Artist Blogs (that deal more with process, less with monetization)?

[StephKunze]

I have an artist blog (using Wordpress) that I keep for fun to document my art practice and motivate me to finish what I start. I've been feeling a desire to track down some other artist blogs (that are also using Wordpress) to follow. I particularly want to follow artist blogs that are also more personal and casual in nature. I've done some Google searching and have struggled to find blogs like this. Most artist blogs I'm finding are just still websites. Others appear to be monetized and existing primarily to grow the artist's business through marketing and paid subscription.

Does anyone know of some artist blogs (particularly ones using Wordpress) where the artist simply goes into detail about their creative process and inspirations? And documents their journey through time on that? How popular the blog is irrelevant - I just want something I can read that feels more personal and casual.

 

[Artyczar]

You seem to be describing my blog: ayin.blog

I also have a friend, Gregg, who has a blog that features his process and thoughts (depending), but he uses Blogspot.

 

[Bartc]

Not sure if mine fits your bill: https://bartsart.weebly.com/blog

 

[txomsy]

Sorry, but I fail to see what is so difficult about using google with e.g. the keywords wordpress art journey, maybe adding blog.

I know it doesn't sound nice and duly apologize, but, pray, what is so difficult about it? I just can't understand it.

 

[StephKunze]

Artcyzar and Bartc, thank you so much for sharing! This is exactly what I was looking for and I am excited to read through these.

And txomsy, I'm feeling embarrassed to say this but I didn't think of using specific keywords. I was typing in art blog, artist blogs, artist journals, Wordpress art blog, that sort. That explains why I got what I got, lol. I wrote this post in a flash of frustration after not being able to find what I'd been looking for and just feeing general frustration about the internet. In hindsight I see it was lazy of me but I hoped maybe posting my question here would fast track my search in finding blogs to follow. Understood, though, I'll play around with keywords and I'm sure I'll find what I am looking for!

 

[Jo Castillo]

When you find a blog you like you can check out their links and the artists that comment. I follow over 100 blogs with a blog reader so I see when the artist posts, I don’t have to check each one individually. I don’t do much other social media. No ads on the blogs I follow.

 

[Artyczar]

I'm glad you've been checking out my blog and subscribed, Steph. Thank you.

Txomsy, what is your name, by the way? I find myself having to look at your name a lot and keep the spelling straight. I also think your tone is pretty crappy. I don't think of the correct keywords when Googling stuff myself. Sometimes you're on a mission, but can't quite make it super specific and get the results you're looking for. I'm glad you know just the right exact words to Google when looking for something. It shows how much better you are than others.

 

[txomsy]

Sorry (again) if it sounded too harsh. I knew and already acknowledged it and apologized.

No, I do not consider myself any better than anyone. I can understand when it gets difficult to find something. I read sometime ago about the Google algorithm: seems they keep track both of your previous searches and what links you followed to decide how to tune their answers the next time you search. That means that whenever one looks for something new, their system is confused and returns pretty generic answers and takes some time (maybe one-two weeks) to learn what you are looking for and start giving useful results. The moral is, whenever searching something new, one has to be as specific as possible.

I have similar problems to yours every day. Got used to search for one keyword and get what I wanted, then searched for something new with one word and did not get anything. You see, not any smarter at all. I keep failing again and again. If anything, even dumber than everyone else. Only, when I fail, I try again with more words.

Which is why I can't understand why others cannot try again. Specially since it is easier to enter a new search than jumping to a new window, typing a URL, logging in to a forum or social site, opening a new thread and writing a long explanation to ask others to do it for me. Before getting at that I prefer to explain to the search engine first. You see, not only am I dumber, but I am also a lot lazier than almost everyone else, it seems.

 

[Hermes2020]

I find that AI-based searches instead of the traditional search engines usually give me results with more meat. My current favourite is Perplexity:

https://www.perplexity.ai

Here is what Perplexity came up with when I told it to search "Wordpress art blog":

Wordpress art blog​

Examples of WordPress Art Blogs​

• Creative Artworks Blog: Focuses on handcrafted art, including metal critters and mailbox decorations, with posts about why the artist loves blogging and buying handmade art1.
• My Art Journey: A blog dedicated to learning and sharing art creation skills, offering practical tips like maintaining a daily art practice, carrying sketchbooks, and practicing fundamentals even with limited time2.
• Unbound Creativity: A WordPress.com feature highlighting diverse art blogs ranging from photography, digital art, oil painting, street art, to conceptual art. It includes blogs like rabirius (photography and digital collage), anitamillerart (oil painting with bold colors), and TOKIDOKI (street art photography). These blogs use WordPress themes that emphasize visual presentation and storytelling3.
• Art and Lifestyle Blog (ArtLife): Shares personal experiences with creative blocks and offers advice on overcoming them, including using prompts and maintaining a regular art routine6.
• Artist Blogs and Art Links by Ruth Bailey: A curated list of artist blogs and websites, providing a resource for discovering more art-related content on WordPress5.

