What you visualize for the new year is everything; it shapes how you start your mornings and what you see in your head when you walk to class. If you’re anything like me, you’ll scroll aimlessly through Pinterest for hours with no direction, unsure of what you actually want to pin, or what you just think looks cool.
Whether your Pinterest boards are an in-cohesive dump, or a collection of carefully searched-for images, this article is exactly what you need to guide your next search. Everything on your Pinterest board should contribute to shaping your ideal year; these are my recommendations for doing exactly that.
SPACE
And no, I’m not talking about Space Cafe. The first step to creating the ideal Semester One Pinterest board is visualizing your ideal spaces. Whether it’s finding a Pin of a cute room, or just an organized shelf, you should try to include Pins that reflect the space around you; this sets up the atmosphere for your year.
If you have a series of photos of cute, clean spaces, they can inspire you to keep your own workspace just as organized and your mind just as clear. I especially recommend including a few photos of St. Andrews. Whether you’re new and looking at our town with fresh-eyed wonder, or you’re bored of the same three streets (if this is the case, check out this article), it’s important to remember where you are.
MOVEMENT
This could either be your inspiration to get into something new, rekindle something old, or maybe just represent something you already love. You should always try to incorporate Pins that inspire you to move your body. It can be anything from photos of a casual walk, to someone finishing an Ironman — maybe it’s both! Or maybe it’s a new club or society in St Andrews you want to try out; we have a million options to choose from. It’s completely up to you, but I strongly recommend it’s something you’d actually like to do.
MESSAGE
Pinterest is home to thousands of inspirational quotes in cute fonts — make sure not to forget about those! It doesn’t have to be your motto that you’re going to remind yourself of every morning when you wake up; it doesn’t even have to be something you write down. Just let it exist in your Pinterest board. When you look back at it (or them, because there are SO many), you’ll be reminded, and hopefully, a bit inspired.
PASSION
This Pin (or perhaps multiple Pins) should focus on something that serves as an outlet for you, like a hobby. I particularly suggest incorporating something new that you’d like to try or get into more. An easy one is drawing; you can include images of people drawing complex images, or maybe just a small doodle that you think is cute and want to copy. Your passion can be as high or low a commitment as you’d like. The only requirement is that it’s something you’d actually like to make time for this year. Whether that’s a new society, journaling, or learning a new language or instrument, make sure it’s something you’re passionate about.
PROJECTION
Remember: this board is an embodiment of what you want your semester to look like. Incorporate a few photos of well-kept notes or something related to your degree. This can really inspire you to take notes of that article you don’t want to read. I also find it helpful to include images of what I want my future to look like. Then, anytime you’re on Pinterest instead of studying, you can remember what you’re working towards and get back on track. I find that this is probably the most useful type of image to include; it inspires you to stay focused and remember what you’re working towards.
SOCIAL
If you’ve never found a party theme on Pinterest, you clearly aren’t spending enough time on there. This is your semester: pick out a few photos of what you want your semester to look like socially. Maybe you want to hike the Fife Coastal Path with your friends; maybe you’re striving to actually get together a group Halloween costume this year; or maybe there’s a cute dinner party image that you want to recreate, or a photo of friends that just feels like good energy. There are hundreds of different ideas out there; this semester is the time to make some of them your own.
When trying to shape a new Pinterest board, there are so many different things you can include: outfits, hairstyles, recipes, and hundreds of other things you might want to try. What matters most is that you include the things that are important to you, so make your board reflect the aspects of the new semester that you truly care about. Hopefully, I’ve been slightly helpful in guiding your Pinterest searches, but most of all, I hope you all have a wonderful start to the new year.