Inspirations

Being relatively new to blogging, I find myself continually checking out other peoples blogs to see what they are talking about, what they're into, what they are reading, listening to, learning about. Of course, I have a number of favorite bloggers whom I visit on a regular basis, like Ornamental, Nina Bagley's blog. She is inspired by nature - sea glass, rocks, found objects - an artist of jewelry and mixed media pieces, yet it is her eloquent writing style that brings me back to her time and time again, to find out about the life she has carved out for herself and her dog, Aspen, on Firefly Road. (OK, I do have a life, for those of you who think I am far too knowledgeable about perfect strangers! But you see, when you read their blogs you start to know them, befriend them, wonder about them. And, it is part of my job to keep my finger on the pulse of artisans and crafters for new and wonderful ideas.) A new favorite blog is Stephanie Lee's. I took a class from her at Art & Soul, which inspired me to get into metalsmithing. (I still haven't actually made anything yet - lack of personal artistic time - but I did send my husband to the hardware store to buy me a torch.) She lives in the mountains in Oregon and is a mixed media and metalsmithing artist as well. I love how she tells you what music she is listening to at any given moment and then gives you the link so you can hear it, too. Reading blogs can be as soothing and escape-laden as reading a good book that you never have to finish. I actually start missing these women when they don't blog for a few days. Usually they are traveling toward a new adventure, holding out the promise of a good story when they return.

Another favorite blog is Jennifer Perkin's, Naughty Secretary Club. Now that girl is a faithful blogger. She is connected to everyone, everywhere, and has her finger in every artistic pie that appeals to her indie leanings. She is as real as it gets ...and I never pine for her because she is a blogging maniac! Me? I write this blog for my company. It is obviously about trends, but sometimes I like to use it as an online diary of my personal experiences. It keeps it real. I try to blog at least once a week, sometimes more, depends on my workload. I love blogging - it's therapeutic. Maybe someday someone will pine for my writings..........