Showcase Sunday #11 – PMu Ink

In this week’s Showcase Sunday, I want to introduce PMu Ink from Daily Doodle.  She has a wonderful doodle blog that is fun and is promoting and encouraging positive drawing habits. She also has a wonderful blog exchange where she introduces other blogs. Her blog is a wonderful way to share her gift with the world and cultivate the wonders of doodling. Before you hop over to view some of what she has to offer, get to know her in the interview below.

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What made you get into blogging?

It was actually my friend Paul who convinced me.  I was doing a lot of drawing last year as part of processing a particularly nasty bout of depression, and during that time I felt like I found my voice as a doodler.  As I came through the other side of it I shared a few doodles with him and he gave me the encouragement to start the blog.  It’s also where the tag line came from, I always felt that art had to be incredibly deep oil painting, I had to tell myself that something didn’t have to be that ‘worthy’ in order to pluck up the courage to share something.

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

Not really.  I have a GCSE in art, but anyone who has done that knows that half the course is copying other people’s work.  I actually really hated it, and after graduating it took me a few years to pick up the pencil again.  Studying really sucked the fun out of it for me.  I see drawing as more of a skill than a talent, literally anyone can do it they just need plenty of practice and some realistic expectations.  I will never be a sculptor, but I can nail a doodle a day and really enjoy it.  I have also found by cultivating some really positive drawing practices I have really improved over the last year.  I also now have a record of that learning which is really great.

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

Every time I draw something I make a mistake or something doesn’t turn out how I picture it in my head.  For a long time I thought this meant I wasn’t very good, and I would start again or break out the rubber.  Now though I just try to go with it, or incorporate it into the design of what I’m doing.  Learning how to make the most out of my mistakes has been really freeing and if I could share any lesson with the secret doodlers out there, who have a ton of sketchbooks and pieces of paper stored somewhere in the bedrooms, it would be that.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

There is a book called Mindfulness and the Art of Drawing by Wendy Ann Greenhalgh which is really worth a read.  It’s an easy read, the illustrations are really stylish and it helps draw that line between an internal process and external expression.  Other than that it’s pretty varied.  I read a lot of sci-fi and folk tales, I watch a lot of documentaries about animals.  The hatch style that I have settled into was particularly inspired by old wood carvings and etchings.    

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

It really does vary depending on what I’m doing.  Some drawings like My Lovers Heart And Mind Are One 04 take no time at all and will only take an hour or so, others like Middles take days.  One of my favorite posts was the time-lapse video I did.  I was determined to record one of the larger A3 doodles, and in the video you can actually see the shadows move as time passes throughout the day.  I think I started at 10 in the morning and finished just before sunset, with two very short breaks in between.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

It started off as a hobby, and has actually become a bit of a profession,  although it’s not enough for me to give up my day job, it’s great to make money from something I enjoy so much.

What is your passion?

I love drawing, but I have a serious passion for watching cartoons and animations.  I don’t have the patience to actually make them, but I will often have something animated playing in the background as I work.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

I would like to find a way to make a living out of my doodles, but apart from that I try to keep my goals small.  At the moment I am working on a book project with my friend Paul, after that I’m not sure.  Continue with the commissions I have at the moment, and then maybe start gathering things together to get an art book printed.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

To lead a life that helps people in some way, to be kind and to be remembered when I die as someone who laughed a lot, felt things deeply and hopefully inspired others to do what they loved too.

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

The only other thing I would like to share is to say again that anyone can draw.  No really, anyone.  It just takes practice and like any skill, practice is done little and often.  You will learn more from doodling in the margins of a notebook every day then spending a week in an artist retreat once a year, although if you can do both, great!  Also even if you don’t think something is very good, share it anyway.  You will be surprised what others like, some of the stuff that I have come seriously close to throwing into the fire is the stuff that gains the highest number of views.  Let other people judge your work and just enjoy the process.

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”
As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next Sunday.

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Showcase Sunday #8 – Reed Buck

In this weeks’ Showcase Sunday, I would like to introduce you to Reed Buck from Journey into Writing.  I really enjoyed interviewing him because his answers actually made me laugh out loud. Not only did his interview make me laugh, but the way he writes his blog is also witty and unique. I love his writing style because it is different from most the others out there. He learns by doing and he is doing great in my book. Before you run to check him out though, get a taste of his personality in the interview below.

