I recently jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. “Recently” being within the last few months or so. Some of you probably follow me, and if you do, you’ve probably noticed not much pinning happening. I have a personal Pinterest account where I do most of my Pinning. It’s quite possible I have forgotten my ATHG Pinterest login and can’t be bothered to reset it.
Since joining Pinterest, I’ve developed a very conflicting view of it. For one, I really like having a visual reference for things I’d like to do or try. I tend to pin the things that I once would have bookmarked. It’s much easier for me to find what I’m looking for later on when there’s a picture to go along with it. I find Pinterest is a great resource for connecting me to recipes and inspiring visuals. On the other hand, it bugs me to no end the way some people use Pinterest. I personally don’t believe in repinning something that doesn’t link back to the original source. I think it’s wrong to use someone’s idea or share their image without revealing the source. In fact, I have on quite a few occasions spent some time hunting down the original source to pin, rather than repin uncredited, “borrowed” ideas. Recently there’s been a lot of hoopla surrounding Pinterest and copyright concerns. They even changed their terms in April in response. Am I making a big deal out of something that many view as harmless fun? Maybe, but I know I’m not alone. To me, it’s like the old Spongebob debate I have with my students (or whatever the popular character of the moment is). You weren’t the first one to create him, you can’t put him in your work and pass him off as your own. But I’m getting sidetracked here, because what I really wanted to do was share something I found the other day.
Just prior to joining Pinterest, I realized that this blog had been pinned quite a few times. I thought that was pretty cool and totally unexpected. It always amazes me when I think about the various nooks and crannies of the interwebs ATHG has reached. Every now and again, I confess, I like to search for new pins of ATHG to see what others are saying about it. Call it curiosity, call it narcissism, whatever you call it, sometimes I just can’t help myself.
During one of these searches, I stumbled upon something unexpected and mildly upsetting/offensive. Maybe it’s the emotional roller coaster I’ve been on lately. Maybe if I had discovered this five months ago or three months from now, I would have just let it roll off my back and moved on. But I didn’t. I discovered it on the day my baby came home from daycare with a bruise on her cheek about one and a half inches long (as an art teacher, I have a freakishly accurate knack for visually measuring things. I’m also an unbelievably adept packer). Take a look (click to enlarge):
The Red Arrow: Andrea is mistaken. I don’t hate my life. I, in fact, love my life, including my job. But Andrea’s comment isn’t the one that really gets to me, it’s Liz’s. Where do I began with this? To imply that I don’t have any fun with art because I’m not a fan of glitter is ridiculous. Is glitter the only thing that makes art fun? Does art class need to be dolled up and turned into a sparkly, gluey mess in order to appeal to kids? No, it certainly does not. I have a confession to make. I’ve used glitter in my art room before (not recently, but certainly in the past). I have to say, in my experience, glitter isn’t what makes art “colorful, shinny [sic], unique, imaginative and creative.” I mean, if you have to rely on glitter to do those things for your art curriculum, than you have bigger problems.
Now, here’s where I get confused. Andrea goes on to say, “I’m completely offended and disturbed by this photo and the Anti “HATE” comments surrounding it.” The photo that she is referring to, which didn’t make it into the screen shot, happens to be my header image. Hmmm… I wonder what part offends and disturbs her? Is it the bright, happy colors? The whimsical birds and flowers? I also wonder about these “Anti “HATE” comments” she refers to. If she in fact hates hate, as she states in her next comment, then shouldn’t she be pro-Anti hate? And really, what “comments” are she referring to?
In my opinion, the word hate has gotten a bad rap. I think in certain contexts, using the word hate is perfectly acceptable. Would I ever tell someone I hate them? No. Do I hate doing the dishes? Yes, and that’s okay. I get absolutely no enjoyment out of doing the dishes. I hate it. I also hate lima beans. Lima beans have no feelings. It’s okay to hate them. Do I hate glitter? No, not really. What I hate is the mess involved with using glitter, the way in which some students use glitter and the implication that art is all about glitter and Popsicle sticks.
Kudos to Courtney, who obviously has a sense of humor. I think it’s safe to assume that Liz and Andrea have never even visited the ATHG blog, and therefore their remarks are based on the image alone. This is another thing that bugs me about Pinterest (and really, just about every other social media site); people who blindly react to and comment about things without educating themselves on the issue they’re commenting on. Le sigh.
Am I going to let these sorts of comments get me down? No, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect me on some level. It continues to amaze me how often people feel the anonymity of the internet gives them the right to “hate” on other people. I don’t know Liz. I don’t know Courtney. They each have a right to their own opinions, regardless if how uninformed and misguided they may be, and as an adult, I have the ability to forget this ever happen and move on.
Let’s move on.
The Green Arrow: I’m currently reading Sacre Bleu by one of my favorite authors, Christopher Moore. I’m not that far into it yet. I’m excited about this book because 1. it’s written by Christopher Moore, 2. it’s about my favorite color, and 3. it centers around the death of Vincent van Gogh and includes Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Has anyone else read this book? How is it? I’ve heard mixed things.
The Yellow Arrow: I recently Googled this because my 8 month old baby has yet to roll over from her back to her front. Should I be concerned about this? She shows next to no interest in becoming mobile. Instead of attempting to get to the objects farther away, she entertains herself with the objects close by, or lacking that, screeches and “yells” until she is “rescued” from her ordeal. Double le sigh.
Art Teachers Hate Glitter 