Collecting Virtual Art on Pinterest

Besides being an artist, I am also an avid collector of art. Thanks to Pinterest, collecting art doesn't even cost me a dime! For the last few weeks I have amassed an art collection including everything from artistic chairs to succulents with that wow! factor. For those of you who don't know what Pinterest is yet, it's a new type of social network where users get to "pin" photos of things they like - and their interests can be collected and pinned on "boards" where other users can see them. "Boards" can be also be hidden for "private" collections, and you can traipse around others boards and "re-pin" things you like into your own collection. To get an idea of what I am talking about, here is my board where I have my virtual art collection at: Artistic Things.

Pinterest's mission is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things they find interesting" through a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing. Pinterest is affiliated with both Twitter and Facebook, which allows users to share and interact with a larger community. Founded by Ben Silbermann, the site is currently managed by Cold Brew Labs.

Pinterest has become one of the fastest growing social services in the world. Launched in March of 2010, it currently has an Alexa rank of 54 and is in the invitation only beta stage at this time.

On August 16, 2011, Time magazine listed Pinterest in its "50 Best Websites of 2011" article. So far, women seem to be the most avid users of Pinterest, making up 83% of it's users. As far as I know, Pinterest is not recieving any revenue YET, but I'm sure that will change!

Besides collecting art on Pinterest, I have also been able to link to my own artwork there. I created a board www.DorsiDiaz.com, where I publish my photography, art and designs from my own personal website. This has helped me to gain more exposure for my own art and get more exposure for my website too.

What I like most about Pinterest is that the boards create a visual space to remember the things that you like. When you double click on the pinned photo it will take you to the original source of the image, where you can find out more about the artist or writer from where the image came from. I find "pinning" much more intuitive then just bookmarking a site, because you have a visual of the things you are interested in (have you ever gone back to your bookmarks and tried to find that special bookmark?) Pinning is much better than bookmarking in my opinion!

Everyday as I collect art on Pinterest, I find myself getting more and more creative ideas and inspiration from other artists. This inspiration has triggered me to start thinking about new projects and different uses of colors. You will see on my board that color and design are one of the big themes in my art collection, and my collection ranges from natural art to man-made art and everything in between. To follow me on Pinterest you can find me here: Dorsi Diaz. You can also request an invite once you are there. You will need to give them your email address - then a link with an invitation will be sent to you.

And BTW-the best thing about my virtual art collection on Pinterest? There are no maintenance costs for taking care of my art "pieces"!

Happy Pinning!