What made you get into blogging?

Well, I’ve been creative writing since I was a kid, and I never really thought much about any other type of writing until after college, when I decided I wanted to give it a shot as a career. That was when my brother suggested to me to try blogging as a way to practice writing skills while I was looking for jobs in communications. Once I’d started, I just kind of fell in love with it.

You mentioned that you fell in love with blogging, what is it that you love most?

I love the honesty of it. I love that, because of anonymity, I can be a little more forward than I would normally be in exposing myself and the way I think to strangers. It’s been really gratifying to see that other people – not just my friends and family – are interested in hearing what I have to say.

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

Er… no. And that’s especially awkward because my blog subject is writing. When I first started my blog, I was working for the UCLA Library doing odd jobs, and as I continued the blog, I was given the opportunity to try some communications writing, some copywriting, and some article writing, but before that the only experience I’d had in writing was my little dinky creative writing projects.

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

Wow, getting philosophical, huh? I guess in regards to writing, I wrote a book series a while ago that I thought was really good, but I queried something like 80 different publishers and literary agencies and none of them so much as asked for the full manuscript. I also had to actually pay my alpha readers to read it for me. Interestingly enough, paying them was a great idea, because it gave me the courage to ask for the kind of in-depth, honest criticisms of certain aspects of my work that allowed me to hone in on what I was the worst at (which turned out to be pacing and character strength). That gave me a great place to start improving with my current writing project, which has turned out much better.

You also mentioned that you had written a book series before, have you revisited that series to resubmit or have you put it to the side for now? Also, have you written any book since?

I’ve put the series aside for now, although my girlfriend keeps bugging me to finish it. I’m working on a new project now – a single book which I’ve condensed down from what was originally going to be a trilogy – that I’ve written a lot about on my blog. I’ve completed the first third of it – I’m releasing it in parts to my alpha readers – and I expect the second and third parts to follow in the coming 2-3 months.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

Oh, wow. I honestly don’t know. I mean, my brother was the one who suggested I get into blogging, so I would probably say him, but since I take my blog to be an extension of my own eccentricity and honesty, I’d have to say anyone who influenced me as a person influenced my blog. Is that a cop-out? It sounds like a cop-out. Oh well.

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

Well, I just recently decided to cut back – I was writing a post every day, which was about an hour every day, but I noticed I wasn’t getting as much readership when I did that, so I’ll be posting every weekday from now on and giving myself the weekends to work more on creative writing… and naps. So it’s usually about five hours a week – one hour a day, five days a week. Not too bad.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

Looooool. Yeah, no, nobody would pay me to put this on. I mean, if you ever want to Venmo me a few bucks, I’m not above that. But no, blogging is a hobby for me. Maybe someday I’ll get lucky and my creative writing will make me some money, but for now, all the writing I do is just a hobby for me.

What is your passion?

I have four passions (can you tell I’ve been asked this before?). I love music – especially thematic and game soundtracks that really move me and make great cadence to write to. I love writing (obviously) and reading science fiction and fantasy of all kinds, from children’s and middle-grade all the way up to adult epic fantasy. I love neuroscience – my undergrad major – and learning various little cool things about the ways our brains work. And I love Christopher Nolan movies.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

No pressure or anything. If I were to guess right now, without the benefits of age and wisdom, I would say my  goal in life is to love as many people as possible as often as possible, and to try to express that love and positivity out into the world. And I guess getting one of my books published would be nice, too.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

Honestly, I always kind of thought that legacy concept was kind of self-centered. I’d be okay just subsisting and being lost to history, if it just meant I left a few children behind who had good heads on their shoulders (or better than mine, at least). I guess that’s a sort of legacy.

If you had one piece of advice that you could give other writers wanting to get into blogging, what would that be?

Oh, man, I’m not sure I’m the right one to ask about this. My success has consisted of (I think) 25 followers in like 4 months. But I guess I would say have a game plan, and be open. Your gameplan is important because blogs are a huge chunk of the internet – if you don’t have something specific to write about that is unique to you, you’re not gonna get much viewership (like me). Being open is even more important, in my opinion, because people gravitate to someone who’s saying what they feel internally but are too afraid to express. But those are just my two cents, and they don’t go very far in this economy.

