This blog post is a part of the following blog hops:
Tag Archives: expression
8 Tips To Spring Clean Your Pinterest Account
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure page for details
Spring will hopefully be upon us soon, and during this time of the year, spring cleaning is on the mind of many. Why not extend this sentiment to your social media presence? Today, I will be talking about getting your Pinterest account ready for ultimate performance by doing some simple spring cleaning.
Before we talk about cleaning and organizing your boards make sure your profile has been optimized:
1. Make sure your website/blog have been verified
2. Make sure your description contains your relevant keywords
3. Update your profile picture, preferably using one that features your face.
Now to the eight tips to spring clean your Pinterest boards:
1. Move your seasonal boards into the correct order according to your season, for example, your spring and summer collections should be pulled forward while your winter collection should be on the very end of your boards at the moment.
2. Combine any boards that have only a few pins
3. Delete boards that either have too little amount of pins and can not be consolidated with another board, no longer fit into your website/brand/blog niche or do not have a large following.
4. Move your most popular boards to the front – use Pinterest analytics tools to see which boards are the most popular/ active at the moment, and display them as the first two rows. Remember that when looks at your profile, those are the only ones they initially see.
5. Edit board descriptions – make sure all of your boards contain relevant keywords and updated information to make them easy to be found in the search results.
6. Split large boards into two boards – narrowing down some boards to a separate subject matter makes it easier for the followers to find your individual pins.
7. Update your boards featured image – move your most popular pins to the featured position, in order to draw in more followers. But most importantly make sure that the featured pin describes your boards content well.
8. Check your pin’s URL’s. Make sure your pins go the actual post or merchandise with the correct link like they are supposed to. If not, change that immediately.
A few more tips to keep you sane during the Pinterest Spring Cleaning
1. Choose only one or maybe two specific tasks to complete every day
2 Be clear about what you want to accomplish with your Pinterest presence – what do you want your boards and profile to say about you – do this before you start any spring cleaning, so you have a clear mission in mind.
3. Keep the amount of the group boards you are a part of to no more than 15 but no less than 5. Make sure they are all relevant to your brand and mission.
Have a great day!
Claudia
Gratitude And Tea
It is really cold out there! Perfect time to sit indoors, with a hot cup of tea, a couple of cookies and in front of the computer, contemplating.
I am always contemplating on what-to-do-next. While this habit leads me to be goal oriented, it also has the downfall of creating anxiety, especially when not everything goes they way it was planned, or when the list becomes so large that it is overwhelming.
So taking my time to stop, make myself a cup tea, and focus on gratitude is not only a good idea but a necessity. Exactly that concept of mindfulness and the fact that I need to be mindful in order to function with clarity changed the direction of the book I am working on. Which brings me to the first thing, I am grateful for – the progress I am making with my tea book.
Working title “Happy Tea”, this book demanded to take on a different direction this week, completely unexpected. I thought I would write a book featuring tea traditions, rituals and recipes, but the Universe had something else in mind. Instead, I will focus on the mindfulness of tea, the connection of this beverage within meditation, gratitude and positive living. It seemed like this aspect of tea would serve you better. There are many wonderful books out there, who focus upon the technical aspects of the subject, so I can focus on this direction.
Another thing I am grateful for is the holiday season is almost over. Yes, celebrations are nice, but they also mean extra work, so I am looking forward to having more time to write.
I am grateful that my daughter gets to see Star Wars with her boyfriend tonight. I am not a fan, but they are, so I am happy for them. I am sure they will have a great time.
I am also grateful for the decorations I have been seeing in the neighbourhood.While people do not seem to decorate as much here as in Tampa, the few who have did a great job. Almost made me want to join in. Then I looked at my to-do list and decided to just enjoy everyone else’s decor instead.
What are grateful for this week?
How do you deal with the holiday stress?
Blessings!
Claudia
This blog post is a part of the following blog hops:
Masks
Masks by Claudia H. Blanton
Hide
your colorful masks
empty of real expression
hide the pain inside
We all pretend. Sometimes in social media, this pretend leaves me with a feeling of disconnect. I don’t mean that we purposely pretend to be someone else we are not. I do not believe that. But because social media and blogging (as well as art and writing) can leave the creator vulnerable, we hide behind our masks of our own creation.
How much should we share? How will what we share affect those we love, and how does the parts that we do choose to show influence what others think of us?
Many bloggers choose to share quite a bit about their lives. Cautiously, they write about their depression, struggles, obstacles and dreams. This raw openness takes courage. Artists and writers do the same, through their creation and stories – even if it is not as recognizable at first glance as it is in the platform of a blog about someone’s life. The message and vulnerability is the same.
