Showcase Sunday #1

I’ve had an on again, off again affair with blogging since around 2002. My first blog was called ‘The Tragedy of a Beautiful Night’ and was hosted on blogger. I’ve used several platforms including Livejournal, Deadjournal, My Trending Stories, Blogger and DeviantArt before finally settling down to WordPress, which is my favourite of the lot.

I was originally inspired to blog by online friends after seeing their amazing blogs.

Have you ever had any formal training or education in your blog subject?

I do have a degree in Illustration from The University of Lincoln, but my work back then was nothing like what I am doing now, so… yes and no. I try to apply what I was taught during my degree to my work now, but they don’t relate all that much other than being art.

What was your greatest failure and how did you learn from it?

I once presented some work to a lecturer at university and was basically told, I can’t draw realism – their words – so I took my work in the direction it’s going now, working more of that abstract elements and different ways of mark making.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

It’s hard to say, actually. It’s a new blog in the grand scheme of things and it’s really just starting to take its own steps. Bloggers that inspire me are Leonie Dawson, while we’re not as ‘hippy-woo-woo’ as one another and nor am I selling anything, I admire her candid way of writing that reflects her personality.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?

I’ve never really been given any advice personally about blogs, but there are a plethora of people that will give it out freely if you go looking. There is one piece that has stuck in my mind recently, only because for a long time I was rather stubborn about implementing it! That’s stick to a single topic for your blog. For a long time I posted about anything and everything that popped into my head and was left scratching my noggin over why I wasn’t getting any followers. Since creating my dedicated art blog, I’ve not ran into this problem!

How much time do you spend blogging in any given week?

It really does vary depending on how much time my son sleeps a day! I tend to try and keep a decent schedule going on behind the scenes in case he decides to only sleep for 10 minutes.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

Despite my background, it’s just a hobby. If I sell a print through my Society6 store or get someone subscribed to my Patreon account I’ll be over the moon, but it’s not what is driving me to create artwork and blog about it.

What is your passion?

I love easy walks with the dog (nothing too stressful like mountains) and I am an avid reader of books, but my real passion is art and creativity. I love seeing and reading about people’s art projects – especially if they bleed enthusiasm- which is why I love WordPress over other platforms, there’s this whole community of bloggers behind it to connect with.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

Happiness.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

The biggest collection of marker pens and coloured pencils anyone has ever seen

Is there anything you want the readers to know about your blog we haven’t covered?

I am always looking for feedback on both my blog and the content of my posts. As well as new faces to network with. So don’t be shy, say hi!