Original Impulse Blog

Blog Triage Graduates Enjoy Healthy Blogs

 

On Friday, my co-blog doc and I wrapped up our third cycle of our popular Blog Triage class. This intensive blogging course for artists is so much fun. 

We checked everyone out of blog surgery and a few patients even won our private Bloggy Award, given to those who can check out with 20 out of 27 Vital Blog Stats. 

Congratulations to all the blogging artists from Blog Triage!

Heidi, Altadena, Lorraine, France

Teresa Beyer, Prescott, Arizona

Julie Blackman, Portland, Oregon

Jamie Bolane, Boulder, Colorado

Lynn Bridge, Austin, Texas

Neil Corman, Denver, Colorado

Iona Drozda, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Jennifer Libby Fay, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Dora Ficher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Catherine Foster, Poulsbo

Lynn Fraley, Boise, Idaho

Lanie Frick, Licking, Missouri

Kristen Gilje, Bellingham, Washington

Tracey Hewitt, Queensland, Australia

Amy Hillenbrand, Austin, Texas

Hannah Klaus Hunter, Davis, California

Claudine Intner, Annapolis, Maryland

Sara Jane, Los Angeles, California

Kadira Jennings, Gosford NSW, Australia

Valerie Jones, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Jaime Lyerly, San Diego, California

Karen McLain, Apache Junction, Arizona

Meg Mitchell, Ontario, Canada

Carol L. Myers, Indianapolis, Indiana

Liza Myers, Brandon, Vermont

Susan Nash, Ohio

Joyita Neerkaje, Norwich, Connecticut

Hannah Phelps, New Boston, New Hampshire

Rebecca Stahr, Grayslake, Illinois

Ann Turpin Thayer, Phoenix, Arizona

Deb Trotter, Cody, Wyoming

Eve Wheeler, Newberry, Florida

Artists and Writers: Enrich Your Creativity by Blogging

Blog from anywhere! Here I am blogging from Panama.

Blogging is a great way to add zest to your creative life. I can count at least ten ways blogging will bring your creativity to new levels. Blogging:

   1. helps you focus your writing. Finding a good angle and pontificating on it in 500 words offers excellent writing practice.

   2. offers a great way to develop your visual intelligence. I've been challenged to find photos that represent the topic and graphics that get my point across visually.

   3. is great conversation starter.

   4. invites your authentic voice out into the public and gives you a forum for your passion.

   5. keeps you alert to new ideas and concepts.

   6. connects you to a creative community of peers.

   7. allows you to develop content and ideas for products and books.

   8. fosters the opportunity to share links and resources that you love.

   9. gives you a deadline for completing art and writing.

  10. is FUN and fun always stimulates your creativity.

If you are considering blogging, I highly recommend it. I also can recommend resources for better blogging. These are affiliate links. I only recommend products I have used and can completely rave about to you. 

If you're considering launching a new blog, Beth Hayden of Blogging with Beth has resources to help get you past the technological hurdles so you're up and blogging in no time. Check out her Quick Start Blogging Guide.

Perhaps you've already got a blog and it's languishing. Darren Rowse of ProBlogger has written an excellent book, 31 Days to Better Blogging. I think this would be a good resource if you're just starting or want to revive a wimpy blog. Great value for the price.

If you're a artist who has an existing blog and need help keeping the pulse of your blog steady, consider my upcoming online blogging class, Blog Triage for Artists with Alyson Stanfield.

While the other resources are products you can buy and use yourself, this class will give you an online classroom where you can interact with two veteran blogging teachers and a group of peer artists.

The next Blog Triage class starts on April 7th. Register now to reserve your spot; we only take 30 students!

For bloggers who are ready to earn money from their blogging efforts, check out Yaro Starek's Blogging Mastermind Group. I took this a few years ago and got great value about how to make the most of my blogging.

 

I also offer one-one consultations for people who want to do blogging well, and these sessions can save you tons of time. I help you focus your message and provide tons of resources and suggestions for publishing a winning blog.

How does blogging enhance your creativity? Share your creative boons in a comment below.

Space Out and Increase Your Readership

Plenty of space in the Swiss countryside, as seen by train

Writers of the blogosphere, it’s time to space out a bit. No, I don’t mean drift away from the computer and wander around either in mind or body.

I mean get some space in your words.

Leave white space to make reading online easier.

When I teach the Blog Triage class with Alyson Stanfield, I have to remind students that online publishing needs to look very different than publishing on paper.

Paragraphs need to be much shorter. We crave more white space that makes us want to stay rather than flee when we see a block of text.

When people read online, they’re likely to start by scanning, rather than settling in to read your blog post. Make it easy for them to stay with these tips.

•    Try to keep your paragraphs to two sentences or less. That’s right, two.

•    Make sure to vary your sentence structure, alternating short and long sentences.

•    Use bold to emphasize points you want to make clear.

•    Use a larger font than you think you need.

I can almost guarantee your visitors will stay on your blog longer if you make these simple style changes.

While this change may seem simple, it’s not always easy to implement. I’ve been working on this for months and sometimes I forget to space out.


