The lollies intensive didn’t get as intense as I would have liked. There has been just too much stuff going on to really concentrate on it. I’ve had the time, but not the headspace. Even though this project is perfect ‘fluff’ for times like these, I still found it difficult to reach for fabric and thread. I’m thinking I’ll add a few smaller scattered shapes in the bottom left hand corner and call it finished.
On Blogging
Ok. I’ve been thinking about stopping this blog.
There are so many wonderful craft blogs out there and I find that I really am a tiny fish in a HUGE pond. I worked out how to discover the number of subscribers to LittleFishCreations on Google Reader… the first time I checked it was 22 subscribers and then I checked again and it was 21! One of those subscribers is Chris and one is ME! Most blogs I read have hundreds or thousands of subscribers.
Not that my aim is to be popular… but those low numbers make me wonder if perhaps my blog is irrelevant.
I started blogging over 5 years ago. It was sooo refreshing to have my own space on the net after years of reading but not really participating in groups like QuiltArt. I was also just starting to feel about with my own creativity and had enthusiasm after enthusiasm that I loved to share. Quilting, spinning, knitting, drawing, painting…. anything and everything! And I had lots of comments and felt connected with many really nice people.
Over the last few years I feel like I’ve lost my way with this space especially with other things (like having a baby) which have shifted my priorities.
I don’t really comment much on other blogs anymore (I blame Google Reader as I read so much but don’t visit the actual blogs much anymore) and people don’t comment here very much either (though I do love and appreciate each and every comment I do get!) So I’m not feeling that sense of community and connection that I would like from of my internet experience.
I’m mulling over my options
1) continue as I’ve been going; blog when I feel like it, about whatever I’m working on at the time. I do enjoy revisiting my archives as it’s like the diaries that I alway’s wanted to keep as a teenager but never did.
2) stop blogging – go private. Make things for my own enjoyment and don’t fuss about the documentation and sharing part.
3) find another forum to share my creativity (flickr??). Still making and documenting, but without the commentary and obligations I feel towards this blog.
4) revamp this blog so that it works better for me and allows me to develop the sense of community that I would like. This would really take a committment to DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY. Also I think I’d need to develop some GOALS for the blog.
5) something else I haven’t thought of yet!
So. I’m going to have a think. Normally I’d keep such thinking private but I’ve decided to share 🙂 AND
I would love to hear your thoughts!
What do you like about my blog?
What do you find interesting?
What do you find less interesting or annoying or things you think I could improve?
If you use flickr, I’d appreciate your thoughts on the pro’s and cons of moving my internet life over there. Do you know of other sites/forums that I should consider?
Any other thoughts or comments you would like to share with me 🙂
(I won’t hold negative comments against you – I promise XX).
If you are uncomfortable leaving a comment here, please email me at littlefishcreations – at – gmail – dot – com
I don't know if people like me would show up anywhere in your stats; I stopped using Bloglines a while back and follow RSS feeds through Mozilla Thunderbird now.
Flickr is nice for the spontaneous conversations that can happen with multiple people there, but it's a constant pain in the arse having to delete creepy comments from fetishists every time you post a new pair of knitted socks. I use Flickr to host all of my blog photos and I love that I pay a low flat rate for the bandwidth, but people tend to comment on the photos more than they visit the blog (so much that I've started putting a "blogged" link under the photos to see if I can get people back into my own space to have those conversations). I think that people in general are less interested in blogs than they used to be.
I do love seeing your projects, though.
I like reading about your projects and life on the other side of the planet from me. I lost you for a while there, but re-subscribed with Bloglines. I vote for blogging whenever and about whatever you feel like!
Hello Claire,
I think that you should keep going with the blog, 5 yrs is a long time in the internet land and i have to admit that i have really enjoyed looking at your blog and the fabulous things that you have created, it feels as though i know what is happening :-)
Perhaps there are lots of us who read your blog yet arent counted as subscribers.
I think that you have created some fabulous things and shared some wonderful experiences.
As Jasper gets older you will no doubt feel that there is a little bit more room in creative headspace.
best wishes
MMK :-)
Hey Claire.
First, I love the lollies... funnily though I was thinking 'old school pacman' when I saw it. Your stitchery is beautiful.
Second... blogs and blogging. Hmmm. I have lots of thoughts. L'll break them up:
a) Readership/comments: I'm a subscriber, I read each post, you're on my blog roll, I love what you do. But you know, I don't comment that much here. There is something about whatever your set-up is that is not very user-friendly for me and my computer, I don't know why! Perhaps that could be other peoples' experiences too? So often, my level of interaction on a blog depends on my ease of finding posts and the comment-leaving process. Once or twice I've tried re-finding a post on your site and not being able to. Maybe it's just me though... I'm a bit dumb like that.
b) Popularity - of course you're not seeking it, but blogging is by nature interactive so it's cool to want some response to your blog! I've noticed something in my one puny year of blogging -lots of bloggers who are popular are so because they are highly interactive and sit on blogs all day, leave comments and follow everyone else!! There are a few blogs which become very popular because they have a well-established cult-like status (eg Meet Me at Mikes); or because they offer incentives like giveaways and tutorials; or because they write regularly and in a consistently appealing style. But your run-of-the-mill blogging mama gets popular by being interactive!
c) Options for increasing interaction (if you decide you actually want to):
From my own experience, here is how things have built up. Like you, I'm not seeking a following for a reason (like selling) but simply for the human contact! First, comments elsewhere are what get the ball rolling and people visiting my blog. Second, joining in a meme like 'my creative space' has brought a sense of community and more readership (though also sometimes more obligation and pressure, which can be hard to balance). Third, having comments sent directly to my email, and taking time to reply to some of them, has increased relationship with others. Perhaps this only works for those who use Blogger and have their emails enabled though. Fourth, offering a tutorial or that sort of thing and finding it on WhipUp means lots of new people visit and some stick around. That was not my intention when I did the thread-sketching thing but I'd had lots of people ask me how I'd done it, so I wrote it up and a fellow-blogger sent the link through to the WhipUp guys.
