life and blogs
April 29, 2008
- putting on a poncho and scrubbing the outside of the house in the rain
- teaching two four year olds how to do a cartwheel
- them teaching me how to pretend to roll down hill on a flat surface
- saying goodbye to my brother and alison, who left for Indiana yesterday
- sitting out on the front porch with a sketchbook, coffee, and my favorite incense
- purchasing a chartreuse and white striped scarf just to try something new
- celebrating the downpour because of a new rain barrel
- noticing the miniscule bubbles in a dark beer
- seeing stars on the ground
- chinese food picnic on the floor
- expecting the safety net to eventually appear
- reading reading reading
- looking for a new bicycle on freecycle.org
My life in list form, over the past several days…
I have been thinking about taking a blog sabbatical lately. Wondering what I am contributing to this world wide web. Is it different? Is it worth anything? Am I just babbling here? I have been spending so much time outside lately and when I come back to the computer, I see so much overlap. So many good thoughts happening, sure. But there are just SO many out there now, and I’m wondering if I’m just lopping one more onto that pile.
I started blogging as a way to record my thoughts and my own artistic and human journey. I think along the way I got a little lost. I started comparing and seeking, rather than spilling my own truth. Or maybe I didn’t and that’s just how I perceive it now. And maybe that was just part of my process to get to an even more honest space. Maybe I am not supposed to judge it. (My new mantra lately has been : “don’t judge. don’t judge. don’t judge.”)
Once again I have been looking deep down to see what kind of life I want to lead. And I wonder if blogging fits into that. One one hand, I love having this digital record. It’s really cool to look back through the archives and see where I was three years ago and how much I’ve changed… growing up into myself and in my art. And I love the community aspect… getting to know you all in this medium.
On the other hand, I keep an analog journal for myself and maybe that’s enough. I also wonder what would happen to my career. Does blogging even affect it? Do I need it as a tool to help me connect with work? Does it help (indirectly) keep a roof over my head?
Perhaps I am just in a funk with it now. I actually feel a weight lifted by just writing this and hitting publish. (I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about this…) Maybe just saying admitting this out loud to myself and to you has helped chip away at the funk.
And oddly, an email just chimed in from a reader who recommended a book to me, based on what she’s been reading on my blog. A book I already own, strangely enough. So maybe she just delivered a sign that this blog, my truth, is doing putting some good into the world… and giving some back. Or maybe I should just read that book. :)
April 29th, 2008 at 9:37 am
i hope you keep blogging, but of course you should do whatever is best for you. Your blog is so positive and inspiring, that it’s had an impact on me. Much happiness to you in whatever you do!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:55 am
[...] penelope Share [...]
April 29th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Last year I took six months off from blogging myself, and while it was the break I needed, I was VERY happy to get back to it. I just enjoy putting my own little bit of creativity out into the world. Even if no one other than my parents read it, that’s fine. But I will say that yours is one of the first blogs I started reading years ago and I just love it. Your perspective is refreshing and inspiring and your sense of humor is whip-smart. I would totally understand if you wanted to take a break, but I hope that you don’t because I truly enjoy reading your stuff.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Hmmm. Don´t stop. Please!
Well, you know, stop it if you want, of course. It´s just that I celebrate whenever I get a post from you on my reader.
I can relate to the “comparison” thing you mentioned but then I remember Colin´s wise words I read in your blog: “don´t compare your insides to someone´s outsides” and it helps me understand that you can choose which of your face´s you wish to show in your blog.
That´s why i love reading yours: I´m sure you choose what you want to publish as well, but you sure show your weaknesses and down points as well as successes and upper points. The thing is: reading about them just makes me feel connected to someone, and that´s been a life saver since I started to work at home, a continent apart from my clients, my friends, my city and my habits.
So, if you want to stop, do it and enjoy it. I´ll surely miss it, though!!!
Happy week and enjoy yourself!
April 29th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Ohhhh I hope you don’t stop! I visit almost everyday to read it. It’s inspiring and grounding. Of course you should do what feels right for you. You would be greatly missed -that’s for sure!
April 29th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I would miss your blog if you stopped posting. But yes, you must do whatever is best for you. Truly. x
April 29th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Do what you have to do, but I hope you don’t stop blogging. I see a lot of similarities between the way I think and they way you write and it’s been a comfort on more than one occasion. That aside, your blog is so refreshing and inspiring, I feel good when I read it. It’s become part of my morning ritual - check email, read Penelope’s blog.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I think you should follow your gut. (Or sometimes it seems like the scariest thing is the best, to me at least). You’ll figure it out.
