflect my real interests and goals.
Case in point: Pinterest sends emails indicating what your “most pinned” pin of the week is. While some moms “most pinned” are likely innovative and attractive, here’s MINE:
“The Great Cornholio”, of Beavis and Butthead, circa 1997. I’m so proud.
At this point, I can take pride in it, because this is ME. It’s funny, it’s quirky, and it’s honest. I’m not knocking creative pinners or people who love them, because I truly admire their skills and creativity.
But the world needs quirky pinners, too.
My Pinterest is publicly shared, but it’s for myself; I pin things that I genuinely love, admire, or are interested in. Some of it might be practical and useful for others, but some of it’s random stuff like:
Seriously. The world is full of cool stuff. And I’m collecting that cool stuff right here on this nifty board.
Laughter really IS the best medicine… unless you’re a diabetic or have high blood pressure or something. Then keep taking that stuff. But I love to laugh, and I love when it’s contagious.
A dollar and a dream, right? (Ok, I’m not spending the dollar, but the dream still stands)
I love Superman. A LOT. Like, a LOT – a lot.
Pinterest is like any other social media account- you need to do it your way. Be you. Draw from what inspires you, what you enjoy, what helps you to do what you need to do better, but take it and make it your own.
© Copyright Six Pack Mom, All rights Reserved. Written For: SPM Writes
Good luck finding TP, Beavis!
And while you’re admiring all the crafty talents of others, don’t overlook your own writing/broadcasting/story-telling talents (in addition to all that child-raising stuff 🙂 )!!
Take care,
T
As I started to comment on this post I realized I once wrote something on my blog about how I’m the ‘anti female’ and this was one of the reasons (it’s basically what I was writing in my comment):
I don’t have Pinterest. Let me clarify: at one point in my life I DID have it. When Pinterest first came out in 2010, I was one of the few people I knew with an account (*obnoxious internet hipster alert*). At first I was totally drinking the Kool-Aid: I was obsessively pinning hairstyles and clothes and recipes and crafts and home decor items. I pinned party ideas, workout tips and dream homes and vacations. I then came to a realization: I am not cooking any of these meals. I’m not making any of these crafts. I’m not doing that fishtail braid in my hair. I didn’t do those “5 minute squats” I pinned. Pinterest quickly became an annoyance to me and just another silly social media thing to keep up with (not to mention eventually THE ENTIRE WORLD JOINED) so I deleted it and never looked back.
Yes! You nailed it exactly. I still have my account b/c I tend to be a “collector”, but I quickly learned that I will NOT end up using the majority of the pages I deluded myself into thinking I’d get to. (feel free to drop the link to your post here if you want to!)
Ah yes, Pinterest, where we all come to find things to do because all the “good” moms already know how to do it and are sharing it with us. And then when you do try to do one of those crafty things and follow the directions step by step, it looks like your kindergartner did it still anyways! I, too, was once a victim of why is that so easy for them? Why can’t I be as good as them? Look how perfect their life is and how great of a mom they are. Well, just because they created it once to share, doesn’t mean they are better than me! Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone!!!
Haha, you’re absolutely right! The few projects I did attempt ended up a dismal failure.
So much truth here! I have way more Pinterest fails than successes. But every once in awhile I stumble upon a decent new recipe that actually works and I feel like I’ve won the Pinterest lottery.
Paula, Editor, PJ Media Parenting