Comments on: Where are we going?

By: Morna Crites-Moore

Morna Crites-Moore — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:34:12 +0000

I don’t find your post to be negative; it’s just thoughtful. Too often, at least for me, we get told we’re being negative when we’re just observing facts as we see them.

I, too, have had similar thoughts about blogging and web surfing in general. Mostly because other people chastise me for spending too much time on the computer and for thinking of the people I “meet” online are friends. I suppose I do need to spend more time in sunshine and fresh air and with people in the flesh. Not to mention the amount of time that gets stolen from creative pursuits. But I really enjoy blogland. And I know what you mean about wandering down a maze of links and connections. I often stay up until all hours of the morning because I am hooked on something like that. Then the next day I may not even remember what I was searching for. One thing I’ve done lately is this: if I find something interesting and yet I want to keep moving on, I e-mail the link to myself. Then, the next day, there it is and I get to go see it and – Aha! So that’s what I was surfing about last night. And it usually is something pretty good. Sometimes not. And, of course, it clogs up the e-mail box.

It’s true that blogging gets your name/identity/art out there in the public forum. Doesn’t necessarily translate into sales, if that’s your goal. I use the get’s my name out there logic when trying to justify the blogging to someone who might ever so gently suggest that I should spend less time on it. LOL. (Oh, Gawd, I even write things like LOL). In truth, I think I (and perhaps you too) should blog for altruistic reasons. Because I enjoy it is good enough.

I hope you do continue with it. I have enjoyed visiting your blog for a very long time, as you know. I’m sure many people have discovered you through this medium. And you never know who might discover you tomorrow. But I hope you do it in whatever way pleases you, not some imaginary audience. To paraphrase a nugget of wisdom, blog what you love and the readers will follow!

xox,
Morna – This is undoubtedly the longest comment I’ve ever written! Longer than most of my posts. :)

By: Myrna

Myrna — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:14:15 +0000

Deidre:

I’ve been having similar “why am I doing this” thoughts. Blogging seems to take us further away from some people we might wish to stay more personally connected with and closer to others we would never be able to personally connect with. It’s a catch 22.

There is no way that I can or want to be involved in Twitter, Linked In, Facebook and all thse other “inventions”. I want to actually live my life not spend it in front of an electronic screen. These are possibly good marketing tools but who really knows. For sure, they are less expensive marketing tools. As always, many things need to align to move forward.

What I know about blogging for me is that it is a fabulous way to improve my writing. I post five times a week and it’s excellent practice. In the 300 or so postings I’ve made, my writing has improved tremendously. It makes me more aware on a daily basis. Each day I am thinking of things to write about tomorrow. And, it is a way to support and encourage others in their creativity. That said, it has to above all else work for me and if it doesn’t, it would be time to move on.

FWIW – Myrna

By: Karoda

Karoda — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:04:40 +0000

Hi Deidre, Tonight I attended a local group meeting of fiber and textile artists and 2 people came up to me afterwards and mentioned your name in reponse to the quilts I shared during the meeting. I had painted over a quilt in response to it totally not turning out the way I wanted…it was an impulsive decision but turned into a piece that thrilled me beyond measure, so I painted 2 more. So here I am. I love the work I saw on your website and I just wanted to introduce myself. Will be following your blog and from a long time blogger I said blog for yourself first and foremost and the audience secondary…it keeps it fun and the added connections I make just adds to the sense of play. And I use a timer sometimes when I sit down to read blogs. Or I limit myelf to reading x amount each day and leaving x amount of comments. It is its own addiciton I think.

Peace,

By: Marty Mason

Marty Mason — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:34:04 +0000

I just spent the past few minutes reading your comments and the comments of your followers on to blog or not to blog. Thought provoking….not really. I’ll just continue having fun with my blog. Oh yes, the reason I comment (lost my train of thought there for a monent)… I was reading a blog and saw your name, linked on and found your website. Loved it! Thanks for blogging, I found you, perhaps someone else will to!!