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

It’s weird, and irreverent. I bounce back and forth between philosophy and writing tips and stream-of-consciousness writing like a pinball. But if you like my tone here, that’s more of what you’ll get at my blog. Thanks for checking it out!

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit his blog and let him know that you saw him here on “Sunday Showcase.”
As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #7 – Emily Guyton-Lange

For this week’s Showcase Sunday, I would like to introduce you to Emily Guyton-Lange from Never Idly Dreaming She has some of the most beautiful writings available for your enjoyment on her blog. Her creative writing is something that could keep you captured for hours as you read through her blog, especially since it is also sprinkled with beautiful arts and crafts. The simple fact that her blog is so well-rounded is a recipe for success. Before you run to check out her blog, learn a little more about her below in this week’s interview!

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What made you get into blogging?

I’m an aspiring author who wanted to form connections with other writers and showcase some examples of my writing. The drive to create drives me in many areas outside of writing as well, such as crafting and academic work. The idea of sharing my thoughts with others on a regular basis seemed daunting at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to start. It has become a great place to share progress on my writing, as well as somewhere to celebrate my adventures in other crafts.

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

Unless you count one or two online classes about creative writing or grammar, I would say no. I have learned most of what I know about writing through other blogs, books, and of course, lots of actual writing. That being said, I intend to major in English with a focus in creative writing when I attend college this Fall, so I’m certain more formal training is on the horizon. For my crafting, which is admittedly a smaller part of my blog, I am indebted to my grandmother for my original instruction and the rest of my family for their continued creativity. My grandmother gave me many foundational tools which I used to learn about other areas of crafting myself, while my family of artists always encouraged me to be creative in any way I chose.

What is your family’s creative history? You mention that they have helped you with your crafting, but how?

My mom is a painter who also loves to work with mixed media, colored pencil, and graphic design. She was an art teacher for almost fifteen years before going back to school for natural medicine. My dad is primarily a photographer, but he also does quite a bit of mixed media journal work and graphic design, along with jewelry making and turning our backyard into a Japanese garden. He’s also a photography professor. My younger brother is a talented musician, stop-motion animator, and currently wants to pursue a career as a director.

Aside from giving me a general appreciation for the arts, providing the supplies for an artistic childhood, and nurturing a lot of my creative growth through homeschooling, my family has always been incredibly supportive of my creative pursuits. You often hear stories of families who try to force their child to pursue the career which will bring in more money, not necessarily what they were passionate about. My parents always make sure I understand both the highlights and the pitfalls of whatever I choose, but they’ll always be with me no matter what I decide to do.

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

I have a hard time answering this question because I feel like so many of my “failures” are merely setbacks which lead me to greater and better things. However, I am fairly young. I’m sure more setbacks and true failures are coming my way.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

Outside of my extremely supportive family, I would have to say, Ariel Hudnall. I took part in a Facebook-based class she led for writers who want to start blogs to promote their work or simply serve as an author platform. Ariel helped me learn my way around WordPress and gave many suggestions for how to run a successful blog as a writer. I adapted many of these suggestions for my own use, even in areas outside of writing such as my craft posts.

(Ariel’s blog: https://arielhudnall.com/)

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

I try to post consistently each Friday, as well as my Quote of the Day posts at the beginning of each month. During the academic year I probably spent two to four hours a week on blogging and related networking. During the summer I hope to prepare more Quote of the Day graphics and really focus in on networking, so that number may increase a little over time.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

I would say blogging is related to my chosen profession. I don’t realize profits from my blog and I don’t work on it full-time. Perhaps it will become a larger aspect of my profession at a later date, but for now I suppose it’s more of a hobby and a way to get my creative voice into the world.

What is your passion?

Specifically, writing is my passion. It’s difficult, sometimes heartbreakingly so, but I cannot escape how I feel when all of my hard work falls into place and I just know what I’m doing is worthwhile. Writing also fits under a larger umbrella, as I am passionate about all sorts of creation. The act of making something which did not exist before and would not have existed without my work gives me immense satisfaction. This could apply to writing, crafting, and even cooking. All are things I enjoy because it is the act of creating which fuels my passion.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

Above all, I hope to be happy and healthy. I may not know exactly what that happiness will look like yet, but it is always a part of my list of goals. Ultimately, I would like to be a published author. As I mentioned before, writing is my passion, and the ability to focus on that passion while sharing it with others is one of my main goals.

