Getting started (over).

So, after attempting to possibly maybe try and pretend to sort of kind of start this blog, I’ve learned a few things.

Words are daunting.  Actually, I already knew that.

But to be fair, art is, too.

I quickly found out that writing posts of words was even more difficult when I was already drawing every day (including posting something to a daily art blog), and working through a queue of badges and at times, other commissions.

Realizing that I had less time for this than I thought, I considered a few options, like.. basically just making a screenshot blog, because I like talking about pictures and game stories.  Or discussing random thoughts behind some of my pictures because Tumblr isn’t always a great platform for that and my deviantArt account is currently a frustrating mess.  But the weeks drew on, stuff happened, etc etc.  I pushed away the blog, telling myself that I had nothing of interest to say anyway, and my attempt at blogging was shoved into the junk drawer of ideas to stay.  Until a week ago, when this post from Chestnut at Gamer Girl Confessions popped up on my Twitter feed.

Now we’re talkin’.

Now this, I can do.  This could also help me re-tackle my blog challenge in a different way, and at a better time for me to work on it.  I already take lots of screenshots, and I also enjoy editing some of them into wallpaper for my pc. I’m pretty excited for this challenge and I really have no set plans about what all I’m going to post – and I’m okay with that.  This is a thing that I’m going to do, and I’m going to enjoy seeing what other participants post as well.

Screenshots? Sure, how many would you like?

Since the introductory post, Chestnut’s also added a faq.  Basically the main challenge is to post 50 pictures (screenshots, photos, whichever) in November.  It’s open to any blogging or micro-blogging platform, and it should be great fun for anyone to join in!  She even has a few prizes for the snagging, but that’s just icing on a pretty, picture-perfect cake.

Time to dig through the screenshot folders!

Routine.

When I worked my old full-time job, I had a pretty standard daily routine.  Roll out of bed at a horribly early hour, stumble to my computer, log into (usually) WoW and knock out a few daily quests or manage auctions.  Then I was off to work, and afterwards home in time to unwind by logging in for an hour or two unless there were errands to run.  This was followed shortly by cleaning and dinner, and finally drawing the rest of the night.  Days off followed a mostly similar schedule.  Roll out of bed at a less horrible but still pretty early hour, stumble to the computer and log in, except now I could go on a longer gathering run and take alts out questing.

Not much has changed now that I’m self employed. Wake up. Log in. I limit my time in game and keep productive with my art, mindful of keeping a schedule of sorts. Gaming in the morning and drawing in the day or evening is what I grown used to, and that’s what I generally stick to.  Not that I plan on stopping either of those things or changing up that routine, it’s a system that’s worked out pretty well for me.  But I think I might try to add something more,  expanding on something similar that I already do.

I made a blog-thing.

Over on my Tumblr, I post daily doodles.  It’s something I’ve done to keep me drawing every day – even back when I was tired and stressed out from my job.  I had a good three+ year streak of posting something every single day, until I finally had to stop for a while due to problems with my hands and other work-related stress.  I began this year by taking up the challenge once again.  Currently with my busier badge art workload I’ve mostly posted random “warm-up” doodles, but it feels good.  It’s like a visual art diary of whatever’s on my mind about whatever game I’ve been playing or comic that I’m reading.  However, I don’t really talk much about.. well, anything.  I’ve felt that I don’t really need to write, I do pictures.

The two most used tags* on my Tumblr.

I’m not sure if it’s the awesome people I follow on social media, or being in a Free Company that seems to be 90% bloggers, or just all the tweets about the Newbie Blogger Initiative a few months ago or the Blaugust challenge now, but I feel somewhat inspired to give it a go.  I’m not quite ready to join the actual #Blaugust movement and be an active participant, but it seems like a good time to kick things off with an actual Blog of Words.  It could be a nice outlet beyond just pictures, because try as I might there are times I can’t match my art to my thoughts (though to be fair, I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words, so there’s that challenge too).  So I think I’ll start this out slow, maybe around a post a week to toughen myself up.  It’ll mostly be game chat, but I think I’d like to discuss drawing as well.  I guess we’ll find out!

*Tag counts for my Tumblr posts generated on 08/01/15 using this tool.