by Linda | Jun 30, 2011 | my creative journal
As June comes to an end, every business is faced with the midyear review. How is your creative business coming along? Have your reached half your goals for the year? What might be working or not working for you and your business?
I’ve taken a moment this week to look at my finances with a closer eye, to compare my goals with the actual results…and there’s definitely a long, long way to go. Although it may be disheartening to realize that I’ve fallen short from completely realistic and doable goals, at least I have another half of the year to realign myself. I can achieve the success I’ve defined…it simply means shifting certain things and trying alternatives as well.
Think about what has worked for you in the last 6 months and what has been a big waste of time. I believe that it is supremely important to assess yourself and correct yourself when necessary. Checking in the big plan…to make sure you are still on course. I think I’ve been drifting a bit too much, so now is the time to pull the sails tight for the adventure to come…I think…
Have you done your midyear review? Think about it.
by Linda | Jun 27, 2011 | my creative journal
“…what we can handle intellectually far outstrips what we can handle emotionally,” from chapter 8 of Cameron’s book… wow, the statement really struck me. I think it’s because I’ve been learning a lot about Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism. I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom and selfishness, reason and faith, life and living it. Definitely engaged in my reading of The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon)…
I’ve often stated that I can understand something, logically, reasonably… but then there’s how I feel emotionally. Such a difference at times, most of the times? I don’t yet know, if my reason is supposed to be able to control my emotions… or if they really are separate… or if there really is some miracle at work beyond all our reason. Lots of philosophical thoughts swirling in my head for sure.
But going back to this chapter, I did find myself gaining strength from realizing that my core values have been there all this time, perhaps I had simply not been relying on them enough. When Cameron shares her story of forging her own path, I was re-energized. When people told her that you have to do this and that and this and then maybe you might get what you want… she finally learned to just go out and grab it for herself. Make it happen. It all reminded me of Do the Work
by Steven Pressfield as well. I’ve come to realize not only must you do the work, you must accept losses, overcome defeats and keep moving forward above all. And the best thing is that we all have the ability and strength to do so…I truly believe it.
At the end of this chapter, I really took to heart Cameron pointing out that large change occurs in tiny increments. It is much more approachable, thinking of the small daily things we can do…rather than defeating ourselves in worrying about the far away unseen goal.
Although I have not “religiously” (LOL) been following everything in the book, I am still learning a lot and enjoying the process.
Related:
by Linda | Jun 23, 2011 | my creative journal
Many blog for the joy of sharing and writing, but when it comes to your creative business, your blog is an important marketing tool. Ultimately, you need to get in front of people’s eyes, so the right people can find you and fall in love with you. Great products, services and content keep people coming back, but driving new traffic to your blog is essential as well. Otherwise, you won’t get new readers to continue growing your audience.
So here enters the giveaway – one of the many marketing promotions used by bloggers. It is meant to attract lots of people given the FREE aspect, but are you really accomplishing something? I’ve been trying to understand how one goes about a giveaway and if they truly work as a marketing tool. Of course, I understand that many giveaways are about giving back to your current readers…sort of like a thank you or perhaps a pay-it-forward idea. But I’m talking about using giveaways as a business tool.
I’ve experimented with giveaways in the past
There’s no doubt that giveaways attract people. I’ve had experience in getting a huge boost in traffic and so many more comments than usual. But sometimes I think you are attracting the wrong people. After all, there are websites dedicated to simply listing giveaways online. I’m pretty sure there are crawlers out there who enter all of them and win just by sheer volume and chance. It doesn’t seem like a giveaway would attract the right people. In fact, it sort of runs into the subject of free stuff and how offering lots of free, actually dilutes your audience. I know that Sister Diane has blogged a lot about the topic and it’s definitely something I wrestle with.
If you are trying to make a business out of your creative work, getting an audience of people who are only looking for free stuff doesn’t work! Certainly there’s something to be said about community participation and the sharing of ideas, so it’s not all about sales. But ultimately, you do have to find potential customers…otherwise your business isn’t a business.
