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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Station Identification: Pending


The screen-shot posted above (from a J Peterman catalogue) is included in this blog post because the sentiment spoke to me, and perhaps it will speak to you, dear reader, when like myself you find yourself having to explain (as a career consultant has asked me to do) who your "audience" is for your product and or blog.

As for my blog, I've already (in the first box and the right side-bar) stated this:"On this blog, I discuss how my gardening experience inspires and informs the images I create for my unusual line of invitations, event program covers, and all occasion greeting cards; as well as my impressionistic photo-art. (For details see patriciayoungquist.com). Sometimes I reflect on current events, or discuss what people I admire are doing. My 1st blog entry was 12.31.09, where I laid out my plan for this blog. Now, January 29th 2011, after 108 posts, I've changed the layout, and I warn you that I like long sentences, because when they stay on point (as I hope I do), they take you on a journey. I like to plant ideas, as well as seeds, with good care, and nurture them as they grow."


"Is your blog for gardeners then?," the consultant wondered. "Well, no," I answered trying to explain that a "gardener's blog" implies a "how to" content and while I occasionally might offer a how to posting, my goal in my making art or writing has never been to pigeon hole my audience by offering too much detail. In the first month of this blog post (January 16th 2010), where I discussed my position on describing my Black and White Photography, I stated that "I must confess that I do not like to talk about how I've created a print or why the composition has been rendered in a certain way in a given print. I feel too much information spoils the magic of not knowing. I think having knowledge of many specific details of a given work of art can interfere with the relationship a viewer has with the art work."

I feel the same way about trying to define an audience that might like to follow my blog. I do not think everyone is category crazy — or at least those who follow this blog — I put ideas out there but allow my readers to think for themselves. I guess I could tell the consultant that  my readership are those who are not category crazy. Wasn't it The New York Times that stated their content was "all the news that's fit to print" ?  And didn't Jerry Seinfeld have a following for a show about "Nothing"?


For now, I will say this about my blog: It is about Something. As for the audience that I target, I'll stick with J Peterman and file it under "pending . . . "

1 comment:

  1. Thank for this analysis. As a reader, I appreciate the flow of your blog, and the feeling of not being pigeonholed.

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