1. I'm less creative.
The initial reason I even made a Pinterest account was to gain inspiration for a cooler. I decided that, after my freshman year, I wanted to paint myself a small six-pack cooler to bring to the beach, and had no idea where to start. But, after downloading the app and typing “sorority cooler” into a search bar (basic, I know), I had found endless pictures of perfectly painted coolers to scroll through. However, instead of drawing inspiration from these images, I just ended up copying what I saw, replacing a monogram here and there with my own. And although I got my use out of the cooler I spent hours creating for myself, I’ve grown to view the thing as a sort of rip-off, something that doesn’t truly represent my personality.
2. I want what I can't have.
Every little girl grows up fantasizing about her wedding. What she'll wear, where it will be, whether she’ll be marrying Prince Charming, Phillip, or Eric. And although a lot of these fantasies die out by the time we reach middle school, every time “Say Yes to the Dress” comes on, a lot of us find ourselves revisiting these dreams. With the help of Pinterest, I’ve now pinned dozens of wedding dresses to a board simply titled “Wedding.” All of them gorgeous, all of them expertly crafted, and all of them thousands of thousands of dollars.
Now, I’m not saying that it’s bad to splurge on a wedding dress. If you have the funds for it, this is the one day in your life when you’re allowed to go a little overboard on a dress you’ll only wear once. But personally, I tend to be a bit more frugal when it comes to clothes. I doubt I’ll be spending the $10,000 some of these dresses cost when the time comes. In fact, my mom’s wedding dress was hand made by her best friend and given to her as a wedding gift. It’s stunning, and although it screams “'80s,” it’s extra special because her friend made it for her. The dresses I’ve pinned are probably 20 times as expensive as the one I’ll actually wear, although it is fun to dream for now.
3. I waste time I don't have.
This downfall is pretty self-explanatory. Unfortunately, it’s also something I tend to do more in my classes than any other time, a habit I know I need to kick. But fantasizing about crafting, traveling, and cooking always seems so much more appealing than Physical Chemistry, or Genetics, or any other class I’m in at the time. This becomes an issue when I go to do my homework or study for an exam, and instead of remembering the topics we covered in class, I remember the canvas I wanted to paint for my friend’s birthday.
4. I spend too much money.
Frequent trips to Michael’s have caused me to waste grocery money on glitter, wooden Popsicle sticks, and acrylic paint. While my room should be stocked with the poor college student’s diet (mac n’ cheese, ramen, crackers, and peanut butter) instead it’s full of craft supplies that make it look more like a preschool classroom than a place where someone actually lives. My biggest weakness is canvases, which I tend to stock up on once they get marked down by 50 percent. Having a stockpile of different sized canvases to paint is great when Christmas and birthdays roll around, but my bank account doesn’t exactly thank me for it.
5. I look at too many pictures of food.
The number five spot on this list is both a blessing a curse, which is why I put it in the middle. Finding different recipes on Pinterest is one of my favorite things to do, and when I’m home, I love trying them out and then forcing my sister to taste-test them with me. At school, I live in a sorority house. We have a state of the art kitchen that our chef uses, which is amazing, but it also means we’re not allowed to use the kitchen. Every chicken dish, baked good, and casserole I scroll by is usually left uncooked (at least by me). Additionally, I’ve caught myself staring at pictures of food during some class lectures instead of paying attention, which both makes me hungry and prevents me from doing as well as I could in some of my classes.
6. I've gotten better at crafting.
Although I admitted earlier in this article that at the beginning of my Pinterest career I found myself simply copying designs instead of drawing inspiration from them, I’ve learned to make my crafts a bit more unique. I have now painted five coolers, each better than the last, and am in the process of painting a sixth. I never would’ve known where to start if it wasn’t for the help I initially received from the app.
7. I know more about my friends.
One of the first things my big told me after big/little reveal (before I discovered Pinterest) was that she was disappointed that I didn’t have an account. She had tried to find my nonexistent account while she was crafting for me so she could get an idea of types of things I liked. Once I did make one, I realized what a good idea this was. The things we pin show a lot about not only the designs, shows, and fashion that we like, but also about our personalities.
8. I've gotten better at makeup.
I used to dance competitively, so I’m no stranger to makeup. However, the heavy eye makeup, glitter, and red lips of the dance world aren’t exactly appropriate for an everyday look, or even a night downtown or sorority formal. One of my favorite things to do on Pinterest is to scroll through the various makeup tutorials and tips that are so easy to find. I’ve tried different products and makeup looks than I normally wouldn’t have in the past, and as a result. I’ve gotten a lot more compliments on my makeup than I used to.
9. I'm inspired to travel more.
Every time I scroll through my home page, I always see at least a couple bucket lists nestled among the canvases and recipes. Even glancing over these has made me want to “go on a spontaneous adventure” or “take a picture with every state sign in America” or even “hike Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.” Constantly seeing the things you want to accomplish pushes you to work that much harder to achieve them. And, seeing the pictures of the jungles, mountains, and cities that pop up on my Pinterest feed have definitely made me that much more determined to add some stamps on my passport.
10. I've started to write again.
This is one of the biggest influences Pinterest has had on me to date. Seeing the inspirational messages and quotes that also tend to pop up on my feed have made me miss the essays and speech contests of high school. They’ve inspired me to try my hand at writing again, something this list is a result of. Without the various articles and words of encouragement I’ve come across since making an account, I doubt I would be sitting here writing this article (or any others, for that matter).
