I'm not talking about saying goodbye to physical places, but rather, to online places. This will be my last post here. Blogger was really my first online "home", and of course, it seems a bit sad to leave it. Here, I shared many aspects of my life, both professional...
and personal...
I shared new work...
and work in progress.
I shared my thoughts, hopes, and dreams...
...and always, my inspiration.
Most importantly, I met other bloggers and became part of a large and very supportive online community. I'm proud to now call many of the people I met here my dear friends, even if we've never met in person.
When I first began the "re-launch" of my art career, I felt alone, scared, and very unsure of myself and my work. These kind and generous people have supported and encouraged me, cheered my successes, and been a virtual shoulder to cry on when times were hard. I have learned so much from them, and will always be grateful. I have watched them struggle and succeed, and tried to be there for them as they were for me. The importance of listening can never be overestimated. It's been a wonderful experience, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that blogging opened a new world for me. That new world includes selling art online through my website, enjoying the work of and learning from so many incredibly talented and inspiring artists, and becoming part of the new social media world.
I have spent a lot of time over the summer building a new website and blog from scratch. I started by researching for quite a while, until I felt I'd settled on the best course of action. I had virtually no web development experience, and I have no idea why I thought I could do this. It turned out to be more of a learning curve than I had ever imagined, and I came up against many brick walls, where I had to call for help, back up and start over again with some aspects, and change my so-well-laid plans. Often I felt utterly frustrated. I want to thank Megan for her expert help, without which I could not have done it.
Change, as they say, is good. (Or at least, unavoidable!) So, I will be moving to a new blog and website, which I very much hope you'll visit and enjoy. I have also added a print on demand shop on ArtPal.com, and I will be adding new work to those sites often. This blog will be here as an archive; feel free to come back and browse whenever you like. Most of the content here is still relevant, and hopefully remains helpful or interesting for some time to come.
And finally, it seems I have gotten the timing right for once; tomorrow morning at 11:28, we mark the winter solstice. On this day, the sun travels the shortest path through the sky, giving us the least daylight and the longest night. There are many traditions and much spiritual significance associated with this day, not the least of which is setting new intentions or making resolutions - looking forward to growth at the first turning toward the light.
I'm very grateful to all those who followed me here at True Adventures of an Art Addict, and hope you will follow my new blog as well. Blessings to you all, my friends; I look forward to seeing you at the new place! Happy Solstice!
