I have learned that the commenting system is irritating.
Mineral King sunset photo by Trail Guy
This is the procedure:
1. Click on “Be the first to respond” or “# responses so far”. This is at the bottom of the post.
2. After you type your thoughts and submit or enter (I’m unclear because as the “administrator” of the blog, it doesn’t ask me for this step)
3. It goes to a Spam folder, and then I have to mark it “not spam”. After that, it goes to a pending folder, and then I have to approve it. THEN it appears!
The commenting system isn’t very good. My own replies go to the spam folder and I have to do the process with them too. It also doesn’t give anyone confidence that their remarks have gone through.
Oh, and you might suspect this of me – I correct your typos, and remove anything that I deem too personal for the World Wide Web. (Please feel free to correct my typos too!)
It might be possible for me to change the annoying characteristics of the commenting system. However, my attempts might break the whole blog, so let’s just limp along with the current method for now.
What do you think? Want to try responding to this?
P.S. If you don’t see your comment for awhile, it might mean I am in the Land of No Electricity or Internet. Eventually I’ll catch up with you!
You “MUST” be on Facebook/LinkedIn/GooglePlus/Twitter to be considered a serious promoter of your work.
Oh yeah? Do I really need more time on the computer, with “virtual” friendships?
Are these Giant Sequoias having a water cooler conversation? Four Guardsmen, pencil on paper, 11×14, unframed, $175
I’ve heard that Facebook is like the backyard barbecue, another one whose name I’ve forgotten is like the bar scene, and LinkedIn has been compared to the water cooler.
I chose LinkedIn, because the barbecue is too big and feels like a waste of time, I don’t like bars, and having not worked for big companies, I’m curious about the proverbial water cooler. (Ever seen farmers on the side of the road, their pick-ups side-by-side in opposite directions, windows down as they chat? That’s their water cooler.)
LinkedIn is a bit of a puzzle to this simple rural artist. I haven’t yet concluded if it is helpful, or if it is just another distraction from being in the studio. It takes so much time to follow the links, find people’s websites, examine their work, comment if they have a blog, and for what? Are other artists truly my potential customers? And as a definite regionalist (referring to my subject matter), is anyone outside of my area truly a potential customer? Do these people in Minnesota/Washington/New Jersey care about Mineral King or Sequoia or Wilsonia??
Sure, it is fun to be asked to join people’s networks, and I feel warm and fuzzy to see that I now have 120 connections. But why? I’m not having personal conversations with these folks. I’m not looking for a job, which seems to be the primary function of this virtual water cooler place.
I’m always hoping for sales and for commissions, but doubt if this is going to happen from clicking “Accept Invitation” or “Send Invitation”. And that seems to be the motivation behind every person’s request to join his network. We all want sales – we are in business, and businesses exist to make a profit.
On LinkedIn, I am somewhat active in an Art Business group. So far, I have picked up a few tips, commented occasionally, and enjoyed some good virtual conversation. This is conversation minus body-language and vocal inflections, so who can say how authentic it is??
In Mineral King, we seek authentic conversation with real people, complete with body language and vocal inflections. Sunshine at the Neighbor’s Place, pencil on paper, 11×14, unframed, $175
In this Art Business group there are many beginning artists, seeking answers and help. (Most established artists are too busy working to be spending time talking to strangers on the computer. Yikes, what does this make me?) So many commenters obviously don’t take the time to reread what they have written – the typos almost give me a rash at times. It takes time to weed through the dross.
I pay attention to those who are articulate, friendly, professional and thoughtful. This sometimes causes me to look for their websites, which is a little tricky and time-consuming on LI. (lots of clicking and link following and window opening) Again I ask, “Why?” Is this my version of reality teevee, am I just procrastinating, am I seeking like-minded colleagues or do I just want to find a secret recipe to success by copying the business practices of Someone Who Gets It?
I could buy Linked In For Dummies. If I read it and followed its recommendations, would I begin to sell more work to strangers?
I’d rather be drawing, painting, teaching, or blogging. When I’m not doing those things (i.e. WORKING!), I’d rather be knitting, gardening, reading something, or hanging out in Mineral King.
Yep, hawking those Mineral King tee shirts again. We are calling them Trail Guy Tee Shirts. Cute, yes?
Here is the men’s shirt in action:
This man usually wears a size Large. This is a Large. No problem.
Here is the women’s:
This is a women’s medium, which is the equivalent of a 8-10. This woman usually wears an 8, sometimes a 6. The women’s small is too tight. The medium is sort of roomy. It will shrink and fit exactly right.
We have sold out of Women’s Large. More are on order, and this time we have added Women’s XL, because the women’s run small AND shrink. We’ve had requests for sweatshirts (maybe someday), Children’s tees (probably not), Men’s XXL (yes, coming with the Women’s Large and XL order), white (sorry, we chose these blues), and long sleeved (nope, this is summer).
I am a spelling nut. Typos jump out and slap me between the eyes. (My own don’t – it is a fact that proofreading one’s own work is nearly impossible.) It sometimes feels as if I might have a form of Tourette’s Syndrome, except that I shout “TYPO!” in inappropriate settings instead of swearing.
