Christen Olivarez Talks about Pinterest

Y’all know my editor over at Somerset Studio, Christen. She blogs here with us, and she’s also the Editor in Chief and Director of Publishing for Stampington. She’s a big fan of Pinterest, so I asked her to tell us a little about why she likes it. She says:

For me, Pinterest is like a virtual bulletin or inspiration board. I’m able to keep track of recipes I’d like to cook, tutorials that I’d like to try out, or items I want to purchase later… You know, when I win the lottery. I like it because it’s so visual, easy to use, and transportable. I like that I’m able to access my boards at work, at home, or even on the go on my smart phone. I also like that it’s tapped into the creativity of a lot of people who may have lost touch with it. For example, a childhood friend of mine, who was very artistic and creative but never really nurtured that side of her, signed up for Pinterest and is now doing a number of the tutorials she’s found on there as well as posting her own original projects. From an editor’s standpoint, it’s become a valuable tool for recruiting artwork. I’m constantly being exposed to new artists and new styles of art that I wasn’t familiar with before. I’m also able to track trends very easily on there. The only frustration I feel is when work is posted without the original source included. There have been so many pieces of art I would love to publish, but I wasn’t able to track down who the artist was. Frustrating for me, but also unfair to the artist for not getting proper credit. 
For mixed-media artists, I think that it’s a great opportunity to have their work exposed as well as connect with other artists. It’s also a great way to let something else serve as your inspiration … Home décor, photography, nature, etc.

There’s a huge debate right now about copyright and Pinterest. There are valid points being made on both sides. For now, I’m just making sure the artists get the credit they deserve.

Oh, and there’s another thing that I think is proper etiquette. A lot of people have boards that they name “I can do that” or “DIY” and they’re not actual tutorials. I make sure I don’t put anything in my “tutorials to try” board that isn’t an actual tutorial.

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Thanks, Christen! We’re all waiting to see what will happen with copyright issues and how people can protect themselves and their work. As we get more info, I’ll post more about it. I’ve sent a note to the people at Pinterest, hoping to interview someone for a podcast, but no response yet (I’m not holding my breath; those are some busy folks, I’m sure).

Ricë also blogs at The Voodoo Cafe.


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