anna wilson patterson : artists who blog

Anna's blog: www.annawilsonpatterson.blogspot.com
Anna's websites: www.annawilsonpatterson.com, www.artshut.com

Why did you decide to start a blog?

Initially I started a blog as an online scrapbook of my life. I have always collected interesting bits and bobs; tickets, labels, doodles, magazine cuttings and stuck them into increasingly weighty books.



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

I chose my own name, so people could find me easily. My Gallery name, ‘Arts Hut’, I chose to reflect our atmosphere; elegantly rustic, creatively cosy.



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

It encourages me to take photographs of everywhere, everything and everyone. I absolutely love my digital camera. Blogging also reveals how I spend my time. When I look at older posts I can see the different projects achieved. My passing obsessions also come into focus: Tractors, Cattle, Poultry - at the moment it’s Dogs.



What are your favourite artist/designer blogs? Why?

My favourite painters blog is Sandra Flood’s ‘A Painting…Whenever’ It is always fascinating, I learn about colour, composition and subject matter.



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

I return to blogs that either inspire me or make me smile. I especially like to nose inside artist studios, galleries or shops, so my advice would be - show behind the scenes.



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

Everything. It’s free, easy to use, it records all aspects of my life in neat compartments. When people from the other side of the world send me greetings, it is a real surprise and joy.



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

Managing an inconsistent income is tough, but the rewards are plenty. I feel I’m in the right place, at the right time in my life, enjoying how I spend my days.



Other than your blog, what have been the most effective ways for you to promote your art and design?

To date, I have responded positively to all invitations to exhibit and teach. I have shown work in a farm kitchen, a barn and exhibited in lots of art festivals. Press releases to local newspapers have brought shoppers in. Plus my website lets galleries view my portfolio and I am starting to sell my cards and prints online.



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

I gave up my stressful town life to move to the country where the pace of life is tranquil and calming. I try to balance my studio world with spending time outdoors. In the summer I relax in our cottage sculpture garden. I also walk our dogs twice a day, so down tools at 5pm sharp, before they poke their pointy noses under my elbows.



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

I have just designed and published my first set of Christmas Cards, so it would be a great finale to 2009, if people like them and they sell well.



Thank you Anna! Your art, studio, and country life are very inspiring :)

pamela tobler : artists who blog

Pam's blog: www.zoetropa.blogspot.com
Pam's website: www.zoetropaville.com
Pam's shop: www.zoetropa.etsy.com

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I first started my Etsy shop in September 2007. After reading advice on Etsy's blog about getting your stuff out there and seen by people, I opened a Flickr account, and then started my blog soon afterwards in early 2008.



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

It is simply the name of my shop, zoetropa, which is a word I sort of made up. Originally I was going to name my shop zoetrope after the spinning wheel toy from the late 19th century that has a small connection with the early beginnings of cinema (which is a subject I am most interested in). I decided to change the "e" on the end to an "a" so it would be a little more unique.



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

I'm not sure blogging itself has effected my work necessarily. By starting a blog I began reading other blogs which in turn have really inspired me and have also helped keep me up to date on what's new, what trends are going on, etc.



What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?

Let's see, so so many: I love love love Studio Violet run by Camilla Engman and Elisabeth Dunker. An amazing creative duo over there, they inspire me so much. They have such a unique and sweet style and their photography is brilliant. I would love to work in a studio space like theirs too. Other favorites: Astrid , Ninainvorm, The Small Object's Steno Pad & so many more.



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

For me, starting a blog was one of the hardest things. I was completely new to the blog world and thought having a blog was actually sort of weird. So, I would suggest to start reading other blogs now (if you are not already) so you get used to the idea of blogs in general. Putting your own voice out there can be pretty odd and perhaps scary at first, so maybe by posting genuine comments on other blogs is a good way to start getting comfortable with your voice. At least this is what I wish I had done before I started my blog. I've never been one to keep a diary and I'm a very private and shy person, so the idea of having a blog seemed crazy to me and it took me a long long time to get comfortable with it.



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

Definitely the most positive thing is feeling connected to other creative types and meeting wonderful people through my blog, mostly virtually but sometimes eventually in person. Also, getting feedback through my blog is great, it has given me greater confidence in myself, my voice and my work.



What do you find the most difficult/most rewarding part of having a creative profession?
I have a difficult time deciding on which tasks to tackle next and I tend to get distracted easily. Some days fly by so fast and I never accomplish as much as I'd hoped for which is forever frustrating. Oddly enough, I find that when I have time constraints or imposed structure or deadlines I am better able to manage my time. Up until last February I have been working at a day job, but since then I have been unemployed. This is great of course for my creative self but the drawback is that I don't have a steady income at the moment. However, working for myself is the best thing, it's what I 've always wanted to do and I'm so happy I have an opportunity right now to do so. Being able to spend my days to create and explore new ideas can't be beat.



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

Self promotion is not one of my strong points. So far I have to say that twitter has been the most effective, not only for promoting my work and shop but also my blog. I don't just post links to my shop all day long, but when I do want to get the word out there about something new that I've made or added to my shop, twitter is the first place I go. I have signed up for some ad spaces on a few sites and also have participated in online markets like Poppytalk Handmade and Paper 'N' Stitch which have helped a bit. In fact someone found me on Poppytalk Handmade and contacted me asking if I would like to be a vendor at a printing arts fair. That fair ended up being a great experience and my best day of sales yet. Also, occasionally my work featured on other artist blogs or design sites which is a huge plus as well.



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

My life is fairly boring really, there is not a lot to maintain. During the weekdays is when I try to get work done and tackle my long list of things to do. My evenings and weekends are spent hanging out with my husband, watching tv or a movie, browsing online, or continuing to work on whatever I'm working on at the moment.



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

Hmmm, really I would just like to get to the end of 2009 without any scrapes or mishaps. Right now I'm focused on the holiday season that will be here very soon. One of my goals is to actually get some holiday items in my shop this year which I failed to do in the past two years. Also, I will be a vendor at Boston Bazaar Bizarre this year which is very exciting for me because it will be the biggest craft fair I've attended yet, so I am getting ready for that and hoping all goes well.

Thank you Pam and all the best to you!

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!