Still Life. Why blogging still matters.

So I have been blogging since 2010. That’s a long time. Formats have changed, become glitchy, complicated, or navigational hazards. Still, there has been a voice that says, keep blogging.

(The most recent still life painting in the visual diary. Process and video over at Substack where you can join. It’s free.)

At first, I blogged because it was the first time I didn’t have to get my writing approved or accepted by anyone. What a concept!

I spent my advertising career getting every headline scrutinized. Then when I started writing books, I had to convince an agent to pick me up, then we to get a publisher to pick me up, then I would defend every sentence along the way.

Blogging was a great way to let go of all that.

To just try to write poetically and add related images. It was basically a little drawer in my world where I could finagle a mini creative project.

There was nothing to sell.
There was no convincing.
No approval process.

It was just expressing loveliness or interesting thoughts or pulling concepts together in an interesting way. Or even, Hey look at these lemons I painted. Because LEMONS!

I remember my first 52 subscribers. I felt so very, very famous. Some of them were even strangers.

Of course, all these things evolve.

Now when I sit down to paint something but before I get comfortable, I pull out the tripod and begin filming. Blogging has evolved to include video creation. In a way I don’t mind because I love making a time lapse video. But as I film, it feels like I have a client or boss hovering over my shoulder, whispering Are you sure? I don’t think this is going to turn out. Maybe you need to buy different supplies. Sure, blame the tools.

But these ARE lovely tools. I mean… how do you pick just one?

I asked Google why blogging is still important and it gave me this horrid little answer:

Hey Mr. AI Overview, that’s a sad reason.

Blogging is important because it is a place to express yourself to (hopefully) a kind audience who is there to say Hey, I like what you’re doing here. Even if they don’t like the content specifically, they like that you’re out there doing it.

Making something.
Finishing something.
Sharing something.
That’s something.

I turned the background blue to make the pink cosmos flowers pop. But more importantly…

I made a thing.
Finished a thing.
Shared a thing.

And I have blogging to help me along with this process. It’s not just a platform for sharing a thing. I don’t know if I would have made as many things and certainly not finished as many thing had it not been for the opportunity to share the things with you, dear reader.

What a gift!

I’ve created a nice big library of stuff largely because of the play between me and you in the blogsphere. Thank you!

You’ve heard me go on about the books, the notecards, the journals, my mail club, and most recently Substack. (Please join… it’s free but there are also paid tiers if you want extras… once I figure those out.

Oh Substack is a gorgeous little world I’m playing in right now.

It is so fun to pop around on Substack, to find new artists and to reconnect with artists I lost along the way… probably because blogging started off as something simple, then got complicated, and Substack turned it back into something simple. Being over there makes me sad for bloggers who got caught up in the glitchy decade (or so) between the beginning and now and decided to quit.

Also… and this has been such a treat… since I started up on Substack last week, I get an email every time that says “You have a new follower on Substack.” And I read it and whisper Welcome and thank you. So all week I have been whispering Welcome and thank you.

During challenging moments this week, these have been glimmers… welcome and thank you. Every glimmer is a life raft keeping me buoyed. Emotionally, they bring smiles. Economically, they open the possibility of orders. It’s a faith-based business I have and it runs on the steam of blog posts and followers. Wow!

Also a reminder of the miracle of divine timing.

So if you have ever thought of starting a blog… please do. It gives you so much more than you even know. It pushes me to create more and better work… for you. There is still life to share. And thanks, dear reader, for being along for the ride.

-Janice

PS Working on the August Cottage Letter this week. I would love to send you fun and cozy mail. Subscribe at Etsy or my website.