I’m still learning about blogging. In fact, I’d say I’m still learning about most things and hopefully I will continue to do so. The STUDIO of Possibilities, a community art idea I’ve been working on, has been growing pretty rapidly recently. At least as far as Facebook likes. My business-trained boyfriend has a hand in that site while I’m over here stumbling on my own and my Facebook page… still just thirty friends.
My boyfriend has been helping me with this website, which is why it’s no longer a bright orange Drupal site. But he’s of the “teach a man how to fish” mindset. Or in this case, let-Miranda-figure-out-her-own-marketing. In truth, I appreciate this. I want to know how websites and marketing and whatnot work, but that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating when I see absolutely no results.
One of the key ideas he’s been trying to impart on me is writing about what people are looking for. Although I make knitted canvasses, no one’s going to search for that because as far as I know no one else has done that. He’s shown me Google AdWords and tried to explain keywords, SEO, and web design with varying degrees of success. The problem is, I don’t like technicalities all that much. I think in broad strokes, big jumps, and gestures. I understand stories, images, and metaphors.
So although I’m been making progress with the business/marketing stuff in mind, what really broke through to me was a blog post written by a cartoonist. A quick search on “art blogs” showed Hugh MacLeod’s post, why most artists’ blogs fail. As an artist with a failing blog (sidenote: can something fail if it never started to work?), I was intrigued and well-rewarded.
“The reality is,” writes MacLeod, “most people are not reading your blog because they have an inherent love for purple dogs and green sofas. They’re reading your blog because THE PERSON YOU ARE inspires them. They’re not reading your blog because they’re thinking of buying your paintings, they’re reading your blog because the way you approach your work inspires them. It sets an example for them. It stands for something that resonates with them. IT LEADS THEM TO SOMEWHERE THAT THEY ALSO WANT TO GO.”
So here’s to hoping I’m an inspiring person who can figure out what people are looking to read while still involving my own art and art philosophy.