Tips For Boosting Your Creative Blog Traffic

by Linda | Mar 10, 2015 | my creative journal

So you have a lovely little creative blog, but you aren’t getting that much traffic? What’s missing you wonder. Where are your readers hiding, right? Oftentimes, just a little bit of effort can result in a huge boost to your readership. Here are some tips on how to get more eyes on your creative blog. The following are basic principles of blogging and sharing online. I think you should have these foundational pillars covered, before you move into other methods of marketing and promotion.

Great Blog Content
The only way to keep readers happy is to give them something interesting to consume. If you don’t have great blog content, people aren’t going to come. So think about what you want to share and write about! For creatives the idea is to find the intersection between what you want to share and what others would be interested in seeing.

Blogging Schedule
The commitment to blog regularly means you will have a stream of content for your readers. You can get more traffic if you don’t have new content, right? It can be once every two weeks or more often… whatever fits with your schedule. It’s best to commit to some kind of frequency to keep yourself in check!

Make It Easy to Subscribe/Follow
Not everyone is super tech saavy, so make it super easy for people to follow your blog. Whether it’s offering the RSS feed, an email subscribe, a blog lovin follow button – maybe all of those – make sure people can get your blog content easily. You can’t assume that a reader will just visit your URL every week by typing it in their browser address bar!

Tell People
Whether it’s word of mouth, link in your email signature or social media posts – maybe all of them – you have to tell people that you are blogging and putting up new posts. You certainly shouldn’t be self promoting and spamming about it… but at the same time, don’t hide away! Especially for creatives, we seem to find it extremely difficult to share all the cool stuff we are doing. Don’t be shy. Be sure to put it out there!

Engage and Networking
This is sort of related to above, because if you start telling people about your blogging endeavors, ultimately you are networking and socializing. Part of being engaged in your community is to comment on your peers posts and making it super easy for readers to comment on your blog as well. It’s about starting a dialogue, being authentic and getting involved. You can’t just be up on a pedestal announcing things and never stepping down to discuss and let others take the podium, you know?

If you are consistent, your blog traffic will definitely grow over time. Make sure you install analytics, so you can track your growth as well. The online world is big and small at the same time. I always say that slow and steady, wins the race.

There are many more advanced strategies that you can try out like search engine optimization, advertising, guest posting and promotions. But have you got all your bases covered, first?

From Sketch to Print

by Linda | Mar 7, 2015 | my creative journal

I’ve been working on many different projects this past month and feel a bit all over the place to be honest. When there’s too much going on, I often turn to my sketchbook and sort of go back to kindergarten. The idea is to draw and color loosely. It’s a way to let go and just decompress. I remember doing these kind of creative exercises back in university and they were called regression workshops.

In this particular instance I was inspired by Alisa Burke to draw a simple leaf pattern with my left hand and color it in with markers. Since I’m right-handed, using my non-dominant left hand would ensure that my drawing would be loose. Totally messy and random, right? But this is a perfect example of how a simple creative exercise can spark some inspiration. I loved how the colors and pattern turned out, so I decided to take it onto my computer and vectorize it. There’s even some scribbles from my son over the top, but I like it anyway!

The process of turning a sketchy drawing into vector using Illustrator’s trace tools, smooths out some of the roughness… but it’s still my hand in the end. It seems to be digitally painted and I really like the effect.

And once everything is digital, I’m able to play with the coloring. It’s funny how something so simple, can end up looking pretty cool. I love the sort of impressionistic image that I can get out of a messy sketch. This could very well become an art print or surface pattern design, don’t you think?

So that’s how I take a simple sketch into a print format. I could print it out to use as collage paper or format into a background for another project… lots to think about with all the options available. What would you do with this artwork?

Podcasts to Listen to While You Create

by Linda | Feb 27, 2015 | my creative journal

When working on a project, I like to multi-task by listening to my favorite podcasts. It’s like having a group of friends around, chatting away while you create.

There are so many great podcasts out there, yet I’m always discovering new shows to add to my list. I’m always up for trying something new to see if it fits my interests.

No doubt that listening to podcasts helps me to move along in my productivity while working – not to mention sort of mark the time that passes by – when an episode is done it means a chunk of time has counted down!

Here’s a list of my favorite podcasts at the moment:

The Paperclipping Roundtable – Since I’m a scrapbooker, I’ve listened to this podcast since the beginning and just love following all the memory keeping chats.

Elise Gets Crafty – Overall creative business chats that are easy to digest and follow.

While She Naps – A recent add to my list and just love the candid conversations from designers and makers, sharing their POV and favorites lists.

What’s Your Story – Artists, makers and creative individuals tell their story!

Unmistakable Creative – Conversations with creative entrepreneurs, definitely business spin here…

Socia Media Marketing – A new addition so I can learn more about how to market on social media for my creative business.

Oh So Pinteresting – Another new addition to really focus on learning how to leverage Pinterest as a creative business owner.

So there you go, grab a tea, your latest project and listen to a lovely podcast to get working. Feel free to leave your podcast recommendations as well. I’m always open to great audio!

