Though our official blog debut will not be until
Friday, August 3rd, I (you may call me some variation of Nikki), have decided to post some basic explanations and details a little early. I shall begin with the usual five W's, because I'm not sure where else to start!
Who are the blog owners and masterminds?
Currently there are two; Myself, an aspiring glass artist attending Sheridan, and my friend Jessie, an extremely talented realism sculptor and computer programmer.
Where?
Okay I couldn't think of a specific question for "Where?" so I am going with; Jessie and I are from Ontario, Canada.
Why are you doing this?
I am well aware that ideas and motivation can be hard to come by, especially when you are working from outside the lovely structure of school, where talented teachers can offer constant guidance. I am very serious about my intent with art though, and I believe Jessie is quite serious too. However, she's currently finishing up some sort of computer programming course that is way over my head, which leaves her desire to sculpt very isolated and directionless.
One day a eureka moment struck and the two of us agreed that if we shared themes and competed against each other we would give each other
reasons to push our art, work harder, faster and well, to just get off our bums and work!
What is the purpose of this blog?
For the first few seconds of this idea, a blog just seemed like a good way to keep us on track. It was tangible, a site that we had to check/report into, a place where our progress would be documented. If we gathered fans, then hey, that's even more motivation to keep with it! That was just for the first few seconds though, we quickly tapped into the other possibilities that come with having a blog.
1) If people find us interesting they can offer their own themes, including pop culture icons. Having a My Little Pony contest might get other people interested not only in the site, but in new types of craft.
2) If other craft artists like our concept, there's no reason they can't join in on the competition! What one person might see as a fun side project, another might see as that kick in the butt that they sorely need.
2a) People who participate will be able to share their final pieces on this site, and what's better than a free place to
advertise your skills? We thought we could offer more than that though, so if we gather enough followers that we can host a 'popular vote' for each contest, the winner of said vote will
get featured in an article. On top of that, a friend mentioned being able to link Etsy favorites on blogs - so you can
advertise your final product too (if you're looking to sell it)!
3) We also realized that bringing you more content than just our competitions might make you happy. So we will trial posting three times a week and feeding you;
art history, tutorials, galleries, articles, interviews, etc. When it comes down to it though, we want to post the content that you want to see! (Seriously, I'll leave my art history at the door if no one wants to hear about it).
4) We've really thought this out long-term, so again I'll say 'if enough people participate' we will also host
media specific battles. We thought some people might find 'textiles verse super detailed sculptures' a bit intimidating or non-motivational, so I want to let you know that we've already prepared to expand!
When does this all go down?
As mentioned at the start of this post, the official opening day (and the first contest!) will start on Friday, August 3rd. Each competition will run for 13 days (so the first competition is the 3rd-15th). More detailed explanations will come in the next post.
So, on behalf of Jessie and myself, we sincerely hope that you will enjoy our blogs and battles, and that you'll compete too!
P.S. Craft Battles also has a
Brand Yourself which is nothing amazing, but it does help boost Google results so you might want to try it.
We also have a
Facebook Page that will be updated regularly!
1) Your submission must be three dimensional. It cannot be a drawing, but it CAN be embossed, carved into a flat panel, needlework etc. As long as there is some element of 3-dimensionalism then it is acceptable.
