Looking Back at 15 Years as a Blogger
Closing out 15 years of writing a monthly blog – actually,
doing anything regularly for 15 years – requires a bit
of reflection. Judy’s Journal has been the pulse of my
creativity. It’s a commitment that keeps pace with experiences
and ideas that make me know I’m alive.
I began to write this blog by reading through my Index. What
did I notice?
First, how much I’ve learned since September 2004. If we
met, you would notice my gray hair. Please. My creative self
is AGELESS. The life of a working artist, poet and writer is
filled with opportunities to explore. I take on challenges that
end up teaching me about human behavior, art and literary history,
as well as the myriad skills and techniques of writing and artmaking.
Do I risk failure or disappear down rabbit holes? Definitely.
Do I get rejected? Absolutely (and that does not get easier).
Second, I noticed how writing has helped me face loss. For example
- my sister, Jennie. I wrote blogs and made art during the quiet
times by her side. I composed blogs (in my head) driving back
and forth between Ohio and Massachusetts. Writing helped me
make sense of the cruel and unimaginable ways life can put us
down and realize how helpless we usually are.
Third, I realized how necessary certain experiences are to my
creative life. Travel. Reading. Listening to music, poetry and
going to exhibitions. Creating artwork. Exhibiting. Writing
poetry and non-fiction books. The processes involved during
those times were serious and important enough to write about.
Don’t you find it gets lonely in your head sometimes? Read
my blogs and find a companion in creativity.
I invite you to return to the Index, consider the titles and
be curious. What could “George Gershwin, Robert Schulz
and Me” be about (2013 September)? Or “Crawling Under
the Barbed Wire” (2016 March)? Or “Vindication”
(2006 June)? Or “Amsterdam Acrostic” (2005 May)? Or
“Why Blog?” (2011 January)? Or “The Impermanence
of Art” (2013 June)?
You explore, while I go on the hunt for September’s blog!
