Websites I love...

So in my last blog entry, I briefly touched on a website I used to gather resources together called Pinterest.

Pinterest is basically an online pin board. You're browsing the internet, find a picture you like, and you want to show it/share it/ make a note of it for later. Basically with Pinterest, you create an account, then drag and drop the "Pin It" tool to your bookmarks on your internet browser, and every time you see a photo or image you like, you click the "pin it" tool, and it pins the image (with a link to the original source) to your pin board. Think of it like your favourites list on Flickr, only you can favourite anything on the internet.

I find the Pinterest tool very useful for sharing images with people, especially creative teams collaborating on photo shoots. I think of it as being a virtual scrapbook I can access with an internet connection. Using it as a tool with my creative teams during my period photo shoots, I was able to make notes and instructions about what I was looking for, especially in relation to make up, hair, costume, poses, and so on. Make up artists usually create mood boards, and Pinterest is the sort of resource that would let you do that. Plus, you can create as many different pin boards as you like, you can follow and comment and re-pin from friends pin boards too.

As a resource, I think this has endless possibilities for anyone doing research on the web. Still stuck for things you could do? Here's some of my suggestions:


1. Mood Boost Board
Monday morning, sitting at work, feeling a bit fed up that the weekend has gone so quickly? Why not create a mood board that will help boost your mood? Collect pictures of loved friends and family scattered across the internet; pictures of exotic beaches you fancy visiting someday; your dream home/car; or just fill it with collected pictures of your favourite actor/singer to make everyone else wonder what's brought such a smile to your face so early in the day.

2. Healthy Board
It might not be scientifically proven (I'm basing this on personal experience here!) but if you're trying to improve your health, why not gather pictures to inspire you? A dress you want to buy (and fit into!), or photos of appetising and healthy food to tempt you away from the chocolate eclairs. Or photos of people exercising, or doing outdoor activities, or lush green parks, people at spas - anything that makes you want to get fit and healthy. If standing by the supermarket queue and seeing sweets tempts you to buy and tuck into something chocolatey, perhaps a healthy board will tempt you towards something a little better for you!


3. Hair Cuts
Read the beauty pages of any magazine, and they usually suggest that you take pictures of hair styles to show your hairdresser. If you're anything like me, you usually remember this when its a bit late - the day of the appointment! So save some time, and start a haircut pin board; so if you want the back of one cut with the fringe from another picture, or a particular shade then why not create a pin board of haircuts you like, and build a collection of pictures to help you get the hairstyle you want!


4. Interiors
We'd all like to have a home built up of collected and selected objects, but how many of us actually end up with a mismatched clutter instead? Why not make up a mood board to help you create your dream interior designs? Think of it as a means of drawing all your ideas together into a more organised selection, you could use it to find sofas, lights, book shelves, paint or wallpaper or curtains that would all work together into your ideal room.


5. Gardens
Same ideas as the interiors - use the boards to help organise your thought processes over your dream garden. Build up pictures of plants, shrubs, and features that could work in your garden, rather than arriving at the garden centre with a blank mind and a shopping basket filled with plants that you hope will work when you get home. 


6. Holidays
Get inspired for dream holidays and places you'd like to visit. You could also use it as a board to cheer you up when you need a daydream or two of a gorgeous beach when its raining outside. You might be surprised what you find landing on your pin board - you might be tempted to explore a new country or location that you've yet to visit; or swap your usual hotel by the beach in the Med for a holiday exploring the Far East.

7. Photos
This is my favourite one, and perhaps I'm a little biased. One of my previous brides decided to send me links to wedding photos she'd seen on the internet, to ask if I could do photos in the style she'd found. It was a great thing to do - we both then had a clear idea exactly of what she wanted and a starting point for talking about her wedding photography. Much like showing your hairdresser pictures of styles you like, this sort of board could help you get the photos you want, and helps make sure everyone is clear as to what you're after and what can be created for you!

8. Clothes
Ever see a photo of a dress, or shoes or a top you like in a magazine then completely forget about it or where you've seen it? Why not create a visual shopping list for yourself using the Pinterest boards? You could do this especially for getting a holiday wardrobe together before you go away, or maybe some new clothes for a personal make-over.


9. Events
Preparing for a wedding? why not make your own research boards of things you like. So wedding cakes, chair decorations, bridesmaid dresses, bouquets, table centre pieces; or maybe you're planning a birthday bash and want to make sure you get the right location and themes for the day? You could add design, decoration, even just a mood through a picture.

10. Things to do
Think of this as DIY and how-tos. The internet is awash with useful examples of how to make things, how to do things yourself. Sure, we all bookmark the most useful things (if we remember); at worst, we trawl through links we've posted on Facebook/Twitter, or maybe even type in a few words to a search engine. Well, what about tagging the photos of things you want to make, create, do, become, improve? the "after" photo, so you can see how its done? One of the useful things about pinterest, is that it takes you back to the source of the original image, so you can find it there. Alternatively, the how-to in question might take the form of an image, so you could link to that. Or you might want to simply make a collection of things you plan to make in the future (which as someone who enjoys knitting, usually includes "make a scarf like this"). Your things to do might not be quite so creatively minded, but more places you want to visit, local coffee shops, or days out. Make something to jog your memory, keep it fresh, and ensure you actually do the things you're planning, make it a to-do-list you actually feel inspired to tick off.