HAPPY MONDAY!
I am excited to introduce you to a great lady who, like last weeks guest Bev, has become a friend.

Meet the talented Jodi Ulschmid …..

www.enduringarts.blogspot.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/enduringarts

I have enjoyed getting to know Jodi through her blog, where she shares her life as an artist, wife and young mother. Her journey takes me back to the days of raising little toddlers and how those times are such a blessing, though sometimes very challenging. Jodi is a driven, talented artist who is trying to juggle life on life’s terms. She has a love of God, family, and art!! My kinda gal.

1. Why did you decide to start a blog?

I originally planned on creating a website with some of my artwork to get it out in the world for more people to see. I had it pretty much designed but never uploaded it. That was before I even knew about Etsy. Then some time later a family member started blogging and my husband decided to start a blog to showcase some of his woodworking projects (http://wispwoods.wordpress.com/) and encouraged me to do the same with my artwork. Not having to pay for a site and being able to share more than just artwork was wonderful! My blog keeps evolving and pushing me creatively. I have learned so much from starting a blog and reading others as well.

2. Who is your favorite blogger? Please post their link.
Honestly I don’t have just one favorite. There are so many wonderful blogs I follow and each one touches me differently. Some have gorgeous photography and energy, some have inspiring words… faith and/or quote related, and others make some fantastic creations. I will start introducing some on my blog soon, so if you are interested in seeing a few I found to be heart warming, inspirational and lovely please stop by (http://www.enduringarts.blogspot.com/)anstick and stick around for a while. I would love to share them with you. This post would turn into a book if I listed them all now. 🙂

3. As an artist, what has been the best way to promote your work?
I am definitely still in the beginning/learning stages. I know you can’t sit back and wait for people to find you. You have to keep creating and networking so people know your shop exists. For me one of the best things I have done is to continually add new items to my Etsy shop. When I run out of stuff to add I renew one or two items to bump my work back up to the top of the list. Good photos and descriptions are also necessary.

4. What art supply could you not live without?
If you’re going for the bare essentials I would have to say my drawing pencils. My art always starts with the pencil. You may not see it in the finished product, but it serves as the groundwork. Can’t have a tree without the roots; I can’t have an art piece without my pencil.

5. If you weren’t an artist, who would you be?

If I wasn’t an artist I would go back to a marketing job to use my graphic design degree. If not that, I would focus on flipping more houses or doing something with real estate. Ever since my husband and I went searching for our first home, I fell in love with houses and finding their potential. Turning something dreadful into something lovely is such a high! (and no not from the fumes you breathe from the renovating process!)

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Thank you for stopping in to meet Jodi! Please visit her at her ETSY shop or BLOG to see her many talents. DARE TO LOVE!

You know how some of your blog followers actually feel like friends? How you seem to develop connections with people thousands of miles away and you have never met them? To me this is the most amazing part of blogging and an unexpected blessing.

Meet Bev, she’s a friend, a blessing, and an inspiration!

http://soulblessings.etsy.com/

http://myawakenedheart.blogspot.com/

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Bev and her heART and I want to share her with you. What I like most about Bev’s work is it inspires a connection to Christ. I picked these 5 questions just for Bev. I hope you’ll stop over to her shop and blog to check out more of her inspirational artwork.

Dare to love!

What are your top 5 personal or professional goals for yourself at this time? My immediate personal goals are to push through this fear of rejection when it comes to my art and to build an online presence for my Etsy store. I am learning through Kelly Rae’s class that we all have these fears. I have this thing in my head that tells me I am different that way…the only one who has those fears! But I am learning otherwise. I really have been in a comfort zone for a very long time…raised our boys, good job, near retirement…and this art thing is scaring the heck out of me! As for professional goals…I am at the end of the road for that, retirement is less than two years out, and my art is not something I plan to make a new career out of…we have too many other plans!!

Who is your favorite blogger? Please post their link? I visit a blog called Soul Aperture, and the woman’s name is Christina. She is an amazing photographer, believer, culinary genius. Her gentle spirit just oozes from the monitor! You can find her at: http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/

What inspires you most in your art?
I am most inspired by my emotional and spiritual journey, whispers from my Lord and His word, music and nature.

Knowing that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, what is your favorite way to be close to Him?
My favorite way would be my early morning ritual, when all
is so still and quiet:
*cup of coffee
*my bible
*”Utmost for his highest” devotional by Oswald chambers(I highly recommend it)
*journal
* curled up on the couch, with a quilt if needed!
Second to that would be when we are in nature…camping, hiking, kayaking…at the coast, in the mountains.