There’s a lot more to say about writing and posting great blog entries. If you want the whole shebang, sign up for the upcoming Blog Triage class, beginning April 7th.

There’s also more to say about the need for space in our creativity, our work, our relationships. I’ll just leave you with a coaching question:

Where else can you use space in your life this week, and what will you do to get it?

Be the Blogger You Want to Be

When I first began writing regularly in 1994, I’d sit at my typewriter, developing ideas for articles, hoping someday an editor would accept my writing, publish it, and pay me.

Fast forward eleven years. It’s 2005 and I begin blogging. I’m at my laptop composing articles and bing! the next thing you know, I’m publishing them myself. 

I love the blogosphere for the opportunities it offers to anyone who wants to write. Whether you’re ready to launch a public blog or just want to use a blog as a structure to help develop your writing practice, blogging is a powerful path to finding your writing rhythm, subject and audience.


The way things move these days, there’s always something new on the blog scene. I follow Darren Rowse of Problogger, who’s an authority on blogging effectively.

I bought a copy of his 31 Days to a Better Blog. This e-book provides a path to publishing a blog that will actually meet your goals, whether you’re blogging for personal or professional reasons.

I love the day-by-day approach. I love the examples Darren gives and the encouraging tone. While there’s tons of information in 31 Days to a Better Blog, I feel inspired rather than overwhelmed.

This week (until next Tuesday) Darren is offering three bonuses along with the e-book. The bonuses are:

1.    A report by the name of 9 Things to Do to Get Your Blog On Track for the New Year - essentially it is a 9 day extension of the 31 Day workbook. It contains 9 extra tasks, particularly designed for the new year.

*So far I've only read this report and it's incredibly helpful, giving specific and doable tasks to improve your blog. Great stuff!

2.    55 minute podcast with Leo Babauta from ZenHabits.net - this podcast is rich with tips on how Leo has launched his blogs and leveraged them to sell successful e-books and a best selling book.

3.    45 minute podcast interview with Neil Patel from Quicksprout.com - another practical podcast with Neil on how to drive traffic to blogs as well as tips on personal branding, SEO and more.

I’m teaching my Blog Triage for artists class again in April with Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com. If you’re not an artist, can’t wait for the class or want to get blog guidance immediately for only $20 – 31 Days to a Better Blog is the resource for you.

The links in this post are affiliate links.

How to Import a Blog to a Facebook Fan Page

I spent way too many hours trying to figure out how to import a blog to a Facebook Fan Page. (Different than a Facebook Profile page.)

I thought I was going crazy. All the tutorials I found included screen shots showing things that didn’t exist when I went to look at the page. Crazy-making, right?

I gave up. A friend assured me it was possible. I tried again. I gave up. 

Then, because I’ve spent fifteen years developing myself as a writer, I nudged myself to persist beyond what I thought was possible.  

And voila! I figured it out. I wasn’t crazy: the route I took was completely different than the other tutorials I’d found.  So, while my work isn’t to make technology easier to navigate, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this with you.    

1. From your Facebook Fan Page, go to the bottom and click Applications.  
2. Click Ads and Pages, in the middle of the list of Apps.   You come to a page with a graph and info about making ads.  
3. Near top of page, click Pages.   This brings you to a page listing any Pages you have created.  
4. Find the Page you want to import a blog to.  
5. Click Edit Page.  
6. Find notes, about mid-way down.
7. Click Edit.  
8. Next page, near center to the right, is the box to import a blog.
9. Voi-frickin-la.

Spread the word and stop Facebook-induced insanity!

Have a Facebook Fan Page? Drop a link in a comment below and let me know. Join the Original Impulse Fan Page!

Blog Update & What's Where

My 2008 Design File

I’ve enjoyed plenty of travel this year (two five-week trips in Europe, phew!). I’m happy to store my suitcase and buckle down on my winter projects. I have a backlog (would that be a back-blog?) of posts about my recent trip that I’ll be posting soon.

Stay tuned to the Journey Juju blog for reports on shopping in Europe, the variety of European markets, best places to eat in Venice and the best overall food award…it’s probably not what you think!

And watch for news of my 2010 European creativity excursions. I'm developing the curriculum now!

My posts about how to make writing and creating easier are on the Original Impulse blog. Travel-related posts will be on the Journey Juju blog.

Be sure to subscribe to both blogs for tips and inspiration on how to be most creative at work, home, in the studio and on the road.

Blog Triage Class

Love to blog but feeling like your blog is a little under the weather - too few posts, uninspired posts, tepid visuals, limping links? Join me and Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizCoach for our Blog Triage Class for artists and watch your blog revive its pulse. 

Perfect for artists who already have a blog but need some help keeping it healthy, this online class is easy to take from the comfort of your own computer zone. We're limiting the class size to ensure no long waits in the blog triage waiting room, so head over to registration and sign on today for a healthier blog this spring! Class starts on April 22nd and ends on May 20th, and you can take it from the comfort and safety of your own home! No need to wait in the blog emergency room for blog treatment?