In my opinion, I think giveaways do work, to a certain extent. If you think about advertising in general, there’s the idea of brand advertising. You are just getting your brand out there and more known in the community. So you aren’t pushing a specific product with your advertising, you are just saying here I am and I’m kick ass because of xyz. This plants a seed…so when people actually need your particular product or service, they will say – hey, I have heard of them before…and hopefully it leads to sales.
So giveaways do help in the brand advertising department…but you have to realize that posting on your blog alone, will mostly attract the “I want free people” and your current readers. You have to do a lot of promotion to get brand new people into the game. That’s why many folks do a giveaway on someone else’s blog. You auotmatically get the brand advertising with a whole different audience. In a way, it is like partnering up with another business…because you might have a common audience.
I’ve joined giveaway events – reaching really huge audiences
But what if you want more? This is when a giveway is coupled with a product review or hook to sign-up or get connected in some way. When you include a product review, you are in fact trying to “sell” a particular something…usually what you are giving away. No doubt that if someone really wants the product, they’ll just buy it directly. So you get the branding and the sales offer.
In addition, if you ask people to follow you in some way, then the connection has started. Although you might not retain all those people – many just subscribe and unsubscribe from newsletters for example – you will still get a certain amount of new eyes following you in the end. I think you have to realize that it is okay to say goodbye to the people who are uninterested. They aren’t your people, afterall.
So I think giveaways work, but to maximize the potential you should try to hit all options available to you and get the most out of your effort. If your goal is to attract a new audience and potential customers, you need to reach a new audience, introduce something specific and get people hooked in some way.
What do you think about giveaways? Have your experiences been positive or negative? Do you track the success (or failure) of your giveaway?
by Linda | Jun 21, 2011 | DIY printables, my creative journal
If you would like to learn about the Notes to Myself project from the beginning, check out the introduction post here. There’s also a freebie download below!
So the first step to creating my minibook was to decide on the structure. I’m not huge on planning when it comes to these types of projects, because it’s supposed to be fun and go-with-the-flow style. However, I did want to establish a few things for my foundation to make the process more approachable. Here are some elements to consider before starting your minibook…
Size and Format
I decided to create a minibook because it’s handy for display, fun to create and fits my love for hybrid creations. I decided early on to use binding rings, as I plan to keep adding pages to this book as time goes on. Binding rings make it easy to manage something that is ongoing rather than a finite number of pages. The format will depend on what you want to create, how many pages, etc.
The size of my books are just regular pieces of paper folded in half. I don’t like to waste paper by cutting it down to a different size for no apparent reason…so my size is usually determined already by default. I am using thick cardstock for the pages, multi-colors even though in some cases they are entirely covered up by other pages that I glue on. I just like to have the cardstock as my base. Chipboard would definitely be more sturdy, but it depends how many pages you plan to have, might actually get too bulky. There are many options, so take a look and see what will work for you:
– use an existing chipboard minibook
– scrap regular layouts as you normally would
– digiscrap regular layouts and/or assuming you might want to print it out as a photobook at some point
– art journal pages randomly in your existing sketchbooks
– use a new journal for collage/journaling/drawing on this particular subject
It’s up to you how you want to approach this project, but deciding on a size and format gives you a foundation to start with and some boundaries to stay within. Without them I usually find myself changing my mind and getting lost in all the possibilities!
Templates
Once you have decided on the size and format, you might want to consider using certain templates. I’m using a super simple template for my journaling, so that it is consistent throughout. Really simple, spaced out text that I can print and cut to include directly into my book. I’ve chosen to journal on the computer, because handwriting would take forever – I know, everyone says they hate their handwriting! Even though I want to practice handwriting and get over it already, if it becomes an obstacle, then just type it and move on.