Handmade Leather Planner Journal Memory Keeper Book

by Linda | Jan 17, 2015 | my creative journal

Is that a long enough title for you? Well, it’s warranted because the point is to consolidate and make one thing serve multiple purposes. When we have limited time, we have to optimize, right?

Planners seem to be the trendy hot thing these days and there are many beautiful ones out in the market. I decided to go DIY and make myself a custom planner, tailored to my purposes. It’ll allow me to get creative, while serving my own specific needs. I used black leather for the outside cover and just wrapped around some chipboard. The inside of the covers are lined with a brown leather and it’s all held together with some little book rings.

I designed my own monthly calendar pages and decided to get crafty and decorate with all the pretty scrapbooking papers in my stash. It’s time to actually use my supplies rather than hoard them!

Since I use a digital calendar for actual appointment keeping (way easier to maintain, share and edit) – this paper version is really for memory keeping reasons. It’s about capturing glimpses of my daily life – something to be kept even after the year is finished.

Obviously, I don’t have everything worked out yet, as I’m not sure how to combine my daily routine notes with scrapbooking with art journaling and whatever else goes through my mind. It’ll definitely evolve along the way, which I think is natural.

Do you use a paper planner or journal? What do you use it for and what do you include or exclude?

We Are All Ready Enough

by Linda | Jan 3, 2015 | my creative journal

Happy 2015!

I had the unfortunate experience of coming down with a high fever on New Years Eve… shucks! All my celebratory plans were ruined, although I did hear the happy hubbub while resting in bed. Despite the rough start, I’m determined to make 2015 an amazing year. I’ll have it no other way. Demanding, huh?

Often I like to have a mantra of sorts for the year… something like a cover page for my planner or a poster tacked up on the wall to cheer me onward. In reflecting on my past experiences, I realized that I often stall on many ideas thinking I’m not ready. It’s not the right time or I still need this or that – excuses… excuses… excuses…

Well, enough is enough. Phooey to all that. I came across this quote and decided to make it the cover page for my planner.

“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” -Lemony Snicket

Such wisdom in a little sentence and oh so true for so many of us, I think. We hesitate and wait around, stopping ourselves from greatness. I don’t think we have ever feel fully ready for anything. It’s just not the way life goes. That scary, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling shouldn’t stop you from chasing your dreams, right?

That’s what I think and I’m using the quote to help me forge onward. If you would like to print out the quote for yourself, feel free to do so by downloading the PDF here. Hope it helps you out this year!

Artists Around The World Blog Hop

by Linda | Dec 30, 2014 | my creative journal

Recently, the lovely Kate Leonard (amazing artist!) asked if I would like to be a part of a blog hop she participated in and I immediately said yes. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to jump back into blogging!

What I’m Working On…

At the moment, I’m basically in preparation for 2015. I’ve been on hiatus for a long time and finally I’m all for jumping back in full force. My first step is to get organized, so I’m creating my 2015 planner right now. I’ve always been into planners, journals and organization – it’s just fun! Otherwise, my craft is a huge mix of drawing, painting, bookbinding and designing.

Why Do I Create?

This is something always hard to explain and it might sound mundane, but I simply have an urge to create. There’s something magically about making something, with whatever tools and ideas you have… it’s amazing and satisfying. Over the years, I’ve realized that is always what it comes down to – that core feeling of just wanting to do it because it feels right. There need not be any other reason.

How Does My Creative Process Work?

Sometimes I’m inspired by something I see, sometimes ideas just pop up in my random journaling and doodling. I would consider myself pretty freeform. I follow whatever sparks my interest to begin with, but to follow through I like to have some kind of game plan and end goal in mind. It’s the project manager in me!

How Does My Work Differ From Others?

I feel that we are all unique and no matter how hard we might try to mimic others, our personal work will always have our fingerprint on it… there’s just no denying your true self! I would describe my style as sort of cute, but not necessarily childish. I don’t know if there’s a word for it, but that is what I’m shooting for, because it would be a true reflection of who I really am. The way I draw by hand is unique to me and it’s something I’ve always been proud of… even with no formal art training. I hope to experiment and try new projects this coming year to see how my style permeates across all different mediums.

It’s amazing how answering these questions really have helped me orient myself for 2015 in general. I would invite all of you to blog on the same topics if you are interested – it’s a great way to start the new year. Here’s to an amazing 2015 together!

DIY Father’s Day Gift of Love of Time

by Linda | Jun 12, 2014 | my creative journal

When it comes to gift giving, I always struggle with finding the right item. Especially on a holiday like Father’s Day, it’s ever-so-more difficult to find a thing that is supposed to express the enormity of your love and appreciation. It’s really not possible, is it?

Over the years, I’ve realized that it’s the experiences that really matter the most, mean the most and are the most memorable for everyone. So this Father’s Day why not try gifting your love with a sentiment and your time by planning an activity that can be enjoyed together?

I think it’s the ultimate DIY!

Haha, but of course I had to design a card with a sentiment to go along with my idea. Nothing like a card to express your most heartfelt sentiments! I opted for a really minimal design this time around, would be so cool letterpress I think! Feel free to download, share and gift the printable love you card shown below. Enjoy!