Offbeat | Pinterest: The healthy social media app that saved my creativity

Sometimes my imagination has nothing left to give. Good thing Pinterest exists.

A visual discovery engine for finding ideas, this quasi-social media platform has become my favorite online place to exist. It puts pictures to what words can’t say, a valuable concept to a creative like myself.

Pinterest is like a virtual photo pinboard — a pretty apt name, if you ask me, as the platform utilizes separate folders, or boards, where one can organize their content. Once you find pictures you jive with, the algorithm generates content similar to what you’re looking at, automatically recommending previously-made folders to divvy certain photos to.

For example, some of the Pinterest boards I have created are titled “graphic design” for my Photoshop needs, “2023” for my vision board ideas and “S412” for Pitt’s Studio FourOneTwo club and their online content. My other boards, titled “nails,” “podcast ideas” and “apartment decor,” are all pretty self-explanatory.

The available organization tools, like the “to-do” and “organize” buttons, allow your personally-curated content to fall into place in a clean and orderly fashion.

With millions of users and an endless supply of images, recipes and tutorials, Pinterest offers a wealth of information and resources for anyone looking to explore their creativity. I value the community of users who are just as passionate about the same things I am. I have stopped feeling insecure about my creativity because I see other people capturing things that perfectly describe my aesthetic.

Pinterest stands out because of its originality. It’s not a platform concerned with likes and engagement, but rather procuring similar and inspiring content catered to your creative needs.

I’ve finally found a social media platform that doesn’t feel like a race. The toxic relationship with being online I’ve unfortunately derived from other media outlets doesn’t translate to Pinterest. In fact, it feels like a welcomed reprieve from all the other equal parts draining and demanding socials.

Pinterest is the only online rabbit hole I don’t feel guilty falling down. I come out of it more inspired, with tangible content to use for my next projects and ventures and a rejuvenated sense of self.

Happy pinning!