Think about how you might want to approach your pages, if you like consistency and want to formulate a template to stick to. Others might find this too constricting and choose to go for a free for all instead. However, you might still want to create a template for certain elements. Any photos you might use or the same set of journaling cards or a particular line of paper. It’s nice to decide on using something consistently, because that will make your pages look like they go together.
In my case, I’ve decided to cut little strips of patterned paper (from the DCWV Mi Casa line) to anchor all my text pages. It’s super simple, but adds foundation to the structure as well as color and embellishment, so it’s not so texty. I find this an especially nice trick to use for really heavy text pages, especially in minibooks that have less room to add much else. Adding a strip of pattern paper on the sides or the bottom gives that extra little umph needed. You can see that I’ve prepared a whole bunch of strips, ready to be added in.
In addition, I’ve decided to use a lined paper design for the background of certain pages…it’s something I designed digitally and printed directly on some kraft paper. Later you will see I use it for my cover, so it’s something that will be consistent on my pages, even though I’m just using it as a background, not actually to journal on. You can download the design for your own personal use as well – I made it 12×12 to work for digiscrappers. There’s the aged version to make it look like old distressed paper or use the lines only version to print onto your own kraft paper or cardstock! Enjoy!
So think about what you would want a template for and set it up now. This will create consistency for your entire book and make it a smoother process. Things to consider include:
– template for the page layout
– template for journaling blocks/styles
– template size for photos or a few different grid formats to use
– consistent style of paper, elements, date embellishments, etc that you might want to consider using throughout
– or go free for all if that’s your style!
The Cover
Many times I create the cover of a book last. However, for this project I already had something in mind and since it’s an ongoing project – I won’t know when the last page will be done! So I went ahead and created my cover first. To make the front and back cover stronger, I just folded a piece of cardstock in half and used it doubled-up as one piece, since I don’t have any chipboard handy. You can see on the back cover that I simply wrapped one side with kraft paper, folded over the edges, then lined the inside with cardstock to clean it up. I know some folks are intimidated by any kind of bookmaking process, but it is really easy to cover up cardboard or chipboard with patterned paper. Many scrapbookers just cut patterned paper to size and glue it directly on chipboard, then paint or ink up the side edges. I like the wrapping method instead, but both methods work to add strength and color to your covers.
For my front cover, I’ve used the lined paper design I mentioned previously. Then I decided to group a bunch of elements together to create the title. You can see there is a die-cut circular transparency in the back, with punch out black letters spelling “notes.” Then I cut a tag to a smaller size, used letter stickers to mask off an area then painted with green on top. That’s how I created the word “myself.” I usually don’t get too dimensional with my projects, but on the covers I can add little things here and there without worrying about embellishments digging into other pages. Still pretty minimal though – I realize some folks love to add lots of embellishments. Definitely go with your style!
Of course, nothing ever has to be finished…at some point I might add something else if I feel like it…but for now that’s the cover!
Book Introduction
When I create a themed book, I like to include an introduction of sorts to explain what the book is all about or what my motivations are. Since I’ve blogged about this project, it was even easier to just copy paste what I’ve written into my text page template and print it out to include as an introduction. Totally simple, full text pages to explain what I’m creating…and you can see I’ve added my foundation strips of patterned paper to the bottom.
In addition, I’ve added in an embellishment here with the “xo.” Whenever there is an open space, I can fill it in with embellishment. Having the element overlap the foundation strip keeps it grounded, rather than just throwing something that floats in open space. It’s simple, but effective! Of course, you don’t have to include an introduction at all…or perhaps you might want to create something a bit more artsy. It’s up to you to decide on the approach that matches your style and what you might have to say. This project is about notes to myself, to help me remember wise words of wisdom. So I wanted to explain that in the beginning of the book.