Either way, I love your work and would miss not seeing it. However, there is always flickr! If you decide to leave and come back, so will your fans :) Be well.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
you have to do what you can do. i have been thinking seriously about the blog sabbatical, too. just pray on it and the answer will come.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I totally get it. Maybe a sabbatical would break some habits (speaking from experience of obsessively checking for inspiration). It’d be like not having a tv… less filling of the brain with randomness. I would of course miss you, but hopefully people come back after sabbaticals? I’m at a place where I really try to check in if I’m blogging for others or myself and try not to do it if for others. And that said, I do use it to get the word out about shows, etc. in a fell swoop. Oh Penny, I hope I’m not just adding more incessant chatter;)
April 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
you put wonderful things out into blog land and i am thankful for that. i would totally understand if you stopped for personal reasons, but please don’t ever do it because of what you write and share here. it is always wonderful. i appreciate your honesty and your insight into the process of creating. i love seeing what you are creating. it is an inspiration and a joy. i enjoy all of it and i am very thankful that i can share in it- even if in a small way.
thank you,
jen
April 29th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Hi Penelope, you don’t know me, but found your blog about a year ago, after Googling “Illustration” one day. It was during a time when I was deeply dissatisfied with my day job, and was exploring new career options. Since that day, I have:
-read your blog almost daily
-found other great sites through yours
-purchased work of yours(’Sweeping Time’ print for my kitchen from Little Paper Planes, thanks!)
-purchased work from people who are linked directly to your site
-I have been inspired to actively take up painting and sketching again
-I have felt inspired to perservere with my art despite those times when I feel like what I’ve created isn’t very good, and have learned that it’s precisely when I decide to perservere that some of the best work comes.
-I have enjoyed your humor and wit, and have felt comforted knowing that there are like-minded folks out there.
I’m just one person. So I’m pretty certain that your blogging has a positive effect on the world at large, and likely for your career too ;)
All that aside, I encourage you to do exactly what your insides tell you to do, and wish you much happiness with whatever you decide.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share so much on your blog. I’m in the process of making that jump from the design firm realm to the solo illustrator/designer and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come to your blog for inspiration and more importantly courage to keep at this big unknown. Will miss you if you decide to take a break but by all means do what’s right for you. Take care.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
“I’m wondering if I’m just lopping one more onto that pile”…
I’ve always thought of your blog as being at the bottom of the pile (not in a bad way), but as a foundation, holding the rest of the pile up.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I always come for inspiration and to see where your exploration of the world takes you. I appreciate what you share.
So I hope you don’t stop - it makes a difference to me. It helps me feel not so isolated. But you need to do what feels right to you and I wish you the best!
April 29th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
your blog does amazing things for the world. but I definitely believe in taking breaks– I have taken six weeks (my version of the “european vacation” minus Chevy Chase, obvs) every summer since I began–
I think your ambivalence reflects big changes going on with you– the blog may or may not fit at the end of the changes, but I sure hope it does. (Though I understand if it doesn’t– you get full support either way! HA.)
April 29th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
All I can do is tell you about me to give you perspective as you try to make your decision.
1) I don’t blog because I prefer to be a bit more private but I enjoy reading other’s blogs. Go figure that one out . . .
2) Your blog is one of my favorites because it often has such a positive spin, even when you’re struggling.
3) Your “good things” lists are some of my favorite posts. They remind me to look again at the small things and they spread a little joy in the world.
4) I don’t want you to do anything that is not the best for you because of some sense of obligation to me, a stranger. Take care of yourself.
Best wishes to you.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I just wanted to say thank you all for the support either way and for your kind words. I am blown away and actually a bit surprised. I appreciate the perspective for sure. Sometimes it feels like putting it out there into a void. Which is both good and bad, you know?
Anyway. Thank you all.
blessings…
April 29th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Penelope, There’s not much I can add to what everyone else has said here… Of course you have to do what feels best for you. The internet is a funny thing - I’ve never met you, but I find myself thinking of you as my friend. You’ve become someone I can check in with when I need perspective or inspiration. Your blog has pushed me to take risks in my art, and live my life more fully. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.
What ever you choose to do, thank you for sharing your life and art with us all this time.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
P -
I really enjoy reading your blog, and following you along on your creative journeys. I draw a great deal of inspiration from both your work and your words, and would feel a bit of a void if you weren’t around “Blogland” anymore.
