Your Blog, Your Way: Part 3

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to read the third post in my series Your Blog, Your Way. YBYW is designed to help you create a blog that is both authentic to you and visited often by others. In this month's post, you will be introduced to the first two of the 10 Cs of Blogging: Consistency and Continuity. More survey results are revealed as well. And speaking of Cs...feel free to Comment here or on CMM and let me know what  you think of the posts so far and if there are any specific aspects of blogging you want to see addressed.

Three new survey questions have been added to the sidebar of my blog. Please head over and make your opinion known. Results will appear in a future Your Blog, Your Way post on Create Mixed Media.

Your Blog, Your Way: Part 2

What is your creative vision for your blog?

Visit Create Mixed Media to read the second post in my series Your Blog, Your Way and to see the first of your own responses to my ongoing artist survey.

The Sunday Paper

Three new survey questions are now on my sidebar. Head on over and have your say!

If you are participating in the newest edition of The Pulse, please remember that your responses are due on June 12th, one week from today. If you are interested in participating but have not yet signed on, there is still time. Email me at shap97@gmail.com for information.

The next post in my new series Your Blog, Your Way goes live this Tuesday 6/7 at Create Mixed Media. If you haven't yet seen the first post (or done your homework), you can find it here.

Sending out a thank you to kimalousartsyfinds for including Fides from my Making Waves series in her newest treasury Can't Stop Looking. Fides is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

I designated yesterday as a book only day. No art making, no blogging, no chores. Thanks to everybody who commented about this on my Facebook Page. I really enjoyed the books I revisited from my collection. I read them cover to cover and managed to go through seven books -- a drop in my library bucket. I found the day both mellow and exhilarating at the same time and it reminded me of what I did so much of before the days of the Internet. I recommend this 'Day of Books' to all and will definitely be scheduling another soon.

My reads...

Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner: Filled with an endless number of well-explained techniques for acrylic paint and acrylic mediums but a resource for so much more as well. The two page 'essential acrylic tips' section alone is worth the price of admission.

Art Making, Collections & Obsessions by Lynne Perrella: What artist doesn't love to collect? And what could be better than page after page of collections, obsessions, studio shots, artwork, stories and quotes from 35 artists. Lynne Perrella knocked it out of the ballpark with this one.

Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella: The perfect blend of gallery photos and how-to advice. This book is one of my favorites and has a ton of post-its marking pages to return to. There is a lot of inspiration to be found here and it is a great source of imaginative ideas.

Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media by L.K. Ludwig: I am all about the collaboration and this book highlights an endless array of collaborations that have been done by mixed media artists. There are great visuals but also the collaborative process is broken down step by step.

Art Making & Studio Spaces by Lynne Perrella: My third book by Lynne. Her books always tap into the most fascinating themes but more than that, she is simply a very talented writer. This book invites you into the studio spaces (and the heads) of 31 artists and makes you feel right at home.

Kaleidoscope - Ideas + Projects to Spark Your Creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis: This book is filled with fascinating projects, how-tos, inspirational stories, strategies to become more confident as an artist, and much more. Over 30 artists have contributed and It is like an all you can eat buffet for art.

Journal Revolution by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino: This book is part manifesto, part how-to, and part self-help manual. Follow along not only to learn how to journal your life but also how to free yourself from the inner critic and let lose in your journaling and artistic styles.

Past, Present, Future

Past: Three items will retire from my Etsy shop over the course of the next 10 days. I am offering free shipping on all three pieces if bought before the retirement party. 

Steps

Moments

Reasons


Present: Thanks to everybody who has responded to the questions in my ongoing survey. You will hear about all the results, some of which are very surprising, in my upcoming 'Your Blog, Your Way' posts on Create Mixed Media. For now, three more questions have been added to my sidebar. Head on over and speak your mind!

Future: Thanks to everybody who has requested information about the newest edition of The Pulse. Over 175 of you have asked for the guidelines! There is still time to join the project. The deadline for submissions is June 12th. Shoot me an email if you are interested in participating.

To those in the US, enjoy the long weekend. To everybody else, enjoy your usual weekend!

What's New?

New survey questions have just been added to the sidebar of my blog. Head on over and have your say - totally anonymously of course!

The Pulse, edition #5, is starting with an open call. I have already had almost 150 artists ask for information. Join the party and email me. I will send you all the specs!

Iaso debuts in my Etsy shop. She is the Greek Goddess of Cures, Remedies, and Healing.

What's new with you?

Rock the Vote

New survey questions have been added to the sidebar of my blog. Head on over and Rock the Vote!

Poll Position

As part of my new series on Create Mixed Media, I will be conducting an online survey to be better able to provide you with information that will help you to create and maintain Your Blog, Your Way. Some of the questions will be geared toward blog owners, some toward blog readers, and some toward both. The questions will be posted on my sidebar and will be updated every few days. I will announce when questions are updated on my Facebook page. You can find the first three questions on my sidebar right now!

Your Blog, Your Way

What makes a blog ‘successful’ and how is success even defined? Why do some blogs seem to get all the attention, visitors, and comments while others don’t? Should an artist’s blog be devoted to art, to personal issues, or perhaps a combination of both? Can a post have too many words or not enough pictures? How can I get a bigger audience and should I even care about that? Should I pay attention to the number of hits I get and all those other stats? Will my readers come back if I take a break or change the style of my art? Is anybody even reading what I write?

If you have a blog or have thought about starting one and have ever asked yourself questions like these, then 'Your Blog, Your Way' is for you. Join me here on Create Mixed Media for my first post in a series that explores what it is to be an art blogger today.

A Traveler's Digest

Whenever I travel, I like to create a visual journal that acts as a repository for all my memories;  a book that I can flip through at any time and be brought right back into the thick of the adventure. I try to journal at some point on each day of all my trips, while the experience is fresh in my mind.

A few of my travel journals, filled with memories...

Greece

Italy

New Mexico

And my newest journal, which itself went on a journey from here...

to here...

London and Prague

A glimpse of what is inside...

I have created a slideshow of each and every page from this journal which can be seen at

Create Mixed Media.

You can read more about my journal-making process on Bridgette Guerzon Mills' wonderful site amanobooks in this interview from 2009.

True Confessions

I am a journaler. Okay, I said it. Outloud. For everybody to hear.

I share most of the artwork I create and the art projects I am involved with on this blog. But one thing I have never shared before are my personal journals. I do not journal daily, weekly, or sometimes even monthly. But I do journal. And I find there are definitely times when I feel the need to journal. One of the things I like about journaling is the fact that there are no rules. I can do it my way, in my time, in my style. And because I journal with no expectation of my pages being seen, it is very freeing. My journaling style tends to be different from my art. But it reflects me nonetheless.

So why am I talking about this now? It is because Create Mixed Media has started The Open Page, a group on Flickr for journalers.

You can join the group, upload your journals and journal pages, and take a look at everybody elses. It is like an open door into the heart of the artist.

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My personal journals are always handmade. Once they are bound, I begin by painting the pages with a wash.

The next step for me is to add images. In my current journal I am taking my images from an ever-growing pile of torn pages from books, magazines, newspapers, and the like.

My last step is adding the journal writing itself.

All the pages in my journal are at different stages, so there is something to work on no matter what I am in the mood to do.



Head on over to The Open Page on Flickr. You can see more of my journal pages and add your own!