Now that I have my book ready, I can begin to put the various pages together. I will be presenting one page at a time or actually a spread or two at a time for each “note to myself.” Now is a good time to jot down some notes to yourself, so you have a list to go by…and start journaling about them. Getting the story down on words will help you to decide on including photos or not, what colors you might use, which embellishments… everything really. Here are some of my notes…
– Enjoy The Ride
– Just Breathe
– Time Will Heal
– Laugh Everyday
– Put a Smile on Your Face
– Chase Your Dreams
– Patience is a Virtue
– If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again
– It’s okay to cry
– Celebrate success
You can find lots of beautiful quotes to use as well at ThinkExist… and of course, I think for scrappers it will be easy to capture phrases that blossom out into a story for you. It can be a very personal thing, that might not mean much to those who don’t know the story. Like if I had a title, “mucho…” as a note to myself…it’s sort of cryptic, but means a lot to me. I think at times it’s the title of many scrapbook pages. So let’s do some brainstorming and I’ll be back to share each of my pages…
If you have any questions at all, please comment away – thanks for joining me on this journey!
by Linda | Jun 18, 2011 | my creative journal
Although I’m really enjoying reading through The Artist’s Way, I must admit first that my mind has been occupied by other projects as well. But I’m determined to stick to the weekly chapter habit. This seventh chapter is about practicing the right attitudes for creativity and connecting to your dreams.
I feel as if I’ve been doing that exact thing all my life. Dreaming, imagining, trying – over and over again. There are huge topics in this chapter… big emotional ones that all creatives have faced and battled with I’m sure.
Listening
Right at the beginning of this chapter, I was struck by the quote, “Art is not about thinking something up. It is about the opposite – getting something down.” It’s so true for me personally that most of my inspirations and ideas come when I’m doing something else. The real sparks occur during other activities…when a connection is somehow made or something just comes to me…I think we all know that magical feeling. Of course, the chapter goes on about how you might begin with a plan but then you have to surrender to however it goes. And perhaps, that is the part I am still working on.
I constantly talk about trying to do more loose work, because I have something in mind and I want to make it happen. If it doesn’t come out as I thought, I feel a bit defeated. Was it because I lack the skill to execute or was it a bad idea? I’ve been working to change my attitude, to go with the flow and if it turns out nicely, yippee! If not…to just let it go. But of course, easier said than done. There are certainly times when I feel so unsure and have no idea what to do next. I’m not sure if I always hear my own creative voice or if I’m letting it come out fully.
Although I would love to believe in much of the “genius” talk mentioned by Cameron…the belief that we are simply an instrument through which the creative genius speaks through…I don’t feel comfortable with it. I don’t like to believe that it’s all mystery and hocus pocus stuff. I really value having to work at things and meriting through effort. Not to say you have to suffer through it, but it’s something that has been ingrained in me. I want to earn my success and know that I did it…that I earned it. Is it just crazy ego talk? I know that it seems like a higher power is working through us at times though, so I guess I stand somewhere in between. Reminds me of the Law of Attraction discussions.
Perfectionism
Certainly something that we all battle with, even though we know nothing is perfect. I have already been thinking about embracing imperfection and I think I’m successful to a certain level and with certain things. When unsuccessful, I am certainly trapped in the loop of redoing, reworking, trashing, restarting…all the time…judging my results even before finishing. Cameron certainly nails the description of a perfectionist. I find it to be an internal battle…perhaps a constant battle that I will be fighting all the time.
Risk
My take away from this section was the point about anything worth doing might even be worth doing badly. Cameron encourages us to take risks…and if we didn’t have to worry about being perfect…what would we do?
Jealousy
Huge topic and I’ve always tried to turn jealousy into energy that drives me forward to be better. So then I wouldn’t be jealous anymore. Again, easier said than done…but much of life is about changing your attitude and directing yourself a bit. I agree that jealousy is like a map of sorts…the emotion is trying to tell you what you want perhaps. What you should be working towards. In this way of thinking, jealousy can be a useful indicator. So the exercise that Cameron proposes really does help to convert jealousy into positive actionable remedies.
The rest of the exercises in this chapter did make me feel a bit like under therapy or psychology of sorts…although I don’t even know what that would be like…it’s all a stereotype for me! Lots of questions are posed, so you can start digging into your past and dreams. In the end, I definitely discovered some tidbits of info about myself although largely, I am focused about my dreams, goals and wants. I certainly don’t lack the balance of inspiration, down-time and work-time…so I’ve really been in the mode of doing. But I also feel there isn’t enough time…I suppose that is just the way it is!
Related:
by Linda | Jun 17, 2011 | my creative journal
I feel that is important to remember, record, and reflect upon our creative journeys – both the good and bad. I like the idea of taking challenging experiences and turning them into life lessons that empower and propel me forward. Sometimes, I really need those reminders, those encouraging thoughts…to get me through tough times. So I decided to make myself a book of notes and here on the blog, I will be sharing the entire process. I hope that you will be inspired to make one for yourself, with your own words of wisdom and life experiences. I have no doubt that it will be a meaningful project…whether you define yourself as a scrapbooker, an art journaler or simply a creative soul at heart.
Where did the idea come from?
A few years ago, I started a series of graphic posters based on little phrases that were important to me. Simple encouragements and motivations like “remember to breathe” and “enjoy the ride.” I loved the idea of capturing these pick-me ups, but the posters seemed a bit cold and impersonal. Nothing wrong with a motivational poster…but I wanted something more and wasn’t sure where to go with it.
Then one day, a blog friend emailed about my work – Chel from gingerblue – thank you my dear! She wrote to tell me that I was inspiring to her and perhaps I should teach classes! We got to talking about various interests and hobbies and I was so honored and touched by her encouragement. From that email, an idea was sparked. It just clicked from our conversations that my series of notes should be turned into a scrapbook. I thought the process would be a great online class of sorts… I was giddy with excitement!
Why a scrapbook?
The story behind my little notes was the big missing component. That is why I immediately thought scrapbook, because I needed the story…the connection to a prior experience… the memory… to make my note more meaningful and more powerful. It’s one thing to say “laugh every day” period, versus “laugh every day” and remember that difficult time…you thought the smiles would never come back, but then Dad said something totally ridiculous and we all burst out laughing? Yeah. I wanted to create a book of wise words with concrete memories behind them…so I could turn to them for encouragement and perspective.
That said, it doesn’t mean it has to be a traditional scrapbook with corresponding photos. It is whatever you want it to be…an art journal, a mixed media altered book, a set of scrapbook layouts, a minibook. You can define it how you like. Mine happened to turn into a book of memories that incorporates a corresponding story with each note. However, not all pages include a photo because I might not have one from that specific time. However, your memories can be recorded in many different ways. The important point is in incorporating personal stories and elements. The personal component puts my notes in context and makes them vivid and strong.
So join me!
I would love to share my entire process of creating this book and although I don’t claim to be a professional teacher in any way…I do hope that by sharing the process, ideas and designs…I will be providing helpful instruction. Each and every one of us should create what suits our needs, style and story…so ultimately I am giving you a springboard of inspiration. I think we all need to me reminded of how much we’ve gone through at times…so I very much think of this as a strength book, an experience book, a record of what I’ve learned and how strong and brave I have already been…and can be. I don’t know why it is so easy to overlook all those experiences at times. That’s why we need to make a record of our life experiences…
If you are interested, please follow this blog as I will post the entire process here, step by step. Also feel free to leave a comment and say hello with your blog address or Flickr link if you plan to share your progress. I would love to see and follow along! 🙂
Thank you to everyone for stopping by and showing support for my work, as always. Grazie and ciao ciao!
by Linda | Jun 17, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m probably not the first person to have fallen in love with Copics before truly understanding how it all works.
I had first been exposed to the Copic brand through the manga community and used their black multiliner pens for drawing. But after seeing the beautiful coloring techniques of many cardmakers and scrapbookers – I really wanted to dive in myself! But going on a whim, I bought a few sets of Ciao markers that I saw at the art store…which turns out to be a bad approach to buying these types of markers. Now I have a mix of colors that do not necessarily go together so easily. However, I don’t think you MUST buy the various shades within a color family in order to make use of Copics. It ultimately depends on how you plan to use them and if possible, you should try them out at a friend’s place or do a bit of research to see what you prefer.
If there is a certified instructor or a presentation going on about Copics at a store, you should definitely attend.
They basically go through the foundations, so that you understand the color system and how Copics are used, usually with demos right there in front of you. Then you will be able to make an informed decision when purchasing. There’s a video by Scrapbook.com about Copics that gives you some basic information about the markers. I love Copics because they are refillable. It’s basically in the vein of buying something of quality that you can keep using, replacing only the consumable parts. Even the Multiliners are now refillable! Finally, the most important thing is to learn the Copic color system and what it all means. Those letters and numbers are very important and you should not just go by the cap color.
The FAQ on the Copic website explains the color system and if someone explains in person it will make more sense, I think. After I finally got it straight in my head, I realized that buying markers in sets of 3 per color makes a whole lot of sense. You basically want markers in the same color family and same first digit for the same saturation level. Lower numbers are more vibrant and higher numbers get more dull or grayed out… the final number is for the lightness or darkness – that’s why crafters buy sets with the last digit just 2-3 away from each other. For example, if you want to create a blended blue-green color, you might buy BG01 (lightest color), BG05 (mid-tone) and BG09 (strong shadow). Those three markers would allow you to blend it all nicely to get the gradation. This really does mean that for each color, you should have the markers to cover the light, mid-tone and dark range. For crafters, I think suzannejdean is one of the most popular on YouTube. She shows you how she colors super cute digital stamp images with the exact marker colors she uses.
However, I should note that the multiple shades in the same color family isn’t the only way to use Copics.
In fact, if you learn from a manga artist…they don’t actually use those rules of buying markers. Think of paints that an artist might buy…a teacher might recommend a palette to beginners, but everyone develops their own preferences in the use of color. Same with Copics. In fact, I also just like Copics as markers without any blending. They are just kick ass markers!
And as with anything tool, the more experience you have the better you are at using it. From the manga world, we learn that you can apply blending solution to your paper first to create a wet surface to work on…think watercolor techniques…only it’s alcohol and dries a lot faster. You can feather different colors into each other, layer on top various colors to mix and use an external palette. In fact, you can buy empty copic pens and use the various color refills to mix your own colors. I know, getting complicated. The point is to say the markers are powerful tools…like any other artist medium.
Some tips I’ve learned from attending a presentation and my own experience…
You really can use any kind of heavy paper. This goes back to the old saying of how the tools don’t totally matter…in the hands of a master, regular heavyweight copy paper was colored on beautifully! Copic still bleeds through, that is part of how the marker is used…so just make sure to have backing scrap paper when you color. Otherwise the non bleedproof papers by Copic are super thin, but have a coating on the back to try and prevent bleedthroughs. I say try because it does depend on how heavy handed you are. If you try to make it bleed, you can!
Try not oversaturate your paper, keep a light touch! I know many tutorials tell you to saturate the paper, but going overboard is what causes all the bleeding out of lines. Practicing with the paper will help you get a hang of how much ink to apply.
Copics can be used on many different surfaces, not just paper…so extremely versatile type of marker.
You can blend completely different colors!
You can use the marker directly, use your blender pen and touching it to the marker tips to get only a bit of color or create your own external palette by putting colors on a plastic sheet.
Another thing I saw, were artists putting down the colorless blender first then feathering strokes on top. They kept using the blender to smooth out edges, leaving white space as well, not necessarily coloring every spot in. The brush tip is used just like a paintbrush.