Come to think of it, “typo” IS four letter word.
I’ve never forgotten the spelling rule “I before E except after C”.
Weird.
Think about that for a bit. I saw it as a pin on Pinterest. Might have been on a tee shirt:
I before E except after C.
Weird.
Now that I’ve shared that little oddment, I can’t remember what I was going to say.
I’m on schedule for the pencil drawings of The Cabins of Wilsonia. Here is a cabin drawing.
This will be a long post. I hope you will savor it, instead of filing it in the category of TLDR*.
The series, My Amazing Friends, began this week with Bob. Let’s continue with Barbara, also of Three Rivers, a gardener extraordinaire.
Barbara grows many plants, knows them all and is best known for her lavender. She is so passionate about her gardens (not just a yard, not just a garden, but GARDENS, plural!) that she works under floodlights at night in order to keep them in order.
Two years ago her lovely grounds were featured in the very first Hidden Gardens Tour of Three Rivers, to benefit the Three Rivers Union School, which is always in peril of closing or being absorbed into the Woodlake School District.
I had the honor and privilege of seeing the place on the official pre-tour, a return visit or two with my camera, and being present with my easel and paints during the official tour.
This year Barbara’s garden will be on the tour again. Tickets are still available, and you will get to see 4 places, including Angelica Huston’s place. Barbara’s will be the best on the tour, in my completely unbiased (harharhar) opinion!
Okay, getting too long, to be continued tomorrow. . .
I love to make stuff, real, usable stuff, things that enhance life both in usefulness and beauty. You can keep your pipe cleaners, glue guns and felt – I want things that function and that last.
I learned that tile can be used in many ways. (I was not kidding when I said I went nutso over this stuff!)
My friend Bill made the table and gave it to me to mosaic. The plan was for me to sell it, and we would all go to dinner. The table didn’t sell, I use it every day, and the restaurant closed. Thanks, Bill!
This drinking fountain is sort of low. So what? It is eminently cool, particularly with its matching stepping stone. Have you accessorized your drinking fountain?
This step had to be tiled twice. Don’t put tile on a rotting item. It doesn’t work. Don’t put a fabulous doormat in front of a tiled step. No one will notice the step. Everyone will notice the doormat. Everyone will ask if you made the doormat. You will have to admit that your friend bought it somewhere for you. Everyone will studiously ignore the step, and you will wonder if it is weird. You will decide that it doesn’t matter, because you love the step.
Would you believe there is more stuff that I have tiled, and more stuff that I have made, and more stuff that I want to make, and more stuff that I have persuaded other people to make for me?
That’s me. A drawing machine. This California artist has reverted to her roots of drawing cabins in pencil.
1. Yesterday I finished Wilsonia cabin drawing #92 and began #93. I try to always have one going on the table when I quit for the day. Then, when I return to the studio, there is no time lost figuring out what to do next. I can figure out the next step while I am drawing whatever is waiting from the previous day.
2. It is good to have close friends about the same size as oneself. Awhile ago, I made a list of things that I live by, including “Never give up the pursuit of the perfect denim skirt”. Because I had the thrill of helping my friend (aka The Captain) clean her closet, I may now own the Perfect Denim skirt. (On the other hand, it might be a weensie bit smallish. . .)
3. Concrete floors are cold; it is good to take slippers to work with me.
Yes, I did make them myself. Thanks for asking!
4. Would you believe my very fragrant paperwhites are blooming and have been throughout our weeklong cold snap? (stop sneering in Minnesota at what passes for cold in California!)
8. I’ve been contemplating the difference between inspiration and motivation. Perhaps there will be a blog post on that someday.
9. The local talk guy mentioned that lots of people are tired of being asked to “join the conversation”, sign up, create an account and a password, become part of a community and comment on blogs. I respect this. I will cease to ask you questions at the end of my blog posts so that I don’t annoy my faithful readers. However, you are most welcome to comment if you have something to say, or email me if you would like to have a private exchange or have a question. Interaction is always welcome. I just write because all that silence all day long means that lots of words and thoughts build up in my head.
This should have a BUY NOW button, but my shopping cart isn’t working and I don’t know if the shopping cart on the website is the same as the shopping cart on the blog and after trying over and over to get it to work with those calendars, I would rather make a paragraph of excuses than try to put a Buy Now button here.
SO! you can use the “Contact the Artist” button if you would like to buy this painting and we can do a little business.
Stop it. I mean SIXTY. Trail Guy turns SIXTY today. I am not making this up. It defies any category on this blog. It boggles the mind. SIXTY used to be old. It isn’t any more.
Is this how sixty-year-olds are supposed to behave?A 59-year-old contemplates matters of consequence, including the upcoming S-word birthday.Trail Guy is not stuck. You or I would be stuck in this situation, but Trail Guy knows how to back up and turn around a trailer in any situation. He’s more than capable, especially at the not so old age of SIXTY.
Whenever I find myself with a little waiting time, spare time, car time, or am procrastinating, I usually knit. Makes sense that an artist who loves to knit would also paint yarn, yes?
Loves Cotton, Loves to Knit, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $100