If you could live anywhere and do anything, where and what would you do?
My husband I have plans, God willing, to travel the United States after we retire. We want to sell our home, store the things of sentimental value and live full time in our travel trailer, traveling throughout this great nation, there is so much to see! When we are tired of it, we will figure it out then.

Being new to the world of blogging, I’m completely amazed at the amount of support, encouragement, and inspiration I have found. It is such a blessing to me to have this wonderful way of expressing myself and actually have people I don’t even know care about my thoughts and dreams. I am in awe of you all because of your giving hearts. I even had a dear women contact me last week, and asked me to send her my business card so that she could put MY card in HER orders. WOW!!

Having said that, early on (last month!) I was hurt when some of my dearest friends could care less about supporting me through my blog. I mean how hard is it to hit the FOLLOW button?? Thankfully I’ve come to a place where I realize that this blog is not about gaining followers or comments. The heart of me and my blog is to inspire love, support, and creativity. To love with my WHOLE HEART!

So in that spirit I’m offering a weekly post called ‘Dare to love MONDAYS’. It is my prayer and desire that these posts will encourage all of us to support one another on our creative journey. SHARE THE L-O-V-E!

This weeks featured blogger is the Fabulous JANET NELSON!!

http://www.janetnelson.net/

http://www.aplanetnamedjanet.com/

http://www.aplanetnamedjanet.etsy.com/

I was introduced to Janet’s art in person after winning 2, yes 2, of her blog giveaways. What I like about Janet’s art is her use of color and her whimsical style. She looks like she is having fun with her art and I just love that! Janet was kind enough to answer 5 questions for me to share with you. She is offering BOTH of these pieces photographed through her blog giveaway in the very near future, so CHECK HER OUT and share the love!

1. Why did you decide to start a blog?
I started my blog back in December 1995. Decided that I needed an online presence, but didn’t want to pay for a website nor knew how to create one on my own. A blog seemed like a good answer to both those problems. Blogspot was free, user friendly and seemed like a good way to get familiar with how things worked online.

2. Who is your favorite blogger? Please post their link
There are so many that I have followed on and off through the years.

Two that had some impact are Gapingvoid, Not Martha and Kate Harper

I came across Hugh McLeod — http://www.gapingvoid.com/ a while back. I am fascinated by his style and business insight, even tho some of his work is a little “crude”. His cartoons helped me decide that it was okay that my Innocent Spam and Real Housecats of NJ series weren’t drawn perfectly.

Not Martha was the first blog I read regularly. http://www.notmartha.org/ She posts links to interesting items, common and curious how to’s. She opened up the world of the “blogosphere” for me taking me to different places on the net that I would not have found on my own.

I have only recently started following Kate Harper. http://www.kateharperblog.blogspot.com/ She is a greeting card designer and has been very generous in sharing information about the industry. Greeting cards, licensing, fabric design are all things that I am currently interested in pursuing.

3. As an artist, what has been the best way to promote your work?
I often tell myself, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. Comment on other blogs, participate in online forums, advertise, do fundraiser events, have business cards ready to give out, participate in social media. I even got filmed for an episode of That’s Clever because they were recruiting artists in Delaware — at the time I lived just across the state line in PA and convinced them I was close enough. (the episode — filmed 3 years ago–is finally airing June 15th) Do what you can do at the time.

You don’t have to be a great artist to be successful. You can even be a bad or mediocre one. But what you do have to do is be in the right place at the right time. And most importantly, be prepared to take advantage of opportunity. So I look at the things that I do to promote myself as creating opportunities.

4. What art supply could you not live without?
White acrylic paint. Seems I never have enough. It is the one paint that I wont spend a lot of money on, ie, I will buy the cheaper craft paints. I would probably use white house paint if it came in gallon squirt bottles. Hmmm, now that I think of it, that isn’t a bad idea, — maybe a gallon bottle with a pump.

5. If you weren’t an artist, who would you be?
Good question. Cant imagine not being an artist in one way or another. People will often tell me that I am so creative and that they are not. It really made me feel bad cause I really didn’t think of myself that way and I didn’t know how to respond except to be self deprecating. But after examining how my ideas come to me, I know that creativity comes from above. So I tell people that they were created in the image of The Creator (God), therefore they are creative beings. They often will think about that a bit and say that yes they are creative in some other ways. So I don’t think I could not be an artist in whatever else I did.

Now, if I weren’t a painter, because that would require deciding to get and use paints, then I probably would be working in sales somehow as I left a retail job to work on art full time. But then as an artist I am always trying to sell myself and my work. So have I really left?

Thanks Janet for those inspiring words and for sharing your blessings with the world.