You can leave the white of the paper for highlights or use white paint, white gel pens or even white out to add touches of highlights to your final work.
The colorless blender refill can be dropped onto color to create cool effects – very much like alcohol drops on acrylic paint. Suffice to say, there’s lots to explore.
I found more videos of crafters who use Copic and you can see a different style here and here. You can also find out more information and updated color charts at the Copic Marker website. I’m still learning a lot, but found that after meeting instructors and seeing demos finally felt more confident in purchasing. Hope I’ve provided some helpful information to spread the Copic Love! If there are ever certification classes here in Italy, I would jump for it immediately. Copic coloring is super fun whether you like the blending methods or just plain coloring!
by Linda | Jun 16, 2011 | my creative journal
I love WordPress and build all my blogs using the system…including this one! When I refer to WordPress, I do mean the self-hosted version. Basically, you are downloading a copy of the blog publishing platform onto your own web hosting space…so you can do whatever you want with it. The great thing is that this is absolutely free and your web hosting will usually have automatic install options for WordPress. You have full control and will never be at the mercy of other hosted platforms – ahem, if you know what I mean. Let me tell you why I think WordPress is amazing.
Besides are the normal functionalities of most all publishing platforms out there WordPress has plugins. The system is also constantly being improved and updated with over 25 million people using it to power their blogs. With such a huge community to service, plugins or extensions have been created to add more functions when necessary. Anyone who can do a bit of software development can write a plugin which is not recommended if you aren’t saavy for security purposes! But there are countless established plugins out there to use with no worry. I would like to share a little list of those I have installed, helping me with marketing and pushing my creative business forward.
Akismet
This is already installed with WordPress, but you have to go into the Plugins area and activate it. You will have to sign-up with the Akismet service to get a special unique key. This is simply the best way to combat spam in my opinion. Forget all those crazy captcha and preview methods of filtering commenters – they are annoying to real people!
Broken Link Checker
Very useful tool to make sure you’re blog doesn’t become filled with broken links. I hate hitting broken links! Although no one is perfect, this tool will help you to avoid having old or broken information out there. Even though blogging is chronologically, people might hit any post on your blog. I sometimes go back and read the archives of blogs when I really like the content!
FeedBurner FeedSmith
All my blog feeds are tracked through Feedburner, a free service you can sign up for to track how many subscribers you have. With this plugin, if makes sure anyone who subscribes is tracked through Feedburner. Metrics are supremely important to keep track of over time, to see where you came from, how far you’ve gotten…
Subscribe To Comments
Unless you use a separate commenting system, it can be hard for commenters to receive the replies or follow comments on your blog. If you want to build up the community and encourage discussion, I think this plugin really helps for those who want to keep track of what people are saying. I have switched to just replying on my blog for everyone to see and track if they wish, instead of taking up more email time, replying individually…
Thumbnail For Excerpts
When you click on a category on my blogs, a list of entries pop up and this plugin makes an automatic thumbnail for me, so everything looks nice…instead of just text links.
RSS Footer
This plugin adds a special footer to your RSS feed entries…so whatever reader or however it might be organized for someone else…at least the credit is always there and available.
Efficient Related Posts
Another one I just added, replacing the Linked Within one I used to have installed. It’s just a basic list of related posts at the end of every post page. This will encourage readers to check out other posts that are related and it gets the relations from the tags you have entered. This efficient version basically creates all the connections when you update or add a post. So the viewer will never have to wait a long time to see the list of related items.
All in One SEO Pack
This is something I just installed in trying to improve my web presence. The plugin basically let’s me type in the title, description and keywords for every page and post of the blog. SEO means search engine optimization and by having this control over all the content of your site, you can optimize your code…basically make it so that people searching for xyz information on your website can actually find it better!
