Pinterest: Creating Copycats?

On my way to my next position I stopped in Arizona to visit with some college friends. Over froyo we got on the subject of different phone apps and websites. The conversation turned to Pinterest. That was when one of my friends made an interesting statement, "Pinterest is killing original ideas and creativity."

Is Pinterest Killing my Creativity?
Could this be true? I have a Pinterest and I spend probably a little too much time browsing pins from time to time. Is my time using Pinterest causing me to lose some of my creativity?

After reading and watching (I found a news story) opinions about Pinterest, I have formulated my view of the situation. Pinterest has allowed many creative people to share their ideas and designs. This in turn has allowed some people who are less creative inclined to start to copy their work. Hopefully in the future the latter will have the confidence to break away from Pinterest as a step by step guide and see it more as an inspiration board. They can use a color or photography style in a new way instead of trying to recreate the picture they "pinned". Sadly, this utopian dream of mine is not quickly becoming a reality. 

Emily from Go Haus Go (link below) had an interesting take in her article about Pinterest and creativity. She lists many reasons why creativity is on the down and out, her first reason: "Pinterest is not a source of inspiration. It’s a collection of completed ideas." I can understand. There are millions of different craft, sewing, and cooking projects posted on Pinterest hourly, not to mention the plethora of wedding things (she has a whole section of weddings too). How is one to keep one's originality?

What is originality?
According to the dictionary it is:
1: the quality or state of being original
2: freshness of aspect, design, or style
3: the power of independent thought or constructive imagination

Is anything original now that we have everything at our fingertips? This may be too big of a question for answer in one post, but I feel originality and creativity are still obtainable. They are just harder to define in today's society. With 24 hour media, it is easier for people to see something they like and to just duplicate it. John Wahl speaks about this from a photography point of view on his blog (linked below). The artist must look past the finished product on their screen and re-imagine a piece of it; whether that be the style, color, silhouette, or emotion the piece brings to the artist.  

What does any of this have to do with costuming?
As a young professional I constantly work on, see, and research shows/design. The internet has made this possible from wherever my latest gig takes me. I also search the web for color combinations, patterns, and materials to add to my knowledge bank. I have been using Pinterest to store most of these swatches of inspiration and research. 

I "pin" photographs of flowers, architecture, and so forth. My costume design professor in undergrad would do a project in class involving photographs. Each student would be given a pile of photos. We would sift through them and find four or five that evoked a feeling, showed a line, emitted a color, etc. that we wanted in our design. I do the same with these photos. I find an emotion, color, shape in these pictures that I like or that I feel will lend itself to costume design in the future. 

Now I must admit I also "pin" hairstyles, clothing, and makeup that I want to use for a costume as well (but they are on a different board). I am guilty of "pinning" an already finished piece to fuse together into another character. For example, I find a hairstyle that I think would lend itself well to a character from a play I am reading. I "pin" it for later reference. I have done this with library research as well. I do not think it is Pinterest's fault. It just makes it easier for me to store the things I find. 

So is Pinterest Killing Creativity?
Like many of the bloggers I have mentioned. I believe Pinterest is great if used for good (like the Force). But, if abused it can lead down a path to the Dark Side...er...I mean to the death of one's creativity. There is redemption from this path, but you must want to change. Find a "pin" you like. What do you like about it? The color? The way it makes you feel? Try to create something using that color or feeling as your inspiration. This will help set you back on the creative path.

Sites that have an opinion on Pinterest:
Yellow Blackbird
John Wahl Photography
Go Haus Go

Question of the Post

What do you use your Pinterest "boards" for?