Today’s Image
A Birthday Present
Thank You! to all the Subscribers, Google Followers, and Viewers of OrbisPlanis. Wow. It’s been a whole year since I began blogging on the OrbisPlanis art blog.
I wasn’t even aware of it until it was brought to my attention by Clustrmaps, one of the gadgets over there in the right-hand column of the blog. They let me know they would archive my data (i.e., remove the red dots representing all the locations of visitors to OrbisPlanis during the last year and then start over) on the anniversary of my using their service. I added their service on my first blog, which was on 10 July, 2008, so I’m counting that as the birthday of OrbisPlanis.
Not that anyone, other than I, cares about this, but I do care, so I’m marking the occasion with a look-back. Please indulge me for one blog.
My first blog was entitled “A New Art Blog on How to Renew Your Art Skills.” Now, if that’s not a snappy headline, I don’t know what is :-).
In that first blog I defined what I thought the blog was going to be about. I said, “for anyone who likes/loves painting or art and is now retired. I would also like to have your input, experience, tips-and-tricks, how you did it, what works/doesn't work etc. This applies not only on how to get your artwork exhibited either online or traditionally, but also your knowledge on creating oil paintings, acrylic paintings, and pastels.”
Since then, however, I’ve ix-nayed any focus on “retired.” In the art world, labels, such as age and/or occupation (or lack thereof) along with sex, race, and national origin correctly have no bearing whatsoever.
During the first two-and-a-half months, I blogged daily on weekdays, M-F. I discovered I couldn’t keep up that pace and still provide what I considered to be interesting and useful information. Since then, I blog twice weekly without fail, and, not that you necessarily care, that’s been through a hurricane, the holidays, and home repairs, too!
But I’ve always wanted the focus of the blog to be on YOU, the viewers. I tried to broaden the blog’s scope by reporting on artists I like. My fourth blog was on Norman Baxter—and do you know, almost weekly I still get hits to that blog from people wanting to know more about him? That’s the power of the internet!
I also started to report on how-to books I find useful, museums and art gallery I visit, step-by-step lessons for painting, tips on using art supplies, and other interesting information I thought would enlighten the viewers, such as “Why Is It Called Hooker’s Green?” I added the daily Today’s Image graphic on the second blog.
The right-hand column is completely determined (controlled?) by the Google Blogger format. Under those constraints, I added more items, such as lists/links to: Some Favorite Sites/blogs, Previous Art Posts (where you can find ALL my previous blogs), Some of My Paintings, my Favorite Art Centers, and my online OrbisPlanis Art Gallery.
I also added:
- Artist Factoids, where I add some art terms that are less familiar to me in hopes that I’m providing new and/or useful information to you, too
- Favorite Art Quotes-where I add particularly insightful words from artists as I run across them
- About The OrbisPlanis
-A neat gadget that pops up a new piece of artwork every time you (or I) visit the blog
- Recently, a link to my Twitter page as Twitter has grown into a worldwide phenomenon
- Google ads—NOT a moneymaker, and I hope you don’t find them too intrusive
- A running news feed that carries art news
Oh yes, and Clustrmaps, which brings us full circle. So, when you see all the red dots disappear, don’t worry. The map will get re-populated as visitors come to the site.
You can help, please, by letting your artist friends and family know about the OrbisPlanis so they can become regular viewers, too.
This time next year, the headline of the blog will read “Two Years of Art Blogging on the OrbisPlanis—Happy Birthday!”
Cheers!
Thank You! to all the Subscribers, Google Followers, and Viewers of OrbisPlanis. Wow. It’s been a whole year since I began blogging on the OrbisPlanis art blog.
I wasn’t even aware of it until it was brought to my attention by Clustrmaps, one of the gadgets over there in the right-hand column of the blog. They let me know they would archive my data (i.e., remove the red dots representing all the locations of visitors to OrbisPlanis during the last year and then start over) on the anniversary of my using their service. I added their service on my first blog, which was on 10 July, 2008, so I’m counting that as the birthday of OrbisPlanis.
Not that anyone, other than I, cares about this, but I do care, so I’m marking the occasion with a look-back. Please indulge me for one blog.
My first blog was entitled “A New Art Blog on How to Renew Your Art Skills.” Now, if that’s not a snappy headline, I don’t know what is :-).
In that first blog I defined what I thought the blog was going to be about. I said, “for anyone who likes/loves painting or art and is now retired. I would also like to have your input, experience, tips-and-tricks, how you did it, what works/doesn't work etc. This applies not only on how to get your artwork exhibited either online or traditionally, but also your knowledge on creating oil paintings, acrylic paintings, and pastels.”
Since then, however, I’ve ix-nayed any focus on “retired.” In the art world, labels, such as age and/or occupation (or lack thereof) along with sex, race, and national origin correctly have no bearing whatsoever.
During the first two-and-a-half months, I blogged daily on weekdays, M-F. I discovered I couldn’t keep up that pace and still provide what I considered to be interesting and useful information. Since then, I blog twice weekly without fail, and, not that you necessarily care, that’s been through a hurricane, the holidays, and home repairs, too!
But I’ve always wanted the focus of the blog to be on YOU, the viewers. I tried to broaden the blog’s scope by reporting on artists I like. My fourth blog was on Norman Baxter—and do you know, almost weekly I still get hits to that blog from people wanting to know more about him? That’s the power of the internet!
I also started to report on how-to books I find useful, museums and art gallery I visit, step-by-step lessons for painting, tips on using art supplies, and other interesting information I thought would enlighten the viewers, such as “Why Is It Called Hooker’s Green?” I added the daily Today’s Image graphic on the second blog.
The right-hand column is completely determined (controlled?) by the Google Blogger format. Under those constraints, I added more items, such as lists/links to: Some Favorite Sites/blogs, Previous Art Posts (where you can find ALL my previous blogs), Some of My Paintings, my Favorite Art Centers, and my online OrbisPlanis Art Gallery.
I also added:
- Artist Factoids, where I add some art terms that are less familiar to me in hopes that I’m providing new and/or useful information to you, too
- Favorite Art Quotes-where I add particularly insightful words from artists as I run across them
- About The OrbisPlanis
-A neat gadget that pops up a new piece of artwork every time you (or I) visit the blog
- Recently, a link to my Twitter page as Twitter has grown into a worldwide phenomenon
- Google ads—NOT a moneymaker, and I hope you don’t find them too intrusive
- A running news feed that carries art news
Oh yes, and Clustrmaps, which brings us full circle. So, when you see all the red dots disappear, don’t worry. The map will get re-populated as visitors come to the site.
You can help, please, by letting your artist friends and family know about the OrbisPlanis so they can become regular viewers, too.
This time next year, the headline of the blog will read “Two Years of Art Blogging on the OrbisPlanis—Happy Birthday!”
Cheers!
Congrats!
ReplyDeleteAs a new blogger in the arts genre, it's encouraging to see someone else's success!
Thanks--as in art, stick-to-it-ive-ness is the key!
ReplyDelete