Now this post is going to be a little nicer than my one bashing mainstream media. I know there are a lot of Pinterest fans out there. This is just my own personal opinion.
Pinterest has been around for years, and maybe it's just because I prefer to be one step behind in mainstream media, but I never touched it until recently. I didn't quite understand the Pinterest hype. But I wasn't one to judge, because I had never created an account or used the website for anything.
Well, I'm trying to plan a wedding. I am anything but the creative type. So! I get myself a Pinterest account. I bailed within 10 minutes.
Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm trying to plan a wedding during the most crazy semester of my life. Whatever it is, Pinterest is way too overstimulating for me. I jump on hoping that it will give me some ideas, but what I get is an explosion of endless pins with possibilities. Some personalities like that; it feeds their creativity. I, on the other hand, am very practical, and possibilities just increase the overall stress. I can't navigate the site very well, but for very orderly and practical personalities like the one I have, I personally think Pinterest should have a way of narrowing the search. The categories are way too broad for me. I was looking for bridesmaids dresses and I already had some idea of what I wanted them to look like. I hopped on Pinterest and all I saw were hundreds of pins with dresses that didn't come anywhere close to what I was looking for. I didn't find it very helpful.
I don't know! Is there a way to narrow the search? That would make my life infinitely better.
I guess I'm not a huge fan of the idea of Pinterest either. Maybe it's because I'm too practical. I see all these ideas posted on individual pins, but am left with no set plans to put these ideas into action. When I browse Pinterest it feels like most of the pins I see are cute ideas but I have no idea where to even begin to use that idea for my own wedding. Granted, there are a few that have direct links to websites where you can find certain products, but generally, I feel that it is just filling my brain with more possibilities without giving me any real substance.
But maybe one has to be taught to use Pinterest to plan a wedding. Especially one such as myself who generally stays away from popular media.
It's okay, I still don't have a Pinterest account...I don't think I'll ever get one either. But I would have to agree with you. Pinterest is crazy and it's hard to get those ideas to actually work or become real. It can become super overwhelming. If I were to use Pinterest I would just become discouraged because my idea, project, costume will never look as good as the one in the picture. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteI am a very creative person, and I love pinterest. It inspires me, and tends to be very helpful when I need ideas. I didn't use anything specific from pinterest to plan my wedding, but it did help to give me a frame of reference for things I did like and didn't like (dresses, rings, flowers, food), so that by the time I needed to make a decision, I had an idea of what I wanted. I actually bought the first dress I tried on, because I had already filtered through so many styles of dresses on pinterest that I knew what I liked.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I didn't understand when I first started 'pinning' was that the pictures aren't just pictures, but they are links. When you click on them another tab pulls up with the original source (usually a blog) of that info. That's where recipes, sewing patterns, etc. etc. can be found so you can do it at home.
It also becomes a lot more fun when you add friends. I didn't like it when I first started until I had a large network of fellow pinners - it made it much more diverse and enjoyable.
Also, you can narrow your search. There is a search bar at the top of the home page... I don't know if that's what you were hoping for.
Anyway, pinterest isn't for everyone, but it's definitely a good way to get ideas when you're starting from ground zero, or you want to be creative. I'm not an 'avid pinner' or anything, but I do find it helpful.
Good luck planning, and congratulations!! :)
I have been with Pinterest since the Beta so I love how much they have developed. But agree the search feature needs tweaking. I will say I love the site for crafts and recipes. But I can see why planning a wedding would be overwhelming on Pinterest. But it is a great springboard if that works for your personality. Good luck!
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