It is that what attracts me to those creatives, and the fact that the opposite is often the truth in social media channels and that pushes me away. Where is the real person behind the twitter feed, the emotion behind that snarky comment, or seemingly open attitude? We get snippets, not stories, little glimpses of masks, rather than the true person behind.
It is not to say that we should share more, indeed I think that sharing more on those open platforms can be too dangerous to consider it. Yet, I miss that more and more today. And within that lies my love/hate relationship with social media.
Question: What parts of yourself do you share openly on social media, and which ones do you choose to hide? Is that a concious decision you make, or is it an instinctive holding back?
“Masks” is available on RedBubble as a canvas print, poster or a framed art piece.
This blog post is a part of the following blog hops:
Appreciation, Flu, And “Winter” Blues
Over the last few days I have been MIA from this blog – out of two legit reasons: 1. because my kids and I have been battling the flu, and 2 because this part time job, helping out someone with building a business has been resembling more a full-time job that hope that by the end of next week, all of this will be settled, and I can resume at least a more passing schedule.
But there are also many things to appreciate today. I woke up to the most wonderful notes from my children, wishing me a Happy Birthday, which was so sweet, and then I got to open many emails and social media messages filled with well-wishes and greetings. Every one of those put a smile on my face.
I feel gratitude for the fact that the sun came out to greet me as well, which suits me well, considering the last few days have been dreary, reminding me more of those days when Winter Blues set in, in Germany, and the days were one big sea of continuous grey. Not exactly the best sight. The morning sun, as I walked the dogs, felt like a balm to my soul, exactly when I needed it.
I enjoyed this afternoon’s crumb coffee cake in all of its sweet glory – on top of that, I enjoyed that I did not have to bake it, my family did instead – I am usually the one backing all of the goodies, so that was a nice change in pace.
I am enjoying the fact that I let go of some anxiety that came back this week, with not being able to accomplish as much as I usually would like to, by employing the power of no. I will write about the benefits of this wonderful little tool tomorrow. Let me just tell you now, that it is a sanity-saving tool everyone should apply.
I am thankful, that my dogs seem to be having no problems with the colder weather, actually I am surprised how much my shorter haired Athena is enjoying it. Still, I am looking for sweater for her – which is harder for big dogs like her, especially for when it gets even colder than it already is.
A Floral Heart Keepsake Box by Claudia H. Blanton
I am also in appreciation that I was able to design a tiny bit. One of these examples is the heart design I started you just saw. When I create something, at least a little bit of something, I feel a little more productive on a personal level. And that feels good.
So what have you been accomplishing this week? Was your week as crazy as mine, or did you have a chance to relax a little more? I hope you, and all of your loved ones are healthy, and I am looking forward to hearing from you all!.
Check out the following blog hops, that this post is a part of and give the other participants some love!
The Courage Of Approaching The Blank Page
I came to this blog post without knowing what direction it would take me. Often times when creating a piece of art, or writing a story, we stare at a blank page and wonder how we should ever fill up that space, creating something worthwhile. Yet we take a deep breath, place our fingers upon the keyboard, or pick up our creative tools and go to work. Out of nothing we create something, straight from our imagination, to be shared, enjoyed, consumed.
That moment of sitting down in front of that abyss, the blankness of the not-begun confronting us, work takes courage, and that courage makes you an artist. Not, how many people have seen your art, or how many people have read your books. The simple willingness to put yourself, your heart and soul out there to be seen, even if only by you, manifesting something of substance, of value, is what gives you the permission to be and call yourself an artist or a writer.
It is a light realized.
Embrace it.
Have a wonderful day!
Claudia
P.S. If you have time, stop by my Facebook page which showcases some of the stuff I create. Looking forward to seeing you there!
P.S.S. This blog post is a part of the blog hops “Together On Tuesday” and “What Are You Doing” . Please check out all of the other great blogs, participating in these link ups, and leave them some love!
Celebrate The Small Things – Rose Edition
Hi, everyone! It is time again to celebrate all that we are thankful for. Please stop by to say hi to Lexa Cain, our wonderful host of the “Celebrate The Small Things” Blog Hop. As always, it is time to share our gratitude, and I hope you will join us!
What am I grateful for this week?
I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to express myself creatively via my art this week, working mainly with flowers, but other subjects as well. I find roses to be my favorite flower to work with. It has been a lot of fun!
