lone harvest treemixed media collage
24" x 20" x 1 1/2" gallery-wrapped canvas
copyright 2008 julie king art
SOLD
i’ve never had an interest in journaling. don’t get me wrong. i love journals and own a ton of them. i just never felt comfortable writing all my secret thoughts down in one. actually i use a journal to keep a list of blog ideas. when some random weird thought crosses my mind and i think “i should blog about that”, i write it down in the blog idea journal. i keep several journals for “lists”. there’s my journal where I write down all my passwords to etsy, pay pal, ebay, blogger, gmail, linens n things, and the list goes on and on. then there’s my “big fat art ideas” journal where i sketch and write notes and keep an ongoing list of what i need to do in order to “get my art up off the ground”. i use a journal for my weekly shopping list, my annual christmas list and whenever we start a new gardening or household project. like i said, i have a ton of journals.
so, we’ve established that i don’t like to journal. then what is the big obsession with blogging? why has this become such a fave thing to do? why am i comfortable writing my thoughts into my blog for all the world to see? i’m starting to think that it may be just a bit egotistical (okay, strike the word “bit”!). it’s all about me. it’s all about my art. i show off my art. i take photos that i would never normally take just to put them on my blog. yep, i can feel my ego getting a bit pink in the face as i type. blogging is also very voyeuristic. just as i enjoy reality tv, i enjoy browsing other people’s blogs and dare i say it, living vicariously through their lives while looking at their photos and lusting after their art projects.
so, i feel i must make a list (you saw that coming, right??!!) to justify the many hours i spend every week blogging. here goes:
it’s free (well, unless i have to count the i-mac i bought because i hated the way i had to edit photos on bill’s pc)
i get art ideas from other people’s blogs (of course, then i’m totally paranoid that i will inadvertently use someone else’s idea and they will leave a nasty comment on my blog (note to self—start a journal listing each art idea and where it came from)
it’s harmless (i could be out spending money, shooting pool with the local gang or downing a few shots of tequila hee hee)
it keeps me in touch with friends (well, actually, mostly people i’ve never met or verbally spoken to)
so, please tell me blogging world, why are we (you) blogging?
17 comments:
lone harvest tree is really beautiful, nicely done and love the colors!
Why do we blog!?....good question..somehow it feels a little like putting a message in a bottle and then casting it out into a vast unknown water to see if anyone will find it and reply. It still amazes me when I get a response.
Hi Kiddo!
I have absolutely no idea why I blog, LOL! Not entirely true ... it started when some of my art/stamping buddies insisted that I do so. So, I did ... I'll just blame it on peer pressure.
But I'm really glad I did/do as it's rewarding in it's own right, I've 'met' wonderful artists (such as yourself!) and, if a Major Craft or Hobbie Company wants me to go to work for them, well they have a better chance of finding me now (as if ...!).
The strange thing is that now I feel guilty if I take a day off from bloggin'! What's up with that?!? LOL! Does that happen to you?
And may I just say that today's piece is exquisite!! And, like you, I love browns! But I've never made anything with the color brown that looks as good as this does!
Hope you had a good week at work and that you enjoy a restful, creative, and oh-so-long weekend!
~Hugs, Deb
i love this post and feel the same way as you do about blogging (definitely have an i-mac on my shopping list, too).
when i started our blog with my husband a few months ago, i was just playing around with blogger to see what it was like. it was so easy, before we knew it, we were blogging (although, he is more of my muse and i'm the blogmeister).
i've never kept a journal or lots of photo albums and it bothered me. i think of our blog as filling in for those things.
it's really nice to meet people, like yourself, who have common interests and i learn a lot about so many new things.
sometimes, i do get sucked into the vortex of the blogosphere though, and i'm going to have to really keep that in check as i haven't done any crafting in several weeks. but, i really love to take photos and have been focusing on that recently.
sorry this is so long and thanks for asking.
Like you I have never been able to journal. And like you it was because I don't want to write my intimate thoughts down for someone else to read. I also recently asked myself...isn't blogging the same thing?