By: Deidre

Deidre — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:41:10 +0000

Dear Magsramsay,

Yes, that’s brilliant; wish I’d have thought of that. What a great solution.

Last Christmas, I went to a dinner and sat next to a man from Poland. It was the same thing — he talked incessantly about political things, mostly about how different America was from Poland. Although I got tired of listening to him after awhile (I could only intermittently get a word in edgewise), I did find his perspective on things quite refreshing — definitely not the endless rehash of the same old stuff. Sometimes I find that even those I agree with most of the time have blinders on in certain areas. Our country is so polarized now that there seems to be a taboo on having a difference of opinion that falls into the gray area between the two polar opposites.

By: Magsramsay

Magsramsay — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:31:47 +0000

You’ve made some really interesting observations. One of the things I’ve found about blogging is that the longer the gap, the more difficult it is to get back into, as I feel the next post has to something momentous! I think we all go through peaks and troughs and what drives me on is using a blog almost as a sketchbook to record what I’m doing. I really apprecate the feedback I get through comments when I’m not sure of something – I don’t necessarily agree with the views expressed but it helps to crystallize my own thoughts. I do believe the more you put in to the process, the more you get out.
I’d really like to see your current work – why not just put up the images with no explanatory text – let the works speak for themselves.
A few years ago, when I was in Poland running a training course , I was astonished when visiting a Polish family for afternoon tea by their frankly stated views on politics and religion. When I said that as I’d only just met them, I was surprised at them discussing these subjects so openly ( it’s almost taboo in the UK unless you know people very well )they sid “but this is all we discuss!”

By: Ana

Ana — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:23:57 +0000

I think that blogs should have a coherent, or that people who come to visit your blog that will be clear to see. If you decide to talk about art and politics, as they wait for that. And if they feel other things are confused. So the blog will not be effective.

Recently I have a blog, I post content I think is interesting and carefully worked his text spelling, writing, etc.. Today, looking at Google Analytics statistics, I realize that visitors spend only a few seconds on my blog, which leaves them no time to read. So the question is worth so much work to write, or do better with visual input short paragraph, one or two lines?

The other day leia blog content that is not good but effective way to engage people. Keywords, phrases that incite to, to come into debate.

Recently on Twitter I am and it’s fun. LinkedIn is interesting to form business relationships, I am there too and I think that will be beneficial for me.
Do not worry, discouragement, sadness, are part of the natural feelings of the people, is not obliged to be always cheerful.

Sorry I’m using a translator

By: Robert Jones

Robert Jones — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:37:21 +0000

Purists, schmurists, it works!

By: Deidre

Deidre — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:54:39 +0000

Yay, thank you for noticing, Robert. I’ve always loved the idea of the empty billboard. I have several in my collection. This started out as a pretty crappy image, taken with my very first digital camera, a Minolta DiMage 7, back in July 2003, on highway 550 southeast of Farmington, New Mexico. It was taken right before the sun dipped below the sky, so the light was hazy and dim and I don’t think the camera focussed completely. I couldn’t really improve on the image too much, so I decided to exploit its faults. Adobe Lightroom now has a setting called “Clarity.” The purpose of it is to enhance an image by making it appear sharper and clearer. However, if you slide it the opposite direction, you can give it this fuzzy halo effect. I also desaturated the image completely but added blue highlights in the Split Toning setting. To top it all off, I gave it a nice vignette, which a purist would hate, but which I find suits my vision very nicely.

By: Robert Jones

Robert Jones — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:04:38 +0000

Also, if I may add something, everyone (myself included) was so wrapped up in the discussion on politics that no one talked about that amazing photograph you posted. I don’t know how much PhotoShop’ing you did, but it looks like it was taken in the rural badlands or some other world. The silvery halo around everything makes it stick in your memory. There’s nothing on the billboard, but there’s everything on the billboard. Put a message or graphics up there, and it destroys the whole picture.