Credit Where It's Due

(I wrote this post last week and it mysteriously disappeared so let's try it again!)

Unless you have been living under a rock (and of course you haven't!), I'm sure you've dipped your toe into, or become unreasonable obsessed with, the image bookmarking site Pinterest. I've been pinning for a year and I love it! I can't believe how much easier it is for me to organize my inspiration. However, Pinterest has come under the scrutiny of some, particularly photographers, who are tired of getting their work pinned and linked with no credit and while I can't begin to understand the intricacies of copyright law, I like to follow the rules of "play nice and give credit where it's due."

So, here's what I wish everyone would do on Pinterest:
*Pin the original source of a post or image
*Pin the link to the actual post not the home page of a site
*Add credits (photographer, artist, stylist, magazine, etc) whenever you can.

I often see bloggers who should know better re-pin images on Pinterest willy-nilly. The images link back to a random Tumblr with no attribution to the photo. This is just plain lazy, pure and simple. It takes a bit more time to pin the right way but it's also the right thing to do.I admit that I too was guilty of this when I first started pinning; now I am going back into my boards and correcting all my improper links!

Let's use this image above as an example. It was originally posted on Pinterest with the caption "neon stripes" and linked back to a Tumblr. The image was nowhere to be found on this site. Of course I wanted to re-pin it, it's awesome! But I also wanted it to be properly pinned- what to do?

Here's a little tool that has helped me immensely: this bookmarklet (which I originally found on Miss Moss- see how I gave credit there?) called src-img helps you find original image sources and credits. I use it about a thousand times a day. When you click on the tool and then the image, this is what it looks like. This tool took me to the Trendhunter site, which included all the info I needed to attribute the photo to the right people.



That's more like it! A well-credited pin!

And with that, I will now hop off my soapbox.

All Done and a Plea for the Crafters

(a few of my Craft Stylish projects over the last year)

Last week was my last post as a regular contributor to Craft Stylish. If you follow craft gossip (yes it exists, believe me!) you may have heard that Craft Stylish has restructured the nature of the site (you can read about it here) and all the regular contributors were let go. This is another unfortunate blow to the crafty publishing world. 

More and more people are picking up crafting as a hobby every year and yet, it's really hard for craft magazines and websites to stay in business. Some of this is just part of the flailing economy; the publishing industry is doing fairing pretty poorly across the board right now. Also, people are really used to getting everything online for free. The only model for money-making online right now is ad-based. What happens when no one is buying ads?

And what else can be done? I wrote about this a few months ago when the print component of CRAFT folded but I do think that people who love crafts need to put their money where their mouths are. Nowadays, it's so easy to find free craft tutorials and projects online that a lot of people don't even bother to pay for a magazine or a book but crafters need to make a living too! Sure a lot of what we do is for love but love doesn't pay the rent.

Craft is all too often undervalued: crafters underprice their wares and buyers often think, "well I can get this cheaper at Target or Wal-mart (and no, I'm not linking to them). But you can't get the same thing. Handmade items have soul, they have heart, someone made it by hand for you. The same goes for a handmade tutorial. They take time to do right: not only do you need a great idea put you need to write clear instructions and take well-lit, well-styled photos. Writing a good tutorial is a craft in and of itself which is why people who are good at this should get paid a decent, fair wage. 

So I beg of you, if you love beautifully made crafts, support your favorite crafters! Buy their books (and I'm not just saying this because I have a book coming out!), shop at craft fairs, appreciate the value of something the is made by hand. Think about the possibility of paying a subscription for an online craft magazine. Buy fewer but more well-made things. Really think about where your money is going. I'm going to try to do that too and maybe we can make this better together.

More Gourmet Inspiration

photos by William Abranowicz and prop styling by Heather Chontos

I have had a serious love affair with Gourmet magazine ever since Ruth Reichl took over. The food photography is stunning, the recipes delicious and the writing is really great. With so many of the non-boring American shelter magazines folding lately, Gourmet has also bee a great source of interior inspiration too. Aren't these photos beautiful? I love the colors and the playful use of the yarn.

Time for Plan B?

This isn't usually what I talk about but it's like a big elephant in the room that I keep trying to ignore:
So Craft is moving online, Domino is gone, O at Home is gone, Readymade is close and the list keeps growing. Honestly, I am thrilled that Craft is at least sticking around online; if they disappeared completely it would be a huge blow to the craft world.
Everyone is talking about how blogs are the new magazine but blogs often don't have original content, we are inspired by magazines, and most importantly, we often work for free. No one is paying me to write what I write (not that I wouldn't accept a donation!)here. Most bloggers write out of the kindness of their hearts, the love of the blog community and the vague concept of "publicity".
But people don't make a living on kindness. I am worried that real magazines with big budgets will be replaced by this "working for free" model. On behalf of all the freelancers out there, I ask all online magazines out there to figure out a way to pay writers well. Your budgets will still be smaller no matter what.
And although I love writing online, I am incredibly inspired by magazines and their content. If they were gone, I wouldn't have as much to write about. I love having a magazine in my hands, studying the pages, ripping them out to put them in my inspiration book. I think that blogs can't live without magazines and vice versa: it's a symbiotic relationship not a competitive one.
Holly tweeted about this article in the New York Times a couple of days ago about figuring out your Plan B. It's been a terrifying couple of months: watching magazines I used to work for fold and getting told over and over again that "we're just not hiring freelancers right now".
It's not totally time for Plan B for me and, honestly I'm not sure if I have one, but it's definitely time for a change in my behavior. Like most New Yorkers, I spend a lot of money on going out, buying dresses, taking cabs. Or I did until this year. If I had known last year what i know now, I would probably have a lot more in my savings. That dang hindsight, being 20/20 and all.
What do you think about magazines and blogs? Are you ok with getting all your inspiration online or will you miss the touch of the magazine page?

The Amazing Bjork

I just saw the one of the CD images of the new Bjork album and I am quite taken with her neon crocheted get-up. In a recent interview, Bjork says that she was trying to conjure up images of "pagan femininity": much of the album is about what being feminine means.

"It's sort of trying to put out some good vibes for the little princesses out there," says Bjork. "There are actually other things than losing a glass slipper. I mean, part of it was having a little daughter and realizing, what are we telling girls? All these books out there about finding your prince. All these little girls, all they want to do is be pretty and find their prince, and I'm like, what happened to feminism here?"
I don't think I could love Bjork any more right now if I tried. One of my favorite things about Bjork as an artist is her challenge of traditional beauty. In a time when most starlets play it safe at award shows for fear they they will be a fashion "don't", I love that Bjork will show up dressed like a freakin' swan. I guess I've always had a weakness for the fashion don'ts; at least they're trying something new. Is there anything so wrong with dressing like your favorite bird species? I don't think so.