So I started a blog...
I don't know if you've noticed this, but social media? Kinda sucks these days. There's bots and ads and rude people, and now that gotdang AI slop everywhere. As much as I'd like to throw my phone into the sea and never return to this hellhole, it's not really an option. As is true for many working artists, I've basically built my career via connections made on the internet. Plus there's all these "cherished friendships" I've made over the years, which I guess have value too. So what to do?
Many of my colleagues have started up newsletters as a solution to the fracturing digital landscape. Good way to keep people aware of your and your work's existence. I tried doing my own newsletter before, and then the site I was using for it shut down. :P But recently, I saw someone talking about starting a blog as an alternative option, and I thought that was a great idea.
So I started a blog.
What can you expect to see here? Well, updates on my work for starters; new book releases and announcements (I know y'all are eagerly anticipating the reveal of my secret project) as well as any upcoming conventions or signings. Of course I'll share art too, WIPs and sketches and finished pieces, whatever sings. And occasionally, some rants and ramblings, which you are welcome to skip. (I totally understand)
I chose this particular blogging site (mataroa) because it seems to value privacy, a rarity on the current internet. It doesn't have any ads or cookies or trackers or bots or SEO or data collection of any kind. Plus they donate 5% of their revenue toward CO2 removal, which I think is a very good thing to do. AND they don't tolerate hateful content, no nazis allowed (substack, take note). All sounds good to me.
If it sounds good to you, you can hit that little subscribe button at the bottom. I probably will forget this exists for a while, so it's unlikely that you'll get spammed by posts from me.
So... I guess this is the inaugural blog post, eh? Probably should share something more worthwhile than just talking about the blog itself. Hm...
Oh! The other day, the wife and I saw the dried up husk of a monarch butterfly chrysalis on one of the milkweeds we planted this year (grown from seed even!) Definitive proof that our efforts to attract pollinators to the garden have not been in vain.
+1 butterfly to the world. :)