What is the longest thing you’ve written? and what is your favorite genre to write?

Currently my longest piece is actually the first novel I completed for National Novel Writing Month, at just over 75,000 words. That particular project is on the shelf for now, though I may come back to it in the future. My current work in progress is looking like it will be about the same length or longer, I’m about halfway through at this point and it’s just under 45,000 words.

Most of my writing is young adult and falls under the fantasy or science fiction heading. I love the genre’s ability to examine current social issues in a new context and bring diversity into the media. Plus, dragons are awesome.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

I would like to leave behind a life well-lived, a life filled with passion and the fruits of my hard work. The legacy of a life lived in such a way so that my passions help others and their own passions to flourish. If one person is changed or comforted by something I write, that is enough for me.

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

I’ve hinted at this with previous answers, but I don’t like being pigeonholed into a single subject! Never Idly Dreaming is primarily about my writing and writing goals, but if I only wrote about that I would have run out of ideas and interest long ago. My life has many facets, and I have many different creative outlets I’d love to share.

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”

As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #6 – Emma Ward

For this week’s Showcase Sunday, I would like to introduce you to Emma Ward from Puddleside Musings. Her blog is very amazing, especially if you enjoy making cards. She has a ton of free printables and her planners are just exquisite. You have to take a look at her blog and all the work she has put into putting all these creative outlets in one place. There is one section particularly that I relate to most and that is her snail mail. She posts about all the beautiful things she receives in the mail. I love that she is able to share such amazing things from all over the world. I was able to interview her below: before you run over to her blog, get to know her a little bit more below:

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What made you get into blogging?

Peer pressure? I started my first blog when I was around 16 and at the time having a blog was just the thing to do. Not the greatest reason I know but I’ve found better reasons since then to blog! I started with just writing about things in my life but that didn’t interest me very much. At some point I just started using my blog for posting pictures of my art and that’s really what kept me blogging. That was with my old blog but the same thing happened with my current blog, Puddleside Musings – it started as things about my life and morphed into a blog about crafts, planners and snail mail – so I guess what gets me into blogging usually isn’t what keeps me at it.

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

None at all! The only training I’ve had is tangentially related. I did do art for my Leaving Cert. but that was all about drawing people and objects so not craft related at all, and I have a degree in English literature but I can’t say that’s influenced my snail mail at all other than to encourage me to be very wordy.

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

Dropping out of my Master’s degree. I started a part-time online master’s degree in World Heritage Conservation but I dropped out after only two months. I do kind of see it as a failure on my part because I’ve typically always been really good at academic stuff but with the master’s degree, even though I really liked the subject, I just felt constantly overwhelmed and anxious to the point where it was affecting my health. I have learned from that experience though and since then I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my feelings so that I don’t push myself too far just because I think people expect it of me.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

You know, I don’t think I can name any one or two people in particular for having influenced me and my blog the most. I don’t know, I think I try to more inspired than influenced by people and I’m inspired by a lot of people!

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

Writing up posts takes me a few hours because I post three times a week on Puddleside Musings and twice a week on my art blog, Idle Spot. I’d say it could take me up to four hours to write my blog posts for the week because I’m slow at writing things and also I have to edit photos for them too. If you think about it though, blogging takes a lot longer than that because in order to have something to blog about, I have to make things which is increases that time drastically!

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

It’s just a hobby for me, though I would love if I could make it my profession.

What is your passion?

I guess my passion is for making and creating things – good thing that’s what my blog is about!

What is your ultimate goal in life?

I really wish I had a goal in life but at the moment I don’t really have one. I’m still figuring things out so maybe I should just say my goal is to be happy. That and live in a hobbit hole…which would make me happy indeed.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

A hoard of bulging notebooks filled with drawings and crafts.

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”

As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #5 – John Bloodworth

For this weeks Showcase Sunday, I want to introduce you to John Bloodworth the Gentleman Crafter. I came across his blog a while ago and immediately fell in love with the ideas he presented. He makes a really good point in his interview that offers the suggestion to revisit the archives. There is a lot of great content out there, you just have to be willing to look for it. I know that I revisit my own blog posts from the beginning. Sometimes information changes and I always want the correct information on my blog. So, be sure to check out his blog, but before you do, learn a little bit about him by reading the interview below.

