Blogging for Artists
The time has come again for me to shake it up and see what develops. One thing for sure is I don’t give up. That is just a dead-end and not really what’s going on. I will stay with my coffee painting and I will stay with my website design. I’m still very excited about both. So, I designed a new Website Design for Artists flyer to put up in ArtWorks Downtown and wait for the phone to start ringing.
One of my Little-perks from my coffee painting dialog is “If you can draw a stick figure- you can draw a tree.” Painting with coffee is an excellent way to break down inhibitions — blocks.
CyberPencil.com It is still a website for artists. I haven’t given up even though I’ve been tempted for so long.
It’s not WordPress, it’s not Squarespace and it’s not even Dreamweaver. I’m using Adobe Muse.
Perhaps this will finally be what all of my testing has come to be. My first website specifically created for artists has been launched. I like how hearing launched makes me feel like this has kind of been rocket science. That helps me rationalize all of the time I have spent spinning my wheels while I trying to figure things out or—jut to try not give up entirely. I want to pause and acknowledge myself for staying with this challenge for so long. Yes! This obsession has been fueled by an ongoing desire to create websites or web-presence for creative people. It still needs more clarity about seeing all creative people as artists – even if they don’t know it (Yet) about themselves.
My primary focus is Art and I believe the Internet is a One-of-a-Kind place for exposure. My deepest belief is in the artistic abundance that is within all of us. It can be released and and expressed. I want to bring this out.
The tag-line for my website is Website Design for Creative People just like you. I’m not saying everyone needs a website but I do want to draw more creativity out of people.
Working with people in my coffee painting workshops proved to me that his can be done and enjoyed. The hardest part is the first step – just staring with something, anything, and accepting that it might not be what you want to first see. But, that’s when you begin to move it and get involved. It will become more.
Rattle your cage — get you out of your box. Start with something simple. Doodle. Make mistakes. You can even erase if you want to.
I’m feeling like I just made my way around another blind corner that was beginning to look like it was going to be impossible. Now it feels like I’m sitting comfortably next to a Cornerstone. I made it!!! And, yes, reminding myself not to get too comfortable because Things Change. In fact if they don’t I know I begin to wonder about too many of the wrong things. But I have been getting really sick of focusing on computers, tech help and what’s the best move for Website Design. Those amazing time consuming things that can fill an hour, day → week or month. Maybe it’s over for awhile.
Now the question is – Will there be more Coffee Paintings?
I never expected that part of the solution would be yet another Website Design platform but now I have been introduced to Adobe Muse and it’s got a familiar grip on me. Among other things I never expected are my new (used) iMac which seems to have come with 24 hour tech support. Not only do I have a new computer but the original owner has offered his help with all of my questions about computers and all software connected to Website Design. I mean, WordPress, Photoshop, Muse – it seems like Anything I want to know at this point.
Now that I have the comfort of Instruction and am more confident in exploring WordPress a little deeper – my new comparison is with Adobe Muse. SquareSpace has clearly lost any chance it once had. I am at least happy I experimented with it and the Coffee Painting site I made with it will still be available for a while longer.
One more thing is that I finally understand how to set up a page with an image that can be enlarged. That’s the reason the two images are posted here.
Alphabet Pencils – I guess I will always be fascinated by the very idea of this!
It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything and now I feel obliged to get back into it. I think I still have one subscriber (Hi Carol) and I see that people still occasionally Google – How to Draw a Snail and Madrone Tree/Marin County. That’s about it. It’s more “hits” than my other attempted site – Cyber Pencil.
Somehow I have to keep telling myself I am making some kind of Cyber Sense or Success or Progress. I have clearly walked away for the idea of working with SquareSpace and that clarity feels good. I haven’t given up on WordPress but am now curious about Adobe Muse. It’s new to me and I have developed an unexpected attraction to it. I’m told it is the replacement for Dreamweaver and they offer a free trial which I think I will go for. I’m now predicting that 2016 will be a Website/Blog year for me and I sure hope I am more comfortable with it if that’s the case. I’m getting a little tired of Starting Over but I do realize I don’t seem to be able to walk away from it.
I’ve set up a new Drawing practice plan that’s a;long the order of what I did with hammers a year ago. The subject kept me focused and this time it’s Apples for my Focal Point. I’m calling it the 21 Day Apple Challenge and am now on Day 11. So far they are all pencil drawings but the main thing is I have not skipped a day.
Seedpod Birds are handmade in Zimbabwe.
My trip to Nevada City/Grass Valley was inspirational and adventurous. Plus, getting away provided some needed objectivity.
Tagua is a seed from a palm-like tree that grows in the tropical rainforests. It is a versatile material that has the innate ability to absorb color brightlyd
The community continues to expose me to art that triggers my imagination and gives me new insights. This time I was drawn more to artists from other cultures. That reminded me of my original intention for this BlogForArt website. It was going to be a spotlight for artists who inspire me.
I still like that intention. I pretty much went off track and BoloForArt became a testing ground or my personal sandbox for playing with and learning WordPress. Now it seems to have become central collecting zone for my art and puzzling thoughts. I’m feeling greater pressure to clarify What it’s All About and then just get on with some obvious blogging theme. I enjoyed having new art catch my eye but I’m trying to narrow down my expanding horizon.
I feel like there is a way to blend my art desires and my website work together with hopes that the merging will create something even bigger —something more. And, I will still feel like I’m in touch or connected to my true self. I want them to work hand-in-hand and not keep picking fights with each other.
I think one of the key strengths of Squarespace is the customer support provided. At this point I have spent a lot of time comparing Squarespace and WordPress.org. At my low point I gave up on both of them and just figured I’d never design websites again. But, I couldn’t leave it alone because there is such a need for custom websites to be designed for artists. Artists need to showcase their work on a website that actually reflects their creativity. If they want to be involved in the design and ongoing maintenance Squarespace is affordable and user friendly. I’m on the finishing touches of my first Squarespace website. The Art of Coffee.
The links below are to websites I have designed with various platforms
I’ll just call Squarespace Door #3 for now and get back to my hands-on art.