On the other hand, I can certainly understand the need to step back and take a break from it all for awhile. It may give you some perspective and help you re-assess things and clear your mind some. Do whatever is best for YOU! (But don’t leave.) ;- )
Warm and uplifting wishes,
Kim O.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I´m sure that you will do the best thing for you=), I´ll be waiting for your blogging comeback because you are one of my favorite illustrators and bloggers and I can´t thank you enough for all the inspiration and help you have provided me through your posts and work:)
Ariadna
April 29th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I love your blog, too, and would miss it if you stopped. I recently deleted most of my long list of favorite blogs because I felt overwhelmed and like I needed to spend more time on my own life rather than reading about others. But your blog is one of the few I kept. It is so inspiring to have a peak into the world/thoughts/art of an award winning illustrator.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:00 am
I love your blog because you are real and honest and true…but you’ve got to do whatever feels right for you. Take time away if that’s what you need but know that some of us will be here when you do want to write or post your art or whatever you want it to be. xo
April 30th, 2008 at 5:21 am
My experience is close to Annie’s above. On the professional front - I have purchased your work (it is in my office so I see it everyday); I’ve also purchased work from other artists from galleries & links from your site.
On the personal side, inspired by you, my husband & I have made our life goal lists and put together plans to reach them. We’ve also put together boards of inspiring things (in our bathroom - again, see it everyday) to keep it in the forefront.
If you do take a blog break, I wish you the very best and thank you!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I do love your blog so much. It’s honest and real. There are so many blogs out there that make life look perfect. Something that readers could never achieve. I love being able to read about your ups and downs and not feel alone in the realness of that! It has made a difference to me.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Everyone else has said it all, but I want to reiterate: your blog is something special, and it does offer something different from all the rest. I, too, have deleted most of my regular reads because they became too much of a time-suck. But your honesty about your experiences reminds me to pause and reflect on how I want to approach my life and work. It’s an important touchstone for me!
If you need a break, take it. But know that you will be missed.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I just wanted to say how much I love your blog. I so appreciate your authenticity and the joy that you spread in the world. I believe you have an original voice in the “blog world”, but I totally support breaks too. The great thing is that you can always change your mind at anytime too!
May 1st, 2008 at 5:54 am
i’ll miss you, but have a lovely sabbatical!
May 1st, 2008 at 1:21 pm
luv it here!
May 1st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Enjoy, relax and breathe…see you next month!
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 am
rock on sweet heart…
just follow where your spirit calls you to, it will take you where you need to go…
that’s what i believe in :)
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
Hi Penny! Funny I consider you an “internet friend too!” And here is a “weighty” addition. I found Alison and Tom’s blogs thru your blog and I have been praying for Alison’s full recovery to health for about a year now. When I wake up and night and can’t get back to sleep, I say “Well, you’re up, pray for Alison…!” So it is always good to know God is using you and after reading all the above posts, He certainly is! That doesn’t mean you can’t be used without “electronics”, ha! This blog journey for you has affirmed that you are indeed very useful to the universe-that is awesome! So whatever you do-You go girl!
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I love your blog but I understand the need for a break. I just took down one of my blogs to focus on the two I already have….
Namaste:)
May 10th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Hello,
I don’t know, what’s best for you, but I would just like to tell you, that your blog inspired me the last 3 years and I respect and admire your honesty you show here.
Thank you for that and I hope you go on writing or better: I hope you find out, what makes you feel happy and satisfied.
all the best from Cologne!
Claude
May 12th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Do what you love. I’ve been experiencing a similar state of mind lately and think it’s good to take a look at priorities. Reconsidering is a good thing. If you decided to continue, you’ll have a newer perspective on why.
All Good Wishes,
Susan (vincent)
May 16th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
thinking of you and sending you much love and support for whatever feels right in your heart.
it sounds like you’re very in touch with those things.
(love that you brought incense outside with coffee…).
xoxo
May 21st, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I think it is terribly easy to feel like we have to be available in certain ways, particularly with blogging. I sometimes have to remind myself the world isn’t waiting on eggshells for my next blog entry (an understatement!) If your gut tells you to take a break, I say sign off or a while and see how it feels!!
May 25th, 2008 at 12:11 am
I have similar thoughts daily. And I have taken many breaks… But for you.. And for us (of course:P) please don’t stop writing. I’ll even comment more often ~ Promise! What we all need to stop is comparing… xo
May 27th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Hi Penelope,
I just wanted to say that I have been so inspired by you, and have related to you in so many ways. I’m glad you have been here, and have loved reading your words. This ones a little late…I see your new post..you have decided to break. YAY for you, we all need a break now and then! Take it easy!
Jen