My folks flew home yesterday after being in town for a few days so my dad could attend a conference. Since my mom is retired now, she gets to come with him on some of his business trips & his meetings in Vancouver were the perfect opportunity for us all to have a visit. My sister and her boys came up from Seattle too. It was a little hectic for my brain that’s used to long hours of solitude where I can sit and paint, not listen to 9 conversations all happening at the same time, but it was good. I mean really…just look at that kid! How could you resist doing *anything* he asks? He bats those long lashes of his and I’m putty in his sticky, cootie-encrusted hands. Yes, of course you can have another piggyback ride! I’ll just make a quick phone call to my chiropractor first, OK?
Being caught up in a whirlwind of family time, the boy’s hockey games and managing to squeeze in a little painting has left little time for blogging, and I have to admit I felt guilty leaving you with such a negative Nellie post. It’s not that I think my blog (or any blog, for that matter) should be all hearts and flowers. Though I do prefer reading people who are inspiring and happy and motivated, it starts to feel a tad unrealistic when that’s the only face ever presented to the world. Sure, this is a business and you should be professional, but you should also be human. We all have bad days and I think sharing some of that stuff – fears, insecurities, stress – gives your readers a chance to connect with you as a real (and imperfect) person.That being said, let’s not confuse sharing some of our less than shiny happy moments with dumping a pile of dirty laundry in each post, leaving the general public to sort through your unmentionables.
I wanted to come back and say that even though I’d had a crappy day, it ended in the loveliest of ways; I got an email from someone who had been following my work here and was inspired to start her own shop. It had been something she’d thought about doing for a long time, but had never quite gotten up the courage. I was so thrilled to see someone else dipping her toe in the waters of becoming a “real” (ie. paid) artist and to think I had even the slightest effect in encouraging her to go for it? Let’s just say I was doing a happy dance around my office. 🙂
The funny thing is…I always seem to have time to sit down and write a negative blog post because afterwards? I always feel better! Writing is incredibly cathartic for me and writing here feels like I’m chatting with an old friend. So when I’m feeling a little down, it’s a lot easier to shuffle BLOG POST to the top of my To Do List.
When things are sunny and I’m happily working away, I still want to share, of course, especially when I have good news or a new painting, but it’s just one of those things I’d *like* to do. There isn’t a huge insistent need the way there is when things aren’t going so smoothly. No wonder I see so many blogs (and LiveJournals…holy cats!) that seem…well, depressing. That person isn’t necessarily depressed 24/7; there’s a good chance that blog is NOT a representative sample of what his or her life is really like.
For me, I hope that the way I write truly is an honest representation of what I’m like in real life. I hope that when I meet someone who’s read my blog for a while, they feel like they know me already and they’re just putting a real world face to the words. I’m probably a bit more socially awkward IRL. I’m sure I stumble over my words more when I don’t have the luxury of a backspace key, but I think (I hope) that what you read is what you get. And some days you may get a cranky kgb. (Give her some chocolate. That always works.)