I am grateful that a very unique Asian supermarket opened its door in our neighborhood. Their vegetable and fruit selections are enormous, and as vegetarians and vegans our family goes through a lot of vegetables. We are so excited about that. (well, we are foodies, all of us. We used to own a restaurant, so there is no getting us away from food).
I am also grateful that we had a couple days of cooler weather, even though it is back in the mid 90’s, at least we had some heat relief for a brief moment.
What are you grateful for this week? Why not write about it, and share your link with us here. Blessings!
Claudia
Featured Artist Of The Week: Artification
I ran across Artification (aka Fliss) in my quest of looking for an addition to my growing designer Mug collection, and was immediately drawn to the vivid colors of this artist’s creation. I knew I had to share her creative talent with you. Her work is exceptionally detailed, and very inviting. Let me introduce her to you:
Hi Fliss, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions. As I mentioned already to my readers, I was drawn to your colorful art from the moment I saw it. What is the main inspiration behind your art?
I love looking at vintage and retro designs or old fashioned kids picture books and always find myself inspired by them. I must say though that every time I go shopping I find myself taking mental notes on what sort of thing is trending so that I can try and keep current and with the times. You will see from my stores, that I tend to favor retro patterned graphics and cute fun whimsy kids stuff.
What are the techniques you use and why?
My artwork is all produced digitally; I love to play about and experiment with different styles/effects and mix them up until I find something which is pleasing to the eye. I would have loved to be a proper artist painting and drawing freehand, but this is the next best thing for me.
How did you get started, as an Artist?
I am not sure I would call myself an artist but I got started about 4 years ago quite my accident when my partner brought me some software to edit his photographs so that I could try and sell them on-line. I started to play about with the software learning all sorts of things and soon found myself uploading my own designs to sell on-line instead of editing his photos; although I do still put a few of his photos on as well. I love designing and although I know I am not the best by far I think I have come on leaps and bounds since I first started and I am learning more and more all the time.
What do you like about placing your art on RedBubble?
I love how easy it is on Redbubble to put an image on all the products in one go only having to put the tags and description in once, it saves so much time and leaves more free time for designing.
Are you on any other Product on Demand site?
My main Product on Demand site is Zazzle where I have been selling for just over three years and I am happy there but have recently started to place my designs on more sites; as well as Redbubble I have stores on PAOM (Print All Over Me), live Heroes, Woven Monkey, Grab Your Design and Art Of Where.
How can people get in contact with you?
via my Blog
via my FaceBook
and via my Zazzle Store
Thank you for this insightful interview.
__________
I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I have. Please remember to support independent artists with your purchasing choices. YOU make a difference.
P.S. The above interview contains affiliate links.
Celebrate The Small Things – Writing Edition
This week’s gratitude list includes a lot of things about writing.
First of all, I am grateful that I was able to plan out some blog posts for the next few weeks on topics I am interested in sharing with you. Because I am writing now for three sites (my design blog, my motivation/inspirational blog, and this one), the topics range from staying motivated even when time to follow your dreams are limited, to some exciting features and interviews with artists and creatives which are writers, print on demand artists or otherwise interesting people who are putting their creativity out there.
I am grateful that I had a chance to connect with them all and am happy to be of service to them while sharing their talent with the rest of the world.
I am grateful that we are living in the US, where it is okay to express ourselves through our creativity with an amount of freedom that is not granted in many parts of the world. Many bloggers, writers, journalists, and artists are jailed, disappear or were killed for their art. We can express ourselves safely and openly. For that, I am grateful.
I am grateful for the creative writers that work on the television shows that are coming our way this season. We are entertained by their wit, and sometimes depth, as they make us forget for a short while our own lives and emerge ourselves into the lives of their creation. Making television shows “take a village”, and I am awed by their talent.
Oh, and I am grateful that this morning the internet is back on. Had a little problem with the connection but the cable company came out and fixed it. Very grateful for those helpful people!
What are you grateful for this week? I am looking forward to connecting with you – and if you have not joined in with this wonderful group of bloggers, you really should – just simply add yourself to the blog hop list on our hosts – Lexa Cain’s – blog, and we will make sure we will stop by!
Have a great week!
Claudia
Brett Manning – A Strong Artist With Powerful Lines
Brett Manning (born on Halloween 1986), always loved to draw, paint and create.
Her drawings and paintings have a warm, feminine strength, that manifests itself in clean lines, and interesting contrast.
Her work does not only include drawings but are also inclusive of photography, in which she sometimes expresses a rather dark side.
Here are some examples of her art
You can find this talented young artist on RedBubble.
Avalon-Media - A LifeStyle Blog 