Hello Again! New LIVE Classes Starting Soon!
12:40 PMHello again, my friends! I am back from my walkabout. Blogging is something I started years ago because I liked connecting with likeminded friends and artists. It takes a certain mindset—and a lot of work—to post week in and week out for years.
My recent walkabout was to decide whether it was time for the blog to quietly fade away or to stay with it. The joy had been missing in the process. I kind of felt like I was saying blah, blah, blah. Repeatedly.
It seems that I missed posting, but maybe not as much as I expected to. For now, I am committed to seeing it through to the end of the year and then I'll decide worth to continue.
One of the things that inspires anyone to continue doing what they do is interaction. That's why we post our art in forums and groups over on Facebook, Doodlewash and Instagram. I'm not sure if those outlets will ever completely replace blogs, but they've certainly pulled blog visitors away and every blogger I've spoken to lately says that comments (interaction) are way down.
So perhaps it's time to let go of an outdated mode of communication. I'd like to hear your thoughts as to whether you read blogs or catch all of your favorite artists and friends through other social media. (I would do a poll, but Blogger, in their infinite wisdom, has deleted that particular gadget so you'll have to leave a comment!)
For now, let's talk about the fun stuff...
New Classes!!
There are several new LIVE classes coming up, one at new venue (on the beach!!), so I'll take them in date order:
Keeton's Office & Art Supply
Keeton's Office & Art Supply
Bradenton, FL
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Sea Nettle
Their unusual pattern on the bell as well the tentacles make this a great deal of fun to capture on the page. We’ll be using watercolors as well as watercolor pencils to create this beauty!
The cost of this class is $35. To register for this class, please call Keeton’s at 941.485.2533 or visit their website here. Please scroll down to June 9th to find all the info!
Indian Rocks Beach Art Center
June 23, 2018
Beach Art Center
Indian Rocks Beach, FL
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Art On The Rocks - Beach Treasures
Come and join Laure Ferlita for an introduction to Art Journaling with watercolors, pen and ink! Starfish exist in every body of salt water around the world with over 1,500 species! They can live up to 35 years in the wild and they can have up to 15 “arms.”
Using granulating watercolors along with a bit of coaxing from the tip of the brush, Laure let the paint do the work of creating the starfish’s texture. Adding the pen work helps to create a polished look to the page.
You’ll receive a FREE eight-page watercolor journal, permanent black pen and a mechanical pen that’s yours to keep as well as step-by-step instructions on how to create the vibrant starfish and add the lettering.
Indian Rocks Beach Art Center
Beach Art Center
Indian Rocks Beach, FL
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Art On The Rocks - Beach Treasures
Come and join Laure Ferlita for an introduction to Art Journaling with watercolors, pen and ink! Starfish exist in every body of salt water around the world with over 1,500 species! They can live up to 35 years in the wild and they can have up to 15 “arms.”
Using granulating watercolors along with a bit of coaxing from the tip of the brush, Laure let the paint do the work of creating the starfish’s texture. Adding the pen work helps to create a polished look to the page.
You’ll receive a FREE eight-page watercolor journal, permanent black pen and a mechanical pen that’s yours to keep as well as step-by-step instructions on how to create the vibrant starfish and add the lettering.
I will be doing a series of six more classes at the Art Center throughout July, August, and September. For class information, please click here. I will add more info at this location as it comes available.
The cost of the first class is $38. Following classes will be $25.
Please visit their website here to register once for all classes information is made available.
Please visit their website here to register once for all classes information is made available.
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I hope to see you at one of these great venues for some art journaling fun!
18 Creative Thought(s)
I LOVE your blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you, ma'am! I do too, most of the time.
DeleteMaybe because I'm getting old, I don't do social media stuff. I prefer to get blog updates right to my inbox. I won't go hunting on social media sites just to keep up with someone. I very much appreciate your blog and would miss not getting updates, but you know best what's most fun for you. Too little time, too much stress is a bad idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback! I'm kinda like you. If I come across an update via social media, I'll check it out, but that doesn't mean I'll go looking for it. Thanks for the input. I appreciate the comments.
DeleteHi, Laure. I’m afraid I haven’t been a very good interactor, but I do enjoy your blog. For the last three years, family needs have made me a reader but a very infrequent commenter. Overwhelmed with all the accumulating subscription notices in my Inbox, I finally unsubscribed from all but my favorite blogs. Yours is one I kept. I don’t have a blog, but I can understand how frustrating and discouraging it must be to put so much into a post but not have the interaction you hoped for. I wish I had made the effort to comment and connect. I will try to do better! You must do what is right for you in the end, but I hope blogging never becomes a totally outdated mode of communication. I don’t care for social media, with its sound bite posts and sound bite responses. And, like another commenter said, I don’t like to have to hunt down my favorites. Plus I find there is more art wounding and negativity on social media than I care to be exposed to. So I will stick with blogs for as long as they’re available. I’d even like to have my own…maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback and please don't feel bad for not commenting—I'm not great at it myself. My intent had been to do a poll to see where folks spent their time but I wound up having to seek comments on the post...the irony was not lost on me! I appreciate the candor of your comments and I'm glad to see there is still a desire for blogs rather than the quick snippets you get via other social media outlets. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
DeleteLaurie, I love your blog as well. Coming here gives me a pause from the busy days and a breath of inspiration. I love your commitment to both art and also sharing it with others.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback, Danuta! I'm glad to learn the reason I started it (my passion for art and sharing it with others) still comes through.
DeleteI agree with all the above comments. Love your blog, and blogs in general are my favorite form of communication. I like more in-depth posts without all the advertising, and a well-focused topic that I chose to subscribe to. And yes, a breath of inspiration! Just because people don't comment (sorry I'm guilty) doesn't mean they don't appreciate all your efforts. We do!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maryn (what a lovely name!), I wanted to make sure the blog was still relevant in that people still read posts. Many just want "sound bites" not full length features, if you will. And without asking, it's hard to know if there's enough interest to keep going with it. Thanks for the feedback.
DeleteDear Laure I understand about the time it takes to blog. I certainly enjoy your posts. Have you on my sidebar so I know when you have posted something new. Not a huge fan of other social media. Would certainly miss your blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie, for your feedback! It seems that there are more of us who aren't crazy about social media than I originally thought.
DeleteHello again! I posted a very brief comment, without any detail, when I first read this specific blog post and have just returned now, looking at Comments. I'm amazed at how many of us don't like Social Media! As referenced above -- a blog post has MEAT to it and feels more like one-to-one communication, which is my preference. And yet... yes, it's always your choice about when and whether to write -- please just know we welcome you and your message when you do!
ReplyDeleteI've just discovered your blog so I'm hoping you'll stay! :)
ReplyDeleteKathyAnne, thanks for the feedback and I think you're right...blog do generally have far more substance than Facebook entries and if it doesn't have a catchy photo, it's hard to see it in and amongst all the videos and funnies.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to you, Marva and thanks for letting me know you've just arrived...I will be staying around for a while longer!
ReplyDeleteI adore your blog. When you post and I sit down to read it (which may be delayed) it feels like I just got a shiny new magazine (like Oprah) in the mail and I can't wait to see what is inside. Its always a treat to see and read about your creativity and thoughts on life, and you are always coming up with surprises. I appreciate the time and energy that you devote to your blog posts and feel lucky that I found your blog back in 2008!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Claire, for the kind words! Gee, has it been since 2008? Good grief! Time is flying!
DeleteLet's talk!