In January 2008 I began posting on Word press.  The reason I started my blog was that I grew tired of lugging my art back home for my family to see and also to minimize the risk of damage in transit.  And with the blog,  my kin can pop over and see what I am up to.  Well, it’s been 5 years with 101,174 visitors and 41 followers to date,  so it is a bit more to me now than storage space.  Which has been the best surprise ever!

I can not speak for everyone, but for me blogging and social media is more than “Hey, Look at me, Look at this!”    Blogging is a place where:

~Like minded people get together.  I have developed some wonderful relationships over the years.  After you read a blog for a certain about of time you do get emotionally invested in their lives.  Births, deaths, marriages, and divorce. I rejoice with them.  I have cried for them.  And I have had quite a few laughs!

~Learn from each other. If it were not for other bloggers I would not have learned to draw.  And I say this with absolute certainty.  I am sorry,  a lot of people will not agree with me but I am one of those people who believe anyone can learn to draw.  Anyone.  We may not all be Picasso’s or Monet’s but if you want it?  It is there. You just have to want it bad enough to practice; and practice a lot.  I use to believe it was all talent.  Not so, drawing and painting is more technical than gift and the talent is in the patience. (I do not have that much these days, LOL)  But I would have never known that and would not have bothered to learn at all if it were not for blogs.  And that is growing up with an artist living in the house!

There is so much information out there ripe for the picking, if you want to draw or paint or do anything creative.  And it is free!  Most of us want to help and are very eager to share what we know.  Giving back always weighs heavily on me.  I do feel an obligation to share what I have learned as well.  I have some ideas and I am still researching what I can do, but be assured I will do my part. And until then, I will an answer any question you may have.

~ Quite often it seems, the place you can get emotional support.  It is sad, really.  I read once and I am paraphrasing here,  A young lady was in a group, I guess in the middle of the conversation she called herself an Artist.  Her husband/boyfriend/Troll/dip-bleep called her down in front of the group and told her that she was not an artist and should not even call herself one.  Because his feelings were that to call yourself an artist you have to get paid!  The mortification that the poor girl felt, oh my goodness!  I still get mad when I think about it.  So please be careful and sensitive when you comment on someone’s blog.  Your words may be the one kind ones they receive.  And if you have to say something negative find something positive to say as well.

You can agree or disagree, but my definition of an artist is a person who creates.  period. end of story.  If you get paid for your work, then you become a professional artist.  Does being a “professional” artist make you a better artist?  No, absolutely not.  It only means that they have been able to market themselves better or had some very, very good luck.

~Self Confidence. It is very easy to post something awesome and flawless.  But when you are able to post things that you know suck?  Now, that’s confidence!  I tend to do that quite often and I will tell you that it sucks and point out everything that I do not like.  I do that because there are people out there who actually think that others have the Midas Touch and everything they do turns to gold. When actually 40 -60% of everything I do is poo.  Who Cares!  I do crank out a good one every now and again. But there are those stinkaroonies…And it is only fair that you see, the good, the bad and the ugly.

~Cons. The only con that I can think of is the hater.  Yes, I have been called names.  I have even been told off, as to why I still don’t know.   Not often, but it is there.   I remember  my first one.  It was at night, I grabbed my computer and took it in the living room crying to my husband.  Now, what he was going to do about it, I had no idea, I guess virtually beat them up ;).  I think I cried, because I did not want to approve that comment.  I read that it was wrong to cherry pick comments, but  it was mean and unkind and did not have anything to do with the post.

I just did not know what to do then I decided and I am going to be blunt here: My Blog. My Rules!   I have spent many hours of many years working my tail off learning to draw.  Yes, there are more artists better than me than not.  But this is my blog and I will not be disrespected in my own house.  I welcome constructive criticism but I will not approve comments or respond to a unhelpful,  mean-spirited  hater who’s only goal is to hurt me and put me in my place.  I hope you do not put up with such foolishness either.   Because you deserve better than to respond to someone who’s only goal is to watch (or read) just waiting for you to do a face plant!

Other than that Blogging is very rewarding and If you read my blog on a regular basis,  I just want  Thank you so very much and I appreciate your comments and support! I wish you knew how much it means to me.  And if you are visiting my blog, thank you for your time and I hope you drop by soon or you can click the sign me up box to follow me.  I guess that is it for now, and I really hope that I did not induce a nap.

To celebrate my blogaversary, I am going to  pull out a lovely square of 2013 Hershey chocolate from my sock drawer to munch on 😉  I hope you guys have a great weekend.

MUCH LOVE!