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What made you get into blogging?

It was a bit of an accidental entry to be honest. At the time I hadn’t any inclination to blog however a couple of work colleagues kept on saying that I should do it as I had a lot to say about craft and that people would be interested – 3 years in and I love my little corner of the internet!

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

I have had a personal interest in arts and crafts since I was a boy, some 30+ years ago. I completed various further education qualifications in art and design and then, later in my career, I began working at Create and Craft TV and then began learning about arts and crafts as a hobby – so I guess that you could say that I have.

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

I’m not sure that I would count anything as a failure as that’s quite a negative way at looking at the learning process. All ‘mistakes’ can count as experiments and all successes can count as the lessons learnt from the experiments. So I guess you could say that learning to look at failure positively was one thing that I picked up.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

The blog visitors, especially those that leave comments, are the ones that influence and inspire me the most when I’m sat writing the blog posts. A few of them have been following the blog since it began and it is always lovely when they read and comment because it shows me that it was worthwhile doing.

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

That varies a good deal. Some weeks I just don’t get the chance, others I will be creating, photographing and writing every day.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

Although the blog often refers to what I do professionally it is actually something that I do in my spare time – when I have some.

What is your passion?

My passion is creativity. I enjoy all aspects of it from concept to construction and completion. The creative journey is often more exciting than the finished result for me.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

To own a creative studio by the coast!

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

Inspiration.

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

Folk don’t often realise that all of the previous posts are still available – it’s certainly worth checking out the archives.

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit his blog and let him know that you saw him here on “Sunday Showcase.”

As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #4 – Roberta Pimentel

For this weeks Showcase Sunday, I want to introduce Roberta Pimentel. Her blog was the first that I came in contact with that had guest blogs, and she even allowed me to be one of those guests which you can find here. Some of the other things that I love about her blog is how down to earth it is. It is funny and informative. She truly does capture the audience right away and I want you to check her out. But before you do, read the interview below:

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What made you get into blogging?

Well, in 2010 I got in touch with a girl who was blogging and it appeared very fun to me. I started a blog for fun but from 2010 I have begun over and over again. Last year I decided to start a blog with my own domain and just go step by step. Additionally, I give others the opportunity to write guest posts on my blog.

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

I have only read other famous blogs in Norway and around the globe. However, for a few months ago I attended a blogging course where I paid a few dollars but to be honest, I have not learned anything that I did not know from before, but I think many, especially beginners, can get some insights by taking a course.

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

Believing that I could do everything on my own without any help from others, but I learned quickly that it is not possible to go through life without having backups from good friends and family.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

To be honest it is too many who has influenced me on my journey. If I would write a list it would go one forever and that is why I choose to not write names.

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

Well, before I did not have a job so I spent like all day long on blogging, but now I don’t use more than an hour a day since the time doesn’t let me. I hope I can start using at least two hours a day when I’m done with my studies.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

Absolutely just a hobby. Blog consumes a lot of time and I don’t have the time to have it as a job since it doesn’t pay my bills. However, no one knows what the future will bring. In the blogging industry, you must meet the right people at the right time.

What is your passion?

Dancing, working out, inspire others and networking.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

For a few years ago I went through a very tough life crisis where I messed up my economy. This has caused some consequences in my life today so I would say that my ultimate goal, for now, is to pay off all my debt. I am working on it and I cannot wait till I am done. When I am done my boyfriend and I want to buy ourselves a house/apartment and I would love to be able to help my family in Brazil as well. I do have many goals and the above-mentioned goals are just some of them haha…

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

Changing other people’s lives is the greatest gift one can get so I would like people to know me as someone who cares for others.

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

Right now life is pretty busy and I don’t have time to blog every day, but I give people the chance to write a guest post and if someone of your readers wants to participate they can send me an email at email@robertapimentel.com. Visit my blog at www.robertapimentel.com

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”
As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #3 – Katie Morton

Welcome to Sunday Showcase #3! For this week I want to introduce you to Katie Morton. I have the pleasure of knowing this amazing lady in real life and I wanted to share with the world her passion. She is such a giving and thoughtful person and this all rings true with her teaching aids on her blog. I had the opportunity to interview her below.

