Writing a blog is fun, inventive, a chore, impossible, and, well, just like real life–a mixed bag.
Lots of ideas can fit together like a mosaic.
Smart people, who care about Search Engine Optimization and marketing businesses like mine, keep telling me to pick ONE audience–art journalers, writers, life coaches, training developers, instructors, workshop leaders–and write only to them. “It will focus your energy and give you a better audience,” they explain.
Perhaps. But I don’t DO one thing–I live a portfolio life. I do several things, all of which I love, and all of which connect through my heart and soul. They don’t need separate websites any more than I need separate desks.
Seven years ago, I vowed not to make my art pay the mortgage so I could do the
Creating your own reality happens only when you take the time to do it.
art I wanted, not just what sold well. That gave me huge creative freedom, less creative discipline that I needed (another whole blog post), and a lot of work in different areas.
Corporate clients who were bothered that I was also an artist expressed concern. I told them that if I was not meeting their expectations as a corporate trainer, we should speak to that point so I could create better results. No one spoke up. But I know that in the corporate culture, creativity is called “disruption” and that the name itself doesn’t sound great, even if the effect often is.
So the blog continues to jump from topic to topic–training, art journaling, workshops, demos, ideas, life problems, coaching issues–just like real life.
But I’m open to different ideas, and if you have one, let’s hear it in the comments section. Or tell me how you decided to limit your blog (or not). To check out different ideas:
- Julie Fei-Fan Balzer posts photos of her creative adventures every day on her blog.
- iHanna takes us on visual journeys through her daily life on her blog.
- Seth Apter often talks about other people’s art on his blog, The Altered Page.
- Tammy Garcia is a peripatetic artist whose website (Daisy Yellow) covers a vast variety of art topics
Meanwhile, I’m getting comfy with the different kinds of work. I’m re-doing my website (every website needs an update every 18 months or so) and am open to new ideas.
–Quinn McDonald has opened the window of her mind. She’s got a head cold and is hoping for a drying breeze up there.
QuinnCreative 