I hope you’ve learned something about the power WordPress and plugins…and there are many more out there that might help improve your blogging workflow. There are plugins to create polls or generate photo galleries…check them out and see what will help you improve your site. Don’t hesitate to try out plugins, because you can always uninstall if it doesn’t work for you. I think it’s important to take a look at your blog and whip it a bit into shape…every month if possible. A bit of cleanup or improvement scheduled in…just like cleaning your house or taking care of your household tools. Machinery has to be tuned up and there’s always something you can update. That’s all for this week’s creative business 101…ciao ciao!
by Linda | Jun 12, 2011 | my creative journal
Reading onward in The Artist’s Way (here’s a link to the copy I bought on Amazon) and this chapter started with talk about the Great Creator and it’s still a bit uncomfortable for me. I tend to be so practical and it is precisely some of those thoughts that might be getting me bogged down. I can’t always let go and believe in something higher. It’s all about work work work and deserving it, making your way.
Which leads into the next section about allowing yourself creative pleasures. It is true that we often blame certain difficulties on lack of money, but Cameron writes that it’s not actually the money. It is the feeling of constriction or sense of powerlessness. Makes a lot of sense and I suppose that is why many a wise person has said that you have to make do…
We are asked to think about what truly gives us joy and giving ourselves small gifts so larger gifts can come as well. In a way, I started to think about gratitude and the little things that can make us feel so happy and experience the abundance of life. The section about how things seem silly or crazy and that thought prevents us from doing that very thing we might need. It’s so true…we let preconceived notions and thoughts stop us from exploring so many things…like our inner creatives trying to break out, but we just shush it because it’s silly…
The goal for the week was to record our actual spending of money, to see if what we value matches with how we spend our money. I have to say I do pretty well in that arena since it’s pretty much all on books, art supplies, classes and going out with the hubby, besides necessities. I guess I don’t really have a problem enjoying myself 🙂
The takeaway for me was more internal, about letting myself do crazy things or spend a little money on something I intuitively want…even if it might not make sense or seem silly. It’s about nurturing ourselves a bit…of course, hopefully not overboard! Ugh, there I go again…
But it’s ultimately to get down to the root of how we feel about …but ultimately it’s about tackling our ideas around money and creative abundance. Huge topics to face.
Related:
by Linda | Jun 10, 2011 | my creative journal
I must confess that things have been all quiet on the marketing front. I’ve actually been swirling in experimentation, self-reflection and reading. There goes the productivity level on the business front! Even though I want to be successful and well-informed for my creative business, it’s also the easiest thing to slip out of sight as I enjoy the process of creating and playing with art as well as frolicking in the Tuscan hills! I’ve definitely been spending more time outdoors, walking my dog and enjoying the warm sunny weather.
However, I do have a mega list of ideas for how to get my brand out – basically the many marketing options available for exploration. But I’m a bit stuck into analysis paralysis, wondering what is worth it, where to start and where my efforts should be focused upon. I thought perhaps to share my list of marketing ideas and see what you have to say. Have you tried them, have they worked…what’s your experience? I would love to know and I’m sure many others would love to know as well…so I thought it would be a nice little pow-wow on marketing here. Please comment away!
- Have you tried advertising on blogs?
- Do you use an email newsletter and track the results?
- Do you hold blog giveaways and do they attract sales in the end?
- Do you participate in multiple online marketplaces – Etsy, Dawanda, Society6, Zazzle, Artfire…etc?
- How does your blogging help with your creative business – do you track statistics or conversion to sales from your blogging?
- Social networking – is it just community and branding in general for you?
- Old fashioned face-to-face marketing – do you even do that now that online is so widespread!
- Do you offer coupons to existing customers to make them return?
- Do you offer promotions and holiday sales? Do you think it cheapens the value of your work?
- How about teaming up with partners in business?
- Submitting to galleries, magazines, blogs, etc? Does it bring traffic?
Yup, a lot swimming around in my mind and that’s a big list, a very general list as well, to really tackle efficiently. Maybe just pick one and share your thoughts? Thanks a bunch and happy weekend!