Features of WordPress for Art Blogs​

WordPress.com offers customizable themes that are well-suited for art blogs, such as:

• Ryu: A minimalist, full-width image post format ideal for showcasing large images.
• Truly Minimal: Provides ample white space to let artwork and commentary coexist without distraction.
• Forever: Used for long streams of images, suitable for street art or photography blogs.
• Twenty Ten: A sparse theme that amplifies the impact of visual storytelling.

These themes help artists highlight their work effectively, whether through galleries, behind-the-scenes process posts, or thematic storytelling3.

Tips for Running a Successful Art Blog on WordPress​

• Regular Posting: Consistency helps build an audience; some bloggers post multiple times a week with varied content like art tips, reviews, and personal reflections6.
• Use Prompts and Challenges: Engaging with daily or monthly art prompts can help overcome creative blocks and keep content fresh6.
• Show Process and Story: Sharing sketches, works-in-progress, and the story behind artworks can deepen audience engagement3.
• Leverage WordPress Features: Utilize galleries, custom headers, and sidebar widgets to enhance the visual appeal and navigation of your blog3.

Summary​

WordPress.com is a vibrant platform for art blogging, supporting a wide range of artistic styles and approaches. Whether you want to share your daily sketches, document your artistic journey, or showcase finished pieces, WordPress offers flexible themes and community features to help you connect with fellow art enthusiasts and grow your audience. Exploring existing art blogs on WordPress can provide inspiration and practical ideas for your own art blog1236.

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What are some creative prompts to inspire my art posts


Here is the link to the page with those results:

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/wordpress-art-blog-Pu_Ao7cTSxq0GD70nv4jyQ

 

[Artyczar]

Sorry (again) if it sounded too harsh. I knew and already acknowledged it and apologized.

No problem.

I read sometime ago about the Google algorithm: seems they keep track both of your previous searches and what links you followed to decide how to tune their answers the next time you search. That means that whenever one looks for something new, their system is confused and returns pretty generic answers and takes some time (maybe one-two weeks) to learn what you are looking for and start giving useful results. The moral is, whenever searching something new, one has to be as specific as possible.

Yes, being very specific will get you better search results, but it's not exactly true that Google gets "confused" and then it spits out generic results. No one knows exactly how Google's algorithm works. You'd have to work at Google and be a programmer for its algorithm to know. These are highly trade secrets specific to Google. They change and fine-tune how relevant the results will be constantly, and they never spit out anything that's "generic." It's true they know what you've been searching for in the past because of your IP. It's always tracking you, even if you log out and use a different window, etc. If you're using the same computer from your house, it will always know. The other thing is that it doesn't take one or two weeks for it to learn what you're searching for. It can be a minute, an hour, or maybe a day. The moral, like you said, is to be as specific as possible, but there's not really a wait in order to search for something "new" since you're never a "new" user unless you log out and search from a different location altogether.

Google's main goal is relevancy regarding search results. They work very hard to do just that.

 

[StephKunze]

Jo Castillo, thanks for the tip! Yes, I'm looking to subscribe to blogs so the updates go right to my email. I used to have something like that a long time ago with blogspot, but then things shifted towards social media. Generally I prefer reading more in depth posts. That's why I appreciate this community so much, there is more depth in what is being shared. Also, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to check out your blog and followers!

Haha, I've asked my own ChatGPT to give me blogs, Hermes2020. Most of them were out of date, but again I'll just need to be persistent. Thank you for sharing this!

Artyczar, of course! No problem. It was fun to see your work and read about it more in detail. I'm looking forward to seeing and reading more

txomsy, I understand where you're coming from, no worries. Thanks for sharing. I've found this forum to often be about sharing your art journey with others, so I thought there might be some value in asking. In the moment I made this post, I believed asking here would be more productive than continuing to search. And in a way it has been since I've already been given some helpful resources and insights by the people here (including you).