ANYWAY. Thems are some thoughts. Sorry if it's all a bit much. I find the whole blogging thing a bit funny, frankly it's pretty narcisistic and I really don't want to 'increase my readership' for its own sake, but it makes such a difference to have people actually reading and responding to my creations and thoughts, in fact it spurs me on in my creative endeavours.
Good luck figuring out what you want.
if you want it to work for you than you need to network more as people move from one net format to another. I think your link on face book is a start. Maybe a fan page there will help - it's no extra work, but you can have fans without friends if you get my drift. I have plenty of friends on myspace who just post link blog to their own blog and that's what ill be doing when my web page goes up. You've had 47 read of this blog right now and I don't think thats bad at all.
I love reading your blog bc I feel closer to you but soon you will be closer anyway. It would be a real shame to lose all the work you've already put in and no one would have read your teenage diary but me anyway =D
I find flickr to be the best medium for what I want to accomplish these days. I never blogged for the journaling aspect, I just wanted to share what I was doing creatively. Flickr allows me to post a quick photo of what I've made with all relevant details, it only takes 5 minutes, and I still get comments/feedback from my friends in the craft community. When I realized this, I had no problem letting go of the blog. It served it's purpose for a few years, but I really enjoy flickr now & I don't feel the same pressure I did with blogging. Whatever you decide, I hope to still see you around in some form! I don't often comment on blogs anymore (typically because I read at work & don't always have time), but I still read and enjoy every post!
I would miss your blog, Claire. I've been reading your blog for quite a few years. I probably check in on what you're up to every few weeks. I don't comment on any blogs very much, mostly because I feel a little like a stalker in that when reading personal blogs you do tend to feel as if you are friends with the author because you read about their work/lives when they really don't know you at all :-)
I have always found your artwork interesting, especially your 'industrial' quilts of several years ago. Yours was one of the earlier regular blogs I read when I first started trawling the 'net for arty crafty inspiration. And through your links I have discovered many other interesting artists. I thank you for that!
Whatever you decide to do. Enjoy and good luck!
I read your blog! I don't subscribe though, I just pick it out from my bookmarked list. Is that terribly old-fashioned?! Haven't heard of Google Reader - will need to investigate.
What I like: your embroidery; the linen fabrics (rather envious of them, as I haven't tracked down a good source in London, yet, although Ikea are doing some at £6 per metre); pictures of Jasper (even though I don't like children, so that's quite an achievement!); your monoprints (which I think is how I found your blog in the first place); and the fact that you're generally doing the kind of stuff I'd like to do if I had the time/energy/talent.
I rarely comment on blogs - don't really have anything to say and don't imagine that the blogger would be interested in anything I did say! I usually only come out of lurking if a blogger needs some encouragement (such as now!).
It would be a shame if you stopped blogging but on the other hand it's perfectly understandable that you should want to devote your time and energy to whatever you find most productive. But don't feel unappreciated - I'm sure there are lots of people like me who enjoy your blog but you just don't know about them.
Best wishes for your decision-making!
Please don't stop blogging Claire!!! I know what you're feeling... I go through the same myself... But just know that even though you don't post regularly, I love it when I see that you've posted something new. For me it's not just about the artwork or the crafting, but the lives behind the artists that matters just as much. I love to read news of Jasper and your family, as much as I do your lastest sewing, stitchinng, printing, drawing or what-ever project. I like to see how others create and your posts give me an insight into your creativity and thus inspiration to try something new myself. Several years ago we swapped a bag for a scarf and I still love the bag that you sent me!!! I look forward to see what you decide.
Kind Regards
Sophie - aka Artstitches
yes, i agree with everyone. funny what Katherine wrote about looking into google reader. me too, i don't subscribe and just pick from my bookmarked favorites. Claire, you are on the top of my list!! :D.
i love reading your blog - hearing your thoughts, seeing the wonderful projects you're working on, pictures of cute Jasper, and glimpses into your everyday life. there's just something about you that makes me believe in a world that is good and true whenever i'm here.
i want to see you on flickr too! i think it goes hand in hand with a studio blog so you can easily just sort out the images and organize them however you want. good for also documenting the process of a project or a series of works that you want to archive. these can be linked to your blog for people who want to get more details and such. i'm excited to see what new changes you'll be making here!
i like your blog. i think bologging can be quite a bit of work, depending on your life style. i even think about stopping now and then. i actually deleted my first blog because of similar concerns. i blogged for a year with no comments and just gave up. but i came back!
Claire, being the consumer (not participater) that I am, I do read your blog once in a while and I think it's really cool. Keep up the good work, I don't know how you do it. Psyched to hear that you're moving back to Tassie. We will see you again and get our little boys together! But we're probably not making it down there again until this time next year. Kate.
Hello Claire
I visit your blog often - I have it bookmarked on Delicious. I really enjoy following your projects. I have lived in some of the same places as you and have friends who worked in your current town, so that is extra nice for me as a reader.
I hope you will decide to keep posting your news and talking about your projects after you have a break. I wish you all the best with your relocation.
Rose