thereza rowe : artists who blog

Thereza's blog: www.tinyreddesign.com
Thereza's website: www.therezarowe.com

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I was still at university studying for my design degree and felt I needed little place to show my drawings, experiments and illustration work so a blog seemed a good start.



How did you come up with the name of your blog?

Red being my favorite colour, I knew it had to be called something red, so one day, whilst playing with my moleskine the name tiny red popped up. Just like that!



How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?

Blogging works like an e-sketchbook for me and it has given me a lot more than I expected as it soon became an outlet to document and keep track of my own journey and development as an illustrator. It became a reminder that each ordinary day can be a special one just through sharing what you have noticed on that day. May it be through a doodle, pictures, a link, etc...



What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?

Oh dear, there are so many! If I mention a few, I know I’ll be forgetting others so let’s just say my favorite blogs are the ones that have a good mix of original imagery, context, honesty and a great personality. Hello my faves, you know who you are!



Do you have any advice for artists/designers who are starting a blog?

It depends on what you intend to achieve... Personally, I blog for fun and it’s an excellent way of networking with like-minded people. I’d say: Have fun and do it because you love it.



What has been the most positive and inspirational aspect of having a blog for you?

Networking and interacting with amazing artists who I might otherwise not have had the opportunity to... There’s so much good stuff out there and to be inspired and be able to inspire whilst being part of a community is such a great feeling. Also, the feedback I get from visitors is awesome!



What do you find the most difficult/most rewarding part of having a creative profession?

Most difficult>> handling the business side of things... eventually I might need an agent and an accountant, I think... most rewarding>> production, all the way from the brainstorming process through to the final piece.



Other than your blog, what has been the most effective way for you to promote your art/design?

I have a website, a flickr account and a twitter page and iI think it’s more than enough... there are far too many social networks nowadays, can’t keep up!

Offline >> business cards, postcards, etc



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

That’s a tough one! I have a quite hyperactive head and even when I’m not working I’m always noticing, processing, thinking of what’s next... it’s part of doing what you love, I guess...



What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2009?

Oh my, that’s only a couple of months away... so, other than getting more commissions, nothing massive...
From a work’s perpective I want to see if I can organize myself to open a little online shop plus learn to do more with my wonderful Canon SRL camera would be good too ☺

Thanks Thereza!

lisa golightly : artists who blog

Lisa's blog: kikiandpolly.com/blog
Lisa's website: kikiandpolly.com
Lisa's shop: kikiandpolly.etsy.com



Why did you decide to start a blog?

Probably the same reason many people do. I had been reading blogs for years and started wanting to share some of my ideas and how I work. I think I had been writing posts in my head for quite a while before I actually took the plunge.



How did you come up with the name of your blog?

It’s just my name and that of my website. And yes, that is my real name. The name Kiki and Polly was inspired by my daughter. Polly was her imaginary friend and Kiki was the name she gave a bird that came to our yard.



How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?

Hmmm. I guess one of the greatest things for me is getting to hear feedback. Putting my work out there and hearing peoples thoughts on it has been really gratifying and inspirational.



What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?

Too many to list here (I swear it grows daily!) But a few are:
design is mine
frolic
Camilla Engman
design milk
Art Addict
Antler



Do you have any advice for artists/designers who are starting a blog?

I try to balance what is inspiring me, my daily life and what I’m working on, mainly because those are the aspects I enjoy most in other people’s blogs. So to blog what it is that draws you to other blogs is a good place to start.



What has been the most positive and inspirational aspect of having a blog for you?

Like I said, hearing from people who have found my work has been amazing. I am a pretty quiet person so having a blog helps me out of my shell!



What do you find the most difficult/most I part of having a creative profession?

I have kids, so balacing time and giving enough to each is the hardest. I heard an artist say once that his wife couldn’t be a true artist because she made the choice to be a mother and art requires too much of yourself to make that sacrifice. Well, I think that’s bull@#$%$, but that said, somedays it would be very helpful to have a few extra hours in the day.



Other than your blog, what has been the most effective way for you to promote your art/design?

Participating in online art markets, maintaining an active etsy store, and introducing yourself to art/design blogs.



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

That’s the big question, right? Some days I feel like I have acheived it, others I still struggle. Just recently I started back at my childhood love of horseback riding which has been huge for me. I think the biggest realization for me has been that I don’t neccesarily have balance on a daily basis, but if I step back and look at the overall picture it’s there.



What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2009?

I’d like to keep getting my work out there, keep pushing myself and making the most of some fun opportunites I have coming up.

Thank you Lisa for sharing your thoughts and your lovely artwork!

jennifer sanchez : artists who blog

Jennifer's blog: miss-sanchez.blogspot.com
Jennifer's website: miss-sanchez.com



Why did you decide to start a blog?

