{"id":1953,"date":"2016-06-09T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2016-06-09T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elizabethfram.com\/Blog\/?p=1953"},"modified":"2016-06-02T20:05:17","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T20:05:17","slug":"a-worthwhile-plunge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethfram.com\/Blog\/a-worthwhile-plunge\/","title":{"rendered":"A Worthwhile Plunge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hard to believe, but this is the 80th uninterrupted week of posts to Eye of the Needle<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. When I first decided to create\u00a0a blog I was concerned about a lot of things, most of which probably run through the mind of anyone who considers writing publicly. Would I have enough to say each week? Would anyone be interested enough to read it? How could I skirt\u00a0an “it’s all about me” approach? …and so forth and so on.<\/p>\n

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Wine & Onion, stage one<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a92016 Elizabeth Fram \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I mentioned last week that I had been drawing a\u00a0sprouted onion a lot. It appears again in this experiment with water-soluble ink and watercolor pencils – in a sketchbook\u00a0that wasn’t meant to take washes. Oh well.<\/p><\/div>\n

Surprisingly, those issues have fallen in place relatively\u00a0smoothly as it seems that there is always at least one thing that happens or that I read about in a given week that I think will pique someone else’s\u00a0interest. And I truly enjoy that this blog has developed into the\u00a0conversation I \u00a0initially sought<\/a>.\u00a0(Thank you for your comments, both public and private!) But aside from those factors, I’ve discovered several unexpected gifts have materialized by showing up here weekly, benefits I never in a million years would have foreseen.<\/p>\n

I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy the writing itself. And in turn, I had no idea I would like the accountability that goes with a weekly deadline. Maybe it’s just that I’m such a creature of routine that I appreciate the solid regularity in\u00a0knowing that I have to pull together one idea each\u00a0week. It turns out that the resulting benefit\u00a0is that this\u00a0weekly thought-based commitment is healthy for my studio work as well.<\/p>\n

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Wine & Onion, stage two \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong> \u00a92016 Elizabeth Fram<\/p><\/div>\n

I love having the opportunity to learn and to do research in order to flesh out the sparks of whatever each week’s subject\u00a0may be, with the consequence\u00a0that I’ve happened across some really interesting artists, writers and concepts I might not otherwise have encountered. In terms of giving back, it’s rewarding to be a participant – to pay forward the benefits I’ve gleaned from reading other blogs. I am\u00a0passing along nuggets of info I hope\u00a0might be of interest to you as a nod to\u00a0the way that I have learned so much from others. Sharing through information and challenges swings open\u00a0doors, leaving\u00a0none of us feeling we are too remote, despite working in a solitary fashion. And although it can be supremely frustrating, I’m glad\u00a0for the technological knowledge\u00a0that’s been a side benefit. With each new internet\/computer glitch that appears, I’m gaining confidence to rise to its\u00a0challenge — or at a minimum, know that eventually I’ll be able to find a way to dig myself out of the problem.<\/p>\n

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Wine & Onion, stage three \u00a0<\/strong> \u00a92016 Elizabeth Fram<\/p><\/div>\n

Most importantly though, I value that this blog has been an opportunity to articulate the structure behind my own work while helping me to understand the ways and means behind the way I respond to others’ art. Because that requires\u00a0drawing parallels and\u00a0contrasts in order to better understand issues, it’s an impetus to seek out more of what is happening in the wider world of art.<\/p>\n

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Wine & Onion<\/strong> \u00a92016 Elizabeth Fram<\/p><\/div>\n

I can’t say it’s\u00a0a speedy process; I probably write way too many drafts, but it’s well-worth the time and I do believe I’m getting faster. That said, if there’s any possibility that you’re considering beginning a blog yourself, I would encourage you to go for it. Who knows what discoveries you’ll make.<\/p>\n

Here are some links to start\u00a0you on your way:<\/p>\n