September Musings; To Blog or Not To Blog?
The last few months have continued to whizz by. We usually have a relaxed summer holiday with little rushing around, chilled days peppered with plans, visits to grandparents, trips into London…..when we get to the end of them we are all normally ready for a bit of routine again but we feel relaxed and rested.
This years summer holidays have been very different! We did the usual big days out and nights away but there have been various appointments dotted throughout and the preparation and nerves which come with starting secondary school! It was a big transition for my eldest as well as a change to the norm for the whole family. Thankfully, apart from a few little bumps it’s been pretty smooth!
My eldest loves the teachers, having a timetable and most importantly the lunches! It’s such a relief and I am so happy my son is settling in so well, I just need to stop thinking that I’ve forgotten something (or someone) on a Monday morning as I walk my other two kiddies to school, or check my phone multiple times a day in case he needs to contact me for some reason…its been quite a change for him and me! I guess its bittersweet; I feel sad that he’s no longer my little boy, super proud of how he is growing and maturing and also pretty excited for the next ‘teenage stage’ …but I also wish it would slow down, just a little!
Now we are almost into October, we have settled into our ‘new’ routine. Although I miss my kiddies and the house is a little too quiet at times, it is good to be spending my days working and being creative without trying to fit it in around the kiddies during the summer holidays. So far I’ve managed to get new work finished and framed ready for Art:Surrey next weekend and make a bit more progress on the book illustrations; it feels great to be back doing what I do!
As a creative, you are always evolving; whether it’s within your work, subject matter, materials or the business itself. It is also important when thinking about the business side to consider what is working and what isn’t. One of the things I have been mulling over for a while is this blog which I write each month. The algorithm is rarely kind and I do wonder whether it is worth the time I spend on them and if I should be directing that time into something else. Should I be writing a newsletter instead? So I started looking into this and exploring what are the benefits of blogging.
Quite a few artists I know write newsletters as a way of touching base with their followers and clients, sharing news of new work and exhibitions, as well as a little insurance if their social media platforms become hacked (which is happening all too often at the moment!). I always thought at some point I would start a newsletter to share current news, but I always enjoyed the musings of a blog, using it as a tool to share thoughts and experiences and I liked building up a catalogue of blogs that could be looked back on as a resource, on my website. Blogs always felt like an investment whereas the newsletter is a way of sharing information that is current and relevant at that point in time. My concern is that it can also become yet another email in the ‘I’ll read it later when I get time which is very unlikely’ pile.
I recently listened to a podcast by Australian artist Laura Horn. I’m not a big podcast listener but I do enjoy her podcasts; they are light, friendly and it feels like you are sat in a coffee house with her and her husband Richie having a natter.
They chat away and share their thoughts and experiences and I have always found them really informative and entertaining.
This particular podcast ‘Blogging is not Dead - Getting inspired by Artist Blogs’ was really interesting as it raised a few ‘blogging pro’s’ that I hadn’t really considered.
There are actually lots of advantages to writing a blog. By creating a library of blogs not only can they be referred to, reread and generally always be relevant, but they are also a great way of adding to a website which keeps it fresh and the ol’ algorithm happy. A blog is a ‘search engine optimised tool’ or an SEO for short. It helps search engines understand your content, and therefore enables users to find your site. So pretty important for directing people and potential clients and followers to your way!
Blogs are also an opportunity to get a little bit personal. They can give the reader an insight into the bloggers life, work and thoughts and an opportunity for the blogger to share these and build up clients, followers and a community. A blog can help people understand you as an artist and as a person which in turn gives them an insight into your creative practice, how you balance creativity and the juggle of life, as well as processes and techniques.
It’s after looking at blogging in this way that I think they are a positive part of a business and I also quite like writing them; they give me the opportunity to ‘muse’ and mull over thoughts and impressions. I also think newsletters are a positive way to relay information and up and coming events, both have their purpose and there is no reason why a hybrid of both can’t be written and published or sent. For now at least, I will be continuing to write my blog and at some point in the future (when I have a bit more time) I will begin a newsletter. Ultimately, everyone has to decide whether a blog, a newsletter or a combo of both works best for them and their business, and most importantly it needs to be enjoyable to write!