I write for two audiences, you and me.
For you I edit my stuff rigorously. If you’re bothering to come over here and see what’s up, I want you to feel rewarded. So, I try to keep it tight, focused and upbeat. I regularly eliminate meandering paragraphs and I only keep complaints if they are very funny. I wish I could be funnier. I try but funny is a hard thing.
Content wise, I write for myself. I need a lot of encouragement. Not just a mega dose every month, but many little bits and bobs of you-can-do-it-ness throughout the day. I am a never-ending cheerleader for myself. Not to promote myself, but to keep myself going, to be the kind of person other people can stand to be around. So almost all my content comes from this place. A place of internal encouragement. I want to be happy. I want to be a source of happiness. This is me figuring that out.
Making art is one of my top ways to keep myself sane so that’s why I write about it so much. There are so many ways to be creative and I don’t have a universal system. I don’t know if what I do will work for anyone else. But I love thinking about it. Also, I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s nice that my monkey mind will get stuck in this particular eddy because it’s not unpleasant. Way WAY better than thinking about worldwide current events.
My number one all-time best creative practice is keeping a blank notebook and bringing it with me when I go somewhere. I feel like this deserves its own essay so stay tuned! And thank you for being here. It’s very nice to see you!
Sidewalk Face 762
Heads up! I added two new menu categories, Humor and Creative Process. This is an easy way to see some of my better posts if you are new here.
Sidewalk Face 
yes x 100! it’s like you wrote exactly what i think all the time.I am my biggest cheerleader and the stuff i write on here is mostly for myself. But i do try not to make it like a diary ( i have a private blog for that). I am also an artist and it does help me feel better also. BTW, i do so enjoy your sidewalk faces- very unique:)
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Thank you so much! It’s really heartening to get this feedback. Much appreciated!
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by the way, i just checked my spam folder and all of your comments to me ( on my blog)were in there.i hadnt seen any before tonight. Not sure why they are coming through as spam? Maybe is a setting you have?
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No Idea. WordPress makes me approve someone’s comment the first time they leave it and if I approve then it becomes automatic. Glad you saw them!
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cool:)
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The title reminds me of a chapter in Kevin Hart’s new audiobook The Decision. You really have a great thing going on here. Imma tell you again that I LOVE this concept of sidewalk faces, lol. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much Stuart. That is music to my ears! I am so happy you are enjoying my funky art form. It makes me happy and makes walking the dogs a daily treasure hunt.
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Snap and snap.
I too write a blog for myself. This was confirmed when my husband (an intelligent man and a crafter himself) noted that he did not really understand my technical descriptions of the quilting process. It has become a weekly date with myself when I consolidate my practice for that week.
Creating also keeps me sane and I too think and think about what I am making or planning to make.
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Thank you for the thoughtful comment Mariss. Writing is a vulnerable act and until you know you have made a connection, it can feel a bit like running around in your underwear. So, you made me feel like I have clothes on! Which is fitting since you work with fabric.
Wow. Not is not at all what I thought I was going to write in reply! Which is the thrill of writing. Who knows what will come out when we reach deep into the creative cookie jar.
I love the idea of a weekly date. As artists we are operating on specific internal creative systems but if we don’t interrogate them, we don’t necessarily know what they are. I think it can work just as well not to know but I am too curious and mental not to interrogate myself. At least I find the interrogation tends to breed more ideas so it works out. It’s very nice to know someone else does this, relates to this.
It might be slightly disappointing that your wonderful and creative husband doesn’t enjoy the technical descriptions (or I might be projecting about my wonderful and creative husband) yet I am certain someone else is taking notes and having ideas because of them. It’s not possible to please everyone with every aspect. And yet, the desire to make an enthusiastic connection is part of the motor that keeps one writing. I struggle with my version of this. What we write won’t be of any value if it doesn’t have extreme specificity. The world does not need another generic thing. I like that your posts are not like anyone else’s and I find your creativity and ability to write about your creativity very inspiring. I also love your art.
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What a wonderful reply. Thank you. Let’s keep interrogating and writing
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