One of the things I love most about her blog is that it is a unique way to teach kids. She works with a Montessori School and has really tried her best to design her lessons that adapts to all her kids. Read the interview below then go and check out her site.

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What made you get into blogging?

        I started my blog mostly as a place to store and upload files so that they can be added to my Pinterest board. A lot of teachers use Pinterest to share ideas. I knew that I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to share, so I thought, I need to get my stuff on Pinterest. But then I realized, Pinterest is really just a fancy way to link to something, so I decided to start the blog so I would have that something to link to. My plan is to only upload and share my own work, things that I have made myself for the children in my classroom.

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

        Yes. My blog is all about preschool Montessori work. I have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and I am currently working on finishing my Montessori certification through a Montessori organization called MEPI (Montessori Educational Programs International). MEPI is just one of many different Montessori organizations that offer certification in Montessori.

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

        This question is hard for me, not because I don’t fail, I fail as often as most people I suspect, but I try to never look at failures in a negative way. A failure is just one step on the way to a success. Maria Montessori thought that teachers should think more like scientists, that they should think of their classroom as a place to run experiments. So each time I make a new piece of work for the classroom, I am running an experiment. I have my hypothesis, which is usually along the lines of “These children will like to do this work that I am going to make.” Then I make the work and put it out for the children to try. Sometimes my hypothesis was right and the children love what I have made and are instantly engaged, but other times, I was wrong. They didn’t engage with the work I made or I presented it to a child that wasn’t quite ready for that lesson. When this happens, I make note of what to change (save this lesson for later, change how the lesson was given) and then I try again the next day.

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

        In a way, Maria Montessori would be the most logical answer, because if I wasn’t a Montessori teacher, in a Montessori classroom, I wouldn’t be making Montessori work and I wouldn’t have started the blog. I have seen some great Montessori blogs over the years though, mostly by mom’s using Montessori in the home. Some of my favorites have been Counting Coconuts (http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/), Carrots are Orange (http://carrotsareorange.com/), and Chasing Cheerios (http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.ca/).

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

        Well, I’m not sure yet. I uploaded all of the work that I found on my computer that I have made in the past. I usually make at least one new piece of work for the shelf a month, but sometimes I use other downloads instead (a lot less work for me!) So I think I will just have to see how it goes. When I make something new, it will get added to the blog.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

        Just a hobby, but a way to keep track of the things that I have made professionally. I love the school that I work at now and I can’t imagine leaving, but if something happened and I left, I’m glad to know that I have all this work backed up in a place I can access anywhere.

What is your passion?

        Teaching! Few things are better than being a witness to a child’s “ah-ha!” moment. I am also very passionate about finding ways to use technology in the classroom to either improve my teaching or to improve the child’s learning. I am so lucky to be at a company that embraces technology and has the means to provide it to the teachers and the children.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

        To be near the people I love and experience as many things as possible. I want to try everything, go everywhere, see everything. I am a lifelong learner. I get very excited by ideas and new information and experiences. I think a happy life is one with a great balance of trying new things and returning to enjoy and savor the pervious experiences you love.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

        The legacy of a woman who impacted the lives of many and never said no to a new experience.

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

        Montessori education is AMAZING. Many people don’t know anything about it and I really hope that any parents, especially those with preschool age children, do some more reading about it and maybe search out a Montessori school in their area to visit.

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”

As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #2 – Personalogues

For this week’s Showcase Sunday, I would like to introduce Shridevi from www.Personalogues.com I had the pleasure of being introduced to her when she followed my blog and sent me an email. After getting to know her a little more through email, I began following her blog. I love that she has so many interesting topics, including Zentangle, which is a recent find in my life as well.
I love how you can look at each blog and see the growth and learning from the previous experiences in her life. She has even taken steps, I was too afraid to take. One of them specifically being her “Tangle Thursday” which inspired me to also make a weekday themed post. Because we follow some of the same blogs, I am always interested to see her take and understanding of the challenges presented. You won’t be disappointed with her serene blog that takes relaxation to the max.

Below is the interview conducted with her, Enjoy!

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What made you get into blogging?