People ask me what inspires my work and what it's about.
The answer is a little different depending on what i'm reading or what i've seen. A blog seemed like a great way to share what's going on w/my art and what inspires, right now.



How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?

Don't know yet, but I definitely use it as a reference tool. If I want to look at something I saw on the street or in a recent show, it's right there on the blog.



What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?

http://joannemattera.blogspot.com
http://edwardwinkleman.blogspot.com

both are generous w/their insight and opinions about the art world

http://www.artfagcity.com
http://badatsports.com/category/theblog
http://hragvartanian.com
http://hyperallergic.com

These are all great blogs that provide insightful, critical and funny posts.



Do you have any advice for artists/designers who are starting a blog?

Write in your voice - the way you talk. Keep it simple.



What has been the most positive and inspirational aspect of having a blog for you?

It helps me get my thoughts together and remember stuff. For me, it's like a growing database of cool stuff I can use in my paintings.



What do you find the most difficult/most rewarding part of having a creative profession?

Trying out new things in my paintings. It's always a little scary and fun at the same time.
Hearing from people who like my work – that's always great and motivational.
Being able to paint for most of my living.



Other than your blog, what has been the most effective way for you to promote your art/design?

My website and I've been linked w/some really great websites and savvy online marketing ladies:

suzanne shade, beholder-art.com
jen bekman, jen bekman gallery, 20x200.com



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

I make a schedule for myself. I have a morning, part-time job that offers a lot of time off.

I can easily spend my time surfing the net, going to shows hanging out at the park. I sorta plan out my week and have a rough idea what I'll do each day. Spend this much time looking at art, this much time in the studio, this much time doing 'office work'. And I make sure I have down time or loaf time - it's good to hang out and waste time. Gives me the space to process all that I'm taking in.



What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2009?

Be able to quit my job!
I'm also beginning to incorporate a sorta new element in my paintings; large and loose, broad strokes of color. Hope to be able to reconcile it and work with it better.

Thanks Jennifer!

elisabeth dunker : artists who blog

Elisabeth's blog: www.finelittleday.blogspot.com
Elisabeth's websites: www.lula.se, www.studioviolet.blogspot.com
Elisabeth's shops: www.finelittleshop.bigcartel.com, www.studioviolet.se

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I liked the thought of building a mini universe on a webpage. From the beginning I was so thrilled just to see a photo I'd taken appearing on the web by pushing a 'publish button.' I was also intrested in knowing if what I made could be interesting for somebody else.



How did you come up with the name of your blog?

I like the poetry in awkward word order sentences. I had a Swedish sentence that had followed me for a while "lilla mina barn." When I started the blog, I wanted to use that sentence but when translated (I wanted the blog to be in English) it didn't sound so good: "little my kids." "Fine little day" sounded better to my ears.



How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?

Very much I think. Before I started blogging, I was a book and magazine addict, and I had subscriptions to at least five magazines going on at the same time continuously. But the amount of pictures I consumed then was nothing compared to what I consumed after I discoverd the big treasure of pictures on the Internet. When I started blogging, I also started to produce a larger amount of pictures/photos myself. I believe that this consuming and making have had a large affect on my 'seeing.' In what way exactly it shows in my work is not easy to say, but I'm sure that it has had a big effect.



What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?

Favorite artist today: Claire Loder
She's incredible, I love her playfulness and aesthetics as a whole. Not only her ceramics but her web identity too.

Favorite blog today: http://miekewillems.blogspot.com
They have such good taste!





Do you have any advice for artists/designers who are starting a blog?

For me the main focus is to have fun. It sounds like a cliché, it is a cliché, but if you have fun it will be good anyhow.



What has been the most positive and inspirational aspect of having a blog for you?

The communication with other people + the confirmation and the feedback. I really appreciate that people take the time to comment.



What do you find the most difficult/most rewarding part of having a creative profession?

The worst part is that you work too much, and if you are a freelancer like me, you never know if you will have enough money for the next month. The best part is that you work doing something that you really love.



Other than your blog, what has been the most effective way for you to promote your art/design?

Oh, I can't think of anything else I've done to promote myself... But I have a website, and that is promoting too of course. I've also, or my work has been in magazines and books, but that is nothing. I've been active in other ways that said "yes" and mailed my files.



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

I don't. I'm often unbalanced. Sleep too little, eat unhealthy in periods, don't work out as much as I should. I can be quite manic and work way too much. My balance is depending on how good my economy is and how much time I have to do nothing, as for anyone else I guess.



What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2009?

Better economy. That sounds boring but it's true. But also, I would like to make something for me, using my own name again. The last time was was quite a while ago. What, I'm not sure of yet.



Thanks Elisabeth for sharing your thoughts with us! (Doesn't she have a lovely studio!)