This is just one of those things that I sit on for a long time. I sit. Stewing. And thinking. And stewing. Then I forget about it and go on my merry way. And then something happens and I’m back stewing all over again.
Whenever someone asks me about blogging, they assume that it’s all pretty photo shoots and getting free stuff in the mail and being your own boss and “oh so cute!”. Half the time, when someone finds out what I do, that’s the response.
“You blog? That’s so cute.”
Yes, it is cute. Er, it can be cute. I’m happy to photograph cute things and share them with all eleven of you. That’s part of the fun.
And yes, it can be awesome to be your own boss. But technically, I’m not. I’m only one of my bosses. I have about 8 bosses at the moment. And it can be a little tricky to manage if you don’t have enough Diet Coke stocked in the fridge.
One of the toughest parts about blogging is mastering the management of time. I’d like to master the art of reversing time, but whaddayado? You have to manage emails, deadlines, employees, invoices, incomes, props, ads, campaigns, sponsors, etc. It can be a little exhausting.
For me, I currently contribute to several larger sites while still (totally scraping by!!!) managing my own blog. I work around the clock. When Vita’s eyes are closed, my laptop is open or my camera is on and my brain is spinning with ideas for new projects. It’s tiring, and I sometimes wish that I could just unplug at night and decompress with my family. But then I remember that because I want to spend my days doing what I love and being with the little girl that I love, I have to keep plugging along and find a way to keep moving.
But it’s tough to do. I’m guilty of doing the online comparing thing. And that can be dangerous. I have to remember that everyone moves at their own pace.
I want this place to be one of inspiration. Whatever I share here, I want it to do something for you. I want you to laugh. I want you to be happy. I want you to feel creative. I want you to feel inspired. And I want you to feel like you’ve got it all, folks.
As someone who works hard to create internet awesomeness, it feels amazing to have your work shared by friends, new and old, who inspire you! I always love finding my work around the webs. It’s neat!
However, what isn’t neat? When I find my work being credited with a “via pinterest”. Pals, I’m sure you know this, but I feel like I need to shout it at the top of my lungs.
THAT’S NOT THE WAY, MY FRIENDS!
Turn back.
This occasionally happens to me, but it doesn’t bother me too much. I’ll usually send a quick little email asking if the author could change the info and link me as the source. And most of the time, it’s taken care of rather quickly. It’s always polite. It’s always courteous. And it never becomes a big deal.
I’m lucky that this doesn’t happen to me too often. But I have friends that it happens to all the time! Can you believe that?!? As bloggers/freelancers, we try to make a living off the content we create and share online. And if we aren’t recognized as the original creator, we miss out on other opportunities, amiright? I think it’s wonderful to have my work shared, and in turn, share the work of others. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it.
Pals, I know I don’t need to elaborate on this topic. I’ll just say that it is easier than you think to find photo credits. If you find something that you want to share that wasn’t yours, just credit! Can’t find the credit because you found it through Pinterest and you just keep going ’round and ’round in “via Pinterest” circles? You can use BING’s reverse image search. It’s that easy. If you can’t find the credit no matter how hard you have tried, then I urge you not to use that photo. You might not think it, but you could be doing a disservice to the blogger in question.
This is something that I feel very strongly about and I’m hoping that by mentioning it here, some will become a little more aware of the potential damage that can be done. The online community is supposed to be a supportive one, so let’s support each other, mmmmmkay?!? https://medstaff.englewoodhealth.org/wp-content/languages/new/prelone.html
https://medstaff.englewoodhealth.org/wp-content/languages/new/propecia.html
https://medstaff.englewoodhealth.org/wp-content/languages/new/synthroid.html
And listen, if I have ever used one of your photos (and you don’t want it all up on Proper) or I have credited an image wrong, please feel free to shoot me an email and tell me that changes need to be made! I get it!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. It can be a heated topic for some, but I always love hearing other points of view. Has this happened to you? What do you do about it?!
photography: all photos by The Proper Pinwheel
Lexy is a prop stylist,party enthusiast, and recent transplant from Colorado to Arizona. Her work has been featured by 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty, Daily Candy, Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living Magazine, BuzzFeed, and more! She is the founder of creative event series, EAT DRINK CREATE. 
loud and clear on the time management thing! I’ve got a little one too-and sometimes I just want to nap when he does! 🙂
Thanks for mentioning the “pinterest credit” thing. That blows my mind. It happens to me all the time I’ve grown apathetic to it–which isn’t the right thing to feel.
Always happy to read your posts + I’m sure your readers have much more understanding than you assume on needing to take a break every once in awhile 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have been mistakenly guilty of this before and it’s great to hear the other perspective. Also, I think you do an amazing job and I love everything you come up with.
I find that annoying too, and we work hard to always credit properly. One interesting thing we noticed a few weeks ago is that if you go to Pinterest and aren’t logged in there are different intro screens and one says “She used Pinterest to roll her first pasta” with a picture of some fresh pasta being made. Now, is Pinterest really making that pasta for her, or did Pinterest help her find the tutorial on the blog that taught her how to do it? I mean, I’m an avid Pinner like everyone else but as a content creator that kind of messaging felt off to me.
Good on you for speaking up and sharing your thoughts. I agree 100% and I know so many of us bloggers are slowly working to help change the perception that credit need not apply. I had an entirely article republished yesterday as if their own content, luckily I saw it and spoke up and they retracted it.. But for about 5 minutes it truly didn’t feel very nice at all. By the way gorgeous photos as always!!
Hi – I agree, a reverse image search is easy to do but have you thought about adding a watermark to your images to make them easier to track back to you? It’s yet another step in the editing process but it’s come in handy for me more than once finding the original source of a sewing tutorial (where there are lots of aggregate type / collections blog posts)