Blog Assessment and Watercolor Flowers
Sometimes you have been elsewhere than the blogosphere, and you want to convey some of what you have learned and seen, but you don’t always have a set tale or a method or a how-to or some other funky way of setting up the oh, so awesome post. So some of the places I have been: 1) skiing in Pennsylvania with my sons 2) strolling through Central Park in the cold snow with my husband and daughter 3) viewing the Chagall exhibit at the Jewish Museum 4) creating watercolor exercises like the wet on dry Gerber daisy flower above for the FB group One Watercolor a Day and 5) working away for various clients, including one project for anthropologists that started last June and may finally be close to becoming two new websites. I’m not going to say more about 5), because there is still more to be done, but maybe I can talk a bit about the other “subjects.”
On the topic of blogs, what is this blog about? I want to continue to share artwork; this blog can help propel me forward with creative ideas both for my traditional fine art and for illustration work that might be for client work. I would like to continue to share in Nature Notes, though I only participate when I have been photographing nature, and that has been slim pickings lately. Sometimes I talk about Highland Park – I’ve done Hurricane Sandy and some recent power outages (there were more tonight; friends on the South Side are not having fun). I used to do more recipes – my thinking in the future is maybe I will focus on teaching creative cooking. For example, how does one create a good soup? a tasty salad? Years ago I wanted to blog about how to get one’s children to eat healthy food. I still struggle with that, but my children probably do eat more vegetables than the average American, although only if placed directly in front of them in a manner that is appealing. I will sometimes post book reviews, but those take a lot of my energy and time, so expect those sparingly. There are Jewish topics, often of a creative nature like a piyut (liturgy poem), that I love to explore. In the past, I’ve interviewed artists and writers – maybe I’ll have the opportunity to more interviews. And with all of these topics, I love getting your feedback. If you share my enthusiasm for any of these topics, would love to hear so in a comment.
Getting back to my recent adventures, here is a favorite ski slope scene:
I wasn’t allowed to photograph the Tsfat synagogue painted by Chagall that I saw at the Jewish Museum, but I do want to say that my daughter was excited that she had been in that very synagogue. The painting had a more uplifting tone than the one of the Vilna synagogue right next to it – that synagogue, the one in Vilna, was destroyed by the Nazis in World War II.
So who else is assessing their blogs? Susan showed the Little Engine Train that Could as her blog in a podcast, and Jeri decided to put up a survey to assess her blog. Creative approaches!
For this blog post, I’ve said enough. Will have to save more conveying in a future post! To finish off, here is the wet-on-wet version of the Gerber daisy flower I painted:
Mrs. S. says
I have always enjoyed your blog with its wonderful mix of very different topics.
I gather that "wet on wet" means that you start with a wet canvas?
Leora says
Good question - it just means you wet the part of the paper you intend to paint with a large brush (not too much water - carefully apply), then you paint on the already wet surface. Wet on dry is when you paint straight on the paper. The exercise was to paint a flower with these two methods.
I'm glad you enjoy the variety in my blog - the so-called blog experts say it is better to specialize, but my eagerness to express different topics wins over when it comes to this blog. Some of my most viewed pages on my website are on this blog, in particular explaining shiva to non-Jews.
Ramblingwoods says
I think your mix reflects different aspects of you as a person and I like that.... Michelle
Leora says
Thanks, Michelle. If blogging didn't exist, I think I would need to create a place where I could put these various parts of myself. I've tried creative sketchbooks, but it doesn't really work for me. I don't stay interested in those.
Lorri M. says
I love your watercolors...such talent! I like the almost abstract look to the second watercolor, and how the petals appear to me to be drooping. The tones in both are lovely, emphasizing the contrasts.
My blog is a potpourri. I don't try to contain it to one specific mode. Sometimes I post photographs, sometimes book reviews, sometimes a recipe, sometimes just whatever comes to mind that I feel I want to post.
I try to keep it to Jewish-related posts, but that isn't always the content of some of my posts.
Those who know me in the blogosphere and have become a friend (you), know that my posts are diverse.
This week, it seems all I have posted is book reviews. Not so diverse, but that is okay.
Try not to dwell on it, and just post what you want, when you want.
I do look forward to your artwork, I must admit.
Shabbat Shalom!
Leora says
Lorri, I like your advice not to dwell on this.
In some ways our blogs are similar; you do more book reviews than I do, and I post art work while you talk about groups/classes you are doing offline. But we both have the photography with text type posts as a way of expressing what we need to say.
I so appreciate your friendship! I talk about my friend in California whom I have never met in real life.
Lorri M. says
Yes, we do have similar blogs. Photography is an outlet for me, and I carry a camera with me, always, even if it is the one on my phone...lol. I use a DSLR when out and about seriously photographing things.
Your water color art is so expressive, and along with the photography and prose, your perspective is strongly relayed.
I appreciate your friendship, also!
Susan Cooper says
That is a hard question Leora. As you know I blog about three topics consistently with an art demonstration thrown in every so often. For me, I love your art. The watercolor of the second flower is amazing. But I do realize that isn't something you would want to blog about all the time. So I pose a question. Why not blog about the art of living? That could encompass so many aspects of your creative self. It's just a thought. :)
PS: Thanks for the shout out. :)))
Leora says
Thanks for the sweet comments about my artwork, Susan. I am hoping to fit more artwork into my life, and some of it will make its way unto my blog.
I find "living" to be too general - there are certainly topics (see my Categories list or my tag cloud) that get repeated over and over again.
I will take Lorri's advice and not dwell too much on what the blog is about, just post and hope to connect with others.
Carver says
Your watercolor is wonderful and I love the ski slope shot. I always enjoy the mix on your blog.
Leora says
Carver, thanks for the comments on both my imagery and the mix of my blog in general. I was thinking of adding some of my Central Park photos, but those will have to wait for another post. I was tired when I composed this post, but I had a feeling that I wanted to press Publish. So I did.
Jeri says
I enjoy your business blog as well as this creative one. Part of me wants to do more informative posts, but another part wants to share more creative writing as well. The trouble for most of us is that there is only so many hours in a day to share all those different sides to ourselves. I'll run the results of my survey on Wednesday and see what types of posts respondents indicated they would like to see more of less of and then go from there. I really would like to start a separate food and travel blog by the time I move to Seattle, but that's a ways down the road.
Leora says
Jeri, I like how you describe my blogs as "creative" and "business." Appreciate how you see they fit into those categories.
I am fairly busy with work right now, but I need the creative breaks, so I am updating this blog and neglecting the other one for a bit. I will get back to it (the biz blog). I don't think it's just about time, trying to do two blogs. It's also about whether you feel driven in talking about the topic at hand or you need a break from that topic.
You are moving to Seattle? Cool! I've been there only once - great city. Look forward to your photos.
Jeri says
Seattle should happen in a year or two when my husband can get a non-traveling job with Microsoft.
Becc says
I am more assessing how I wish to include the blog in my life. It has taken over somewhat and I want to blog about my life, not letting the blog be the main focus of it.
Oh and i am quite interested in art :)
Leora says
Becc, glad to hear you are interested in art - I did another watercolor yesterday, and I hope to post about sometime in the next week or so. Art, of course, is much slower than photography.
As for blogs and life - sometimes blogging is a way to connect that is so different than other ways. You get to know people in a way that you like, that you provide the platform and the topics. I hope you can find the right balance (between the blog and the rest of one's life). Take care.
Please leave a comment! I love to hear from you.