>> A few years ago, I used to write product reviews for a leading Indian beauty blog. It was then that I realized how much I love the whole process of writing and connecting with people through posts. Gradually, the rules for posting on that blog got more and more stringent. I felt the need for freedom in writing. So I started my own blog. But I couldn’t stick to it for long. This happened with a couple of blogs before I finally stuck to Personalogues. You can read the whole story here

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

>> No I don’t have any formal training in blogging or the subjects that I blog about. Personalogues was started as a personal blog covering several topics including personal experiences,random thoughts and perspectives, book reviews, travel and mainly my journey of learning Zentangle Art. I did learn the basics of Zentangle art from a certified teacher a couple of years ago, but that was just one session and I took it further from there by myself.

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

>> I think my greatest failure has been been my inability to do certain things just out of fear of making mistakes. I had that fear even when I started this blog. After I purchased the domain, I was too scared to make the first post. No post seemed perfect enough. Good enough to be seen on my blog. It took me almost a year to get over this fear. I joined a 30 day blogging challenge and through that I gradually learnt that my best is good enough and obsessing over perfection will take me nowhere.  

Who has influenced you the most with your blog?

>> I would like to give credit to Sarah Arrow of Sark eMedia for this. It was through her 30 day blogging challenge that I learnt so much about technicalities of blogging, gained confidence and grew my blog bit by bit.  

Tell us more about the 30-day blogging challenge you mentioned.

>> Here is a link to the Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/30DayBloggingChallenge/

and here is the link to the registration link – https://www.sarkemedia.com/blogging-challenges-traffic/ You get daily emails when you register on this email. Each email has something new to learn about blogging and at the end of each email there is a ‘To-Do’ activity for your blog. I also did a post on why one should take up this blogging challenge here http://personalogues.com/30-day-blogging-challenge-sarah-arrow/

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

>> On an average I spend about 5 hours a week on blogging. However, there are times when I have spent up to 5 hours a day as well on my blog.

How much time do you spend on the content of your blog, such as art pieces, reading or experiences shared?

>> I try to draw every single day, and spend about 30 minutes to an hour on my art pieces. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one continuous sitting. Sometimes I do it in bits and pieces. Like if I have about 10 minutes to spare, I complete whatever I can in those 10 minutes. Sometimes I just practice the patterns before actually implementing them on the main piece of art.

Similarly for reading, most of the time, I don’t read at a stretch. I read as and when I get time during the day. However, if the book is really good and I can’t put it down, I stay awake through the night to read.

Is blogging your profession or just a hobby?

>> As of now, blogging is just a hobby or rather a platform to showcase my hobbies – drawing (Zentangle Art), reading and travelling mainly.

What is your passion?

>> I am passionate about

Parenting – Most of my energies and thoughts go towards bringing up my daughter

Reading – I have always been called a bookworm

Zentangle Art – Since about a year or so. It is so very relaxing and calming

( If I make a pie chart of all the three above, parenting would take up about 85%)

Do you include a lot of personal experiences on your blog, such as pictures with your family or daughter? Why or why not?

>> I don’t include too many personal experiences on the blog, just the ones worth sharing. Like if I enjoyed an outing or a vacation or seen a movie that I really liked or hated I post about it. I refrain from posting a lot of details or pictures about my family. This holds true not only for my blog, but also social media. I barely post any personal pictures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, because I am not comfortable doing so.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

>> I want to live my life to the fullest without any regrets.

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

>>Not really. However, I would just like to mention that this is my first ever ‘interview’ by a blogger and I feel like a sort of celebrity. To the readers of this post – Do stop by my blog and say Hi, would love to hear from you!

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Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”

As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.

Showcase Sunday #1 – Jenn Coulbeck

Showcase Sunday #1 – www.JennCoulbeck.com

http://www.jenncoulbeck.com

For this first Showcase Sunday, I want to introduce Jenn Coulbeck. You can find her blog at www.Jenncoulbeck.com. The first thing I noticed about her blog is how unique her art is. I love how she organizes her blog into easy to search previews. Her art is something I admire. I feel like she has the touch to bring her drawings to life by adding color and faces to what may seem completely abstract.

I had an opportunity to ask her some questions about her blog in an email interview, shown below. Please enjoy and learn something from this amazing blogger and artist.

What made you get into blogging? 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 who 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 to 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!

Don’t just take my word for it, please visit her blog and let her know that you saw her here on “Sunday Showcase.”

As always, If you would like your blog to be featured on here, please do not hesitate to email me at craftyartistkc@gmail.com and I would love to feature you next sunday.