But I decided that although I do tell some personal things, blogging for me is more like writing an editorial. I get to pick a topic and give my opinion. Sometimes I use it to tell a story about something that happened in the past or to a family member. Sometimes it is like a conversation between friends, albeit friends I haven't ever really met.
I wanted to start a blog for a long time before I did. I wanted to use it for a couple of purposes. I wanted to increase my computer skills in a fun hands on way and I wanted a showcase for my hobbies. What kept me from beginning sooner was the fact that I thought I wouldn't have anything to say. I have been surprised to find how easy it is to chatter on endlessly. I feel grateful to have found a community of fellow bloggers who will read my thoughts and give me feed back.
Totally beautiful piece of work here. I even recognize a paper in there that I have. I love your technique.
It is so fun and addictive isnt it? It also helps you be accountable to yourself as an artist....if you want to blog, you gotta have something to blog about, right? So you must create!
It is also a great visual way to track your progress, see where you've been. Share your work without having to send a million obnoxious emails.
I also love how slowly you become part of a community of bloggers, a network of support. Its like an online support group where you post your art for all to see and get a validation you wouldnt get if you hid your art away.
Vive la blog!~
Heather
i clicked on this piece and it is even more beautiful! great job julie.
as for the blogging, i second all of it. had i only known...
First I have to say I think this tree is my favorite piece yet! I love the twisty branches.
I started blogging so I would write more. I also wanted to share what I was up to with friends and family without filling their inboxes whenever a thought struck me. Whenever I've tried to journal I end up with a few good entries and eventually a book that was three-quarters empty. I'm am pretty consistent with my blogging though. It's just fun, and it has evolved into sharing my art along with my thoughts with whoever happens by.
I also take pictures of things just to put them on the blog. Photographing my plate of food in a restaurant often gets curious glances.
Your Lone Harvest Tree is lovely!
I feel exactly the same way you do about blogging. It's been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. :)
I blog because I love sharing what is going on in my life and hearing about what is going on in other people's lives. My blogging friends are like real friends to me, they are not just a name but virtual friends!
What a great post! I blog for the same reasons you do...to post pictures I normally would never take of the jewelry that I make. I know I would not be a blogger if I wasn't trying to sell my jewelry.
I feel the same way about journals, too. I've never been keen on the idea of writing down my deep dark secret thoughts on paper, yet I too have a million journals. I just love them.
thanks to all for the comments, feedback and insight on this post. what a wonderful thing to throw out a question like i did and get answers back from such creative, talented and supportive women!!
i'm blogging for pretty much the same reasons! it's a way for me to keep up with my creative to-do list, to inspire other bloggers, and to meet new people...
i try not to get too personal on my blog. there's nothing wrong with that, but it's just not the reason i created my blog. i prefer to remain an enigma for now! :)
good question, that. i started out blogging to keep a record of my crafty doings...but now my blogs becoming much more than that! i use it to keep up with my bloggy friends, and to document little interesting bits of my life, too.
i've never kept a journal, either. i always thought it much too risky to write things down for real!
it strikes me that blogging is neearly the same as that though...hmmmm.
I ask myself the same question. Sometimes I have nothing to blog about. I feel the pressure I need to blog oh no its been almost a week. Plus I feel so tongue tied then I just end up putting photos. I try to blog with a purpose. Spreading hope is my theme. Oh and love that tree I have a thing for trees. Blessings to you Denise
This is a conversation I have with myself on a regular basis. Why do I blog? Apart from being totally addicted to blog hopping, blogging feeds my creative impulse.
P.S. Original suggested that it feels like putting a message in a bottle and how surprising it is to find a reply. Thats exactly how I feel.
I also had ideas about sharing how I broke out of a very long stubborn block. Something I set aside for future blogging but which is slowly being included into my blog.
I think basically I just love sharing in this amazing blog world.....but there are times that I realize I've got carried away and shared too much so I go haring back a few hours later to delete it. Do you ever do that?
I forgot to say how much I love Lone Harvest Tree. Your work is amazing!
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