Thursday, January 6, 2011

Blogs, Bloggers and Blogged Down!

Happy New Year! 
Let me start by saying, I visit lots of blogs myself.  Mostly blogs of artists I admire, but I do read a variety of them on a variety of subjects.  My main complaint is they don't post often enough!  I am always impressed by daily blogger's and daily painters.  Heck, DAILY anything impresses me!  But even the daily people miss a day here and there.  It's allowed.

Like I said, I visit quite a few of them.  If you do that, then you are sure to get some fresh content from one at least.  I don't visit everyday, except those who do it daily.  Most bloggers are probably busy actually doing what they blog about which is why they don't have time to post more often!  But what about me?  I need an update!  I need their inspiration.  I need the push they give me to do what they are doing! 

Like the organizational blog I read.  She emails it to me weekly.  I love that blog!  Sometimes I even do something in it.  I know I think about being organized more because it's in my face now.  And I find that helpful.  Something to aspire to!

Then there is the cooking blog.  I don't really like to cook anymore, but I like it that someone does.  And that I could go to this blog and get ideas if I did in fact ever really want to cook again.

Now that its the new year, I will start reading the Weight Watchers blog again!  I'm hoping to be motivated to get back into the diet I started last year~ you never know!

The blogs are endless.  And while I read them and wish others would post more often, I realized that while I try to post twice a month, it doesn't happen.  I get "blogged down" with other things.  I rationalized this holiday season with my failed attempt at posting daily to inspire creative holiday's, that there aren't that many readers.  Besides, I did have to deal with the flooded basement that derailed many of my plans for Christmas anyway.  (the clean up crew pushed the contents of the room into the crawl and blocked access to the tree, ornaments and other decorations.)

But then I learned how to check the stats page on my blog site.  That tab show how many hits you have to your site.  While not rock star status, I apparently have a few more followers than I knew.  So I'm inspired again!
 
And with the new year came all the new year resolutions on the blogs.  Well, I will spare you that because for me new years resolutions are suggestions that I can argue out of by February!  Instead I am going to incorporate an idea I read in another artists blog.  While I was only going to use it in my classes, I decided instead to share it with any of you that read my blathering.  (those of you who do not do visual art, but have some other creative talent-see the idea below)  It is a challenge to sketch (or in my challenge to sketch or do small painted studies) each day.  There are suggested guidelines and each week in class I will demo or suggest a way to change it up and create variety and excitement in your sketch book.  I encourage you to check back weekly for the updates and hopefully see a few daily sketches.  We will start in two weeks when my classes start back up.  I'd love to hear from you if you plan to do this.  I think making a commitment to something-like putting it in a blog!-gives you accountability and keeps you going.  I have a sign up form to keep you honest-and you get something at the end!

Now, the guidelines are:  Sketch daily,  weekends optional, for six weeks.  That's 30 sketches.  If you do not get to it one day, do two the next.  The size is up to you but I suggest a sketch pad at least 8x10-but it's up to you.  A sketch is not a drawing.  It should take a maximum of 30 minutes!  Each week I will suggest subjects or different methods to keep it fresh.   You may paint them, but they need to be done quickly.  The idea is to get us using our right brain and training our eye to see and record daily.  At the end you will receive a little card giving you artistic license! 

For those of you non-visual artists-is there any way you can challenge your creativity with bite size exercises that use a foundational skill? 

I have a neighbor who is doing a Bento blog-do you know what a Bento is?  I didn't!  And that's the beauty of a blog!

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