Gonna try and resurrect this blog by trying to post each Sunday (famous last words). I have been in the process of renewing my website and deciding on what I hope to achieve from having one. For now, I think I would like it to be a presence where I showcase the artwork and photography I am proud of creating. I took steps to renew my hosting and domain name for another three years. I have also canned my Facebook account; but for the time being have kept my Instagram and twitter accounts. The reasons for canceling Facebook were many. To keep it short, I weighed the benefits of having a presence on Facebook against all the privacy concerns and information that Facebook kept about my posts. In the end, the analysis was exhausting and a distraction and my decision to leave came down to the fact that I just lost interest in Facebook.
I had primarily used Facebook as a means to promote my art. Through posting for promotional purposes, I found that I had lost my way as to why I made art in the first place. It was supposed to be fun and about expressing myself, not about turning it into a business. Visits to my art page (which I had tried set up to keep the business of art and personal accounts separate) were down. I didn’t find that that the Facebook business model worked, so I began posting only to my personal page where my bigger audience was. But, “Likes” never translated to sales and art seemed to get lost in the mire of politics. I rather enjoy Instagram and from what I have read, many creatives are migrating to that platform anyway. So I try to keep my Instagram about my art, and my twitter account about politics and news.
I had primarily used Facebook as a means to promote my art. Through posting for promotional purposes, I found that I had lost my way as to why I made art in the first place. It was supposed to be fun and about expressing myself, not about turning it into a business. Visits to my art page (which I had tried set up to keep the business of art and personal accounts separate) were down. I didn’t find that that the Facebook business model worked, so I began posting only to my personal page where my bigger audience was. But, “Likes” never translated to sales and art seemed to get lost in the mire of politics. I rather enjoy Instagram and from what I have read, many creatives are migrating to that platform anyway. So I try to keep my Instagram about my art, and my twitter account about politics and news.
I have had a creative block most of the winter. I believe that canceling my Facebook account was freeing, making being creative less about likes and sales. Back into my studio again it has become fun. I spent quite a bit of my down time acquainting myself with digital painting and more recently I am exploring translating several of the digital portraits I painted over the winter into painted works on canvas panel. I am currently 1/3 of the way done on the third of four planned for the series. I will post more when the series is finished.
In the meantime I walk for inspiration, taking photos for future reference. While out and about Portland, ME and Peaks Island, here are several photos that I took this week.
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| After the storm blew through... |
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| two views back shore on the island |
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| Portland's narrow gauge railroad... |
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| this area soon to be re-developed |
