Blog and Fear

(Detail)River of Longing 5 (0952-P)©2009 Janice Mason Steeves
I started blogging about three months ago with the idea that, like taking Vitamin D, it is extremely good for me as an artist to do this. I struggle with the worry of what to say and who will read this blog anyway. Jane Lind is a good friend of mine and an author. Her book, “Perfect Red”, a biography of the artist Paraskeva Clark will be published in November. Her publisher, Cormorant Books, suggested that creating a blog was important for a writer. I decided that what was good for Jane would probably be good for me too.

I write my blog posts sitting here in my quiet room in my house in rural Ontario and then post to the netherworld, imagining that only my friend Jane will be reading these posts or maybe my kids. However I was at an art gallery exhibition two weeks ago and was introduced to one of the exhibiting artists, who said, “I recognize your name, I read your blogs!” I didn’t know whether to be delighted or horrified. It felt a bit like having your personal journal read…..but then of course I know that I’ve published it online…what did I expect?

It’s all very new to me.

I decided that if other people are actually going to read my blog, I’d better get some help with it and enrolled in an online course called Blog Triage with Alyson Stanfield and Cynthia Morris. I’m starting today….

Lesson One:

I’m intending this blog to be about my art process, inspirations, thoughts and worries, travels, and other artists.

In writing this blog I hope to learn to more comfortably write about my work and to become increasingly aware of what drives my own creativity.

I’m hoping that the people who read my blog might be people who are interested in the creative process, other artists, musicians, writers and others who work creatively and who want to connect and share their own processes.