Reflections Of YOUR Life

Throughout the history of art, there have been many great works created as "commissions". Usually, this means that a wealthy person offers an artist some of his wealth, in exchange for an item. In many cases, the "benefactor" [rich person] will make suggestions, or demands, about what will be part of the work (For a truly humorous example of to what extremes such "requests" can go, Google "Hiawatha's Photography", by Lewis Carroll).

That said, much art [maybe all art; we'll look at that in a moment] is the result of the creator's experiences. No matter how clever the artist, s/he can only create based on their realm of knowledge, what they can envision, based on their life experiences [this does have a point. Hang in for another line or two. It's worth it].

Among other things [at least, most bloggers tell themselves this], blogging is an art [although I'd hope for a healthy dose of craft in the final product]. One of the more artistic blogs out there right now is Lorelle On Wordpress [http://lorelle.wordpress.com/]. In this posting, http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/liz-strauss-at-wordcamp-dallas-transcript-60317-comments/, she quotes social-networking maven Liz Strauss:

Whenever we say we’re talking about ourselves, we’re revealing something about ourselves. But it’s how we reveal it.

But when we ask our readers, “How’d you like this blog post we just did?” “How’d you like what I just did?” “How did you like what I just wrote?” We think we’re asking them about them. But we’re really asking them about ourselves.

And we need to be really careful that we know the difference.

Let that resonate in your head for a few minutes. You see, it really is about you. Whether you write poetry, or humor, or tips on better blogging, it can only come from what is within you, what is part of you. Even if your blog is about making money by blogging, it comes from what you bring to the table.

What does this mean to you? Be knowledgeable. Know your subject [If you write a "personal diary", know yourself. If you don't, ask around. Someone around you may have a few clues]. Work on your craft. Better blogging is really about YOU.

-Mike Riley