What the Blog Is Going On?

I remember way back when groaning my despise for writing assignments in English class. Creative writing or writing in a journal seemed like a waste of precious time and something only nerds or rejects did. Sure I was a teenager with an axe to grind. What teenager didn't? I just didn't want to be one of those freaks who wrote it all down to later be stolen by the class bully to read to a group of mean-spirited kids. Deep down the other kids dreaded this as much as I did. I wasn't the only slacker coming up with thousands of reasons why our journals remained blank throughout the quarter. That zero was a secret badge of cunning and honor.

Believe it or not, even during college, I tried to get out of any writing that didn't include factual essays. I had no qualms about writing gibberish in my journal and turned it in each week. The instructor vowed at the beginning of the semester not to read the content, but to check only for sentence structure. I figured if this was true, I would get a good grade while simultaneously protecting my privacy. If it wasn't, I would expose her for the liar she was. A pure "win/win" situation.

Now that I have discovered blogging, I am a bit ashamed for not taking this more seriously. I took a stroll around the Internet and read some fabulous blogs written by incredibly talented people expressing themselves in ways I couldn't fathom. After reading these cats, I chastise myself for not indulging sooner.

• Curtis McGuire: I found Curtis by random. His blog is situated next to mine. Curtis is an art student who dabbles in multi-mediums and free-thinking. He's also the only Scorpio I have ever known. I was especially impressed by his creativity. Check out his "OH" drawing. It feels like something out of Monty Python! If you like expressive and original folks, take a peek at his blog. http://curtismcguire.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog.
• Ariel Diaz: from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is another artist whose work I found extraordinary. (If you are wondering if I was browsing blogs for artists, sorry no. There were blogs written by a variety of people, but for some reason I kept running into artists.) Anyhoo, Ariel doesn't say much in her blog, but her art work is dark and brooding. I guess the mystery of not knowing her background makes her even more contemplative. You need to know a little Spanish (and maybe some Portuguese?) in order to appreciate her profile - "Ver todo mi perfil" translates "Read my profile". http://despierto24horas.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog
• Jessie Kuhn: is a freelance illustrator and commercial art designer. His blog primarily deals with the exhibition of his artwork. Although his blog is less personal and highly commercial, he does have some really cool give-a-ways each month of his artwork. To each his own. See Rawtoast Design at http://rawtoastdesign.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog
• Eric Merced: Is another free lance artist, but he specializes in comic books. He doesn't have much work on his blog, but he does have a really cool YouTube video on "Coloring a Voltron Sketch Card. Take a look! http://www.ericmerced.com/?expref=next-blog
• Peggy Meyer Graminski: Peggy is a mixed media and digital collage artist who takes my breath away. She takes the best elements from vintage photos and fine art and reinterprets them into something phenomenal! Peggy's work really takes you to your "happy" place! If you don't get there visually, then the music will finish sweeping you there. http://desertphotography.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog
• Stephanie Bonham: Golly, "Stephy B" is a trip!! Can't say much about her, as this is a clean forum; however, you'll understand the minute you hit her page. Nothing like a liberated woman! Rock on Stephy! (Caution: Contains inappropriate images and language.) http://stephaniebonham.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog