The comment surprise!

It used to be common to find lots of comments on my blog (or on other blogs), especially in the days after a new post was written.  Nowadays, not so much.  I can look at my blog stats and know that I still have plenty of visitors, but many people no longer take the time to leave a comment.    I think there's a few reasons.

 

First, many people (but not me) do their blog reading on their phones.  Leaving a comment = a pain in the neck.

 

Second, there's the fact that people seem to like things to happen instantly.  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever you use - these things are so much more instant than taking the time to read through a sometimes long blog post, and then write a thoughtful response, and finally to copy the 'captcha' letters/numbers in order to post your comment.  Too much effort?

 

Sometimes the visitors to a blog have just hopped there by way of a Pinterest pin and do not even read the post.

But sometimes, a blog comment can really pay off.   Perhaps you'll get involved in an interesting discussion.  Perhaps you'll learn something new.  Perhaps you'll get a new idea.  Or, perhaps... just perhaps... you'll win a prize.  That's what happened to me recently!

Ironically, when I left a comment back in September on Art Room Blog, it was because I had something to say.  I knew there was a contest, but honestly, I think I would have left the comment anyhow, because, well, that's just me.  But last week the blogger contacted me and told me I had won a prize.  You can see in the photo above exactly what I won!!!  This blog hosts a contest EVERY MONTH.  That means if you leave a comment on the contest, the odds of winning sooner or later are pretty good.  This month she's giving away a set of awesome-looking pan pastels.  But you have to actually SAY something in your comment.  Each month she asks a question. - This month's question asks "What is your focus when writing lesson plans?"  (Follow the link; she goes into more detail than that in her question.) 

Meanwhile, maybe you are wondering what I'm going to do with my $50 gift card to Jerry's Artarama?  Well, it's already been spent, and I'm beyond excited waiting for the day my package shows up.  Because I decided to make an investment in something that will be useful to me for a LONG time.  

I added a little of my own money to the gift card, and have ordered this 18" paper cutter!! Hallelujah!  

I have always liked big paper - but sometimes I do need to cut it (for example, cutting 18"x24" paper into an 18" squares, or cutting strips for a project, or whatever).  Since I retired two years ago, having access to the paper cutter is the thing I have missed most (besides the kids).  Sometimes, when I need to cut a lot of paper for a workshop I'm teaching, or my private students, I have driven the 30 miles to my old classroom to 'borrow' the cutter for an hour.  But obviously, this is a distraction to the teacher in the classroom, and it makes a simple project into a whole day effort.  Putting the stuff I want to cut into the car, driving the 30 miles, lugging the giant paper through a crowded parking lot, down hallways and up stairs, trying to find a place to work in a busy crowded classroom, and then repeating the whole process in reverse.  UGH.  Sometimes, I have tried cutting the paper using a sewing tool, my rotary cutter (the singularly most dangerous piece of equipment that I own).  But the paper always slips, and I end up wasting more than I cut, plus I am waiting for the day that this evil tool decides to slice off the top of one of my fingers and I have to rush to the ER cradling the missing part of my finger.  It terrifies me.

So the package has shipped, and in a few days, on my doorstep, I will have my VERY OWN 18" paper cutter!  I want to give a huge THANK YOU to Mrs. Darter at Art Room Blog.  And while I don't want to appear greedy, I'm sure you will see me writing more comments in the future! 

I'm sure that some of you readers have stuck with me to the end of this post hoping that I am offering a prize drawing too, but... not this time.  But stick with me, readers, because I've done it before and it will certainly happen again!  Until then, happy commenting! 

Consider voting for me, please?

So, my friend Cassie Stevens is having a Best Dressed Art Teacher Contest on her blog.  And I would love your vote.  Now, if you hop over and look at her post, and all the amazing candidates for this honor, you may wonder why I think I'm worthy of your vote. So here's the deal.  Many of the outfits posted are COSTUMES, for Halloween or some other event like 'dress like an artist' day or some such thing, not everyday wear.  But not me!  This tunic-dress I am wearing proudly (above, below, and in the contest post) is everyday wear, and I designed and made it myself!  It's not just a costume.  Anybody can wear a costume!!

 And it's inspirational, too.  

Let me explain.  For years, I have bought T-shirts at art conferences.  These shirts, along with some others I have picked up along the way, generally are not cut to fit a short curvy woman, so I rarely wore them, but I really like what they say.  In a Project Runway moment, rather than turning the shirts into rags, I cut them up to create something new.  I chose carefully what quotes I wanted to keep from the shirts.  So, there's a quote about creativity by Matisse, a quote about the importance of art from writer Henry Miller, a quote about imagination by Einstein, and my absolute favorite, from Maya Angelou: "If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change your attitude.  Don't complain."  This statement hung on my classroom door, and the kids knew it was the most important rule I had.  And there's till some more pieces left, for another future Project Runway experiment!

Meanwhile take a look at the back (above).  The large quote piece is from a T-shirt that is probably 20 years old, I swear.  It came from a shirt I received when I renewed a subscription for School Arts Magazine!  The advice on it  is as valid today as it was then.  (And by the way, the winner of Cassie's contest will be featured in School Arts!  Wouldn't it be perfect to have this dress, and this story featured in the magazine??)  So vote for me!!

But if you like seeing costumes, hey, I can give you a couple of them too, though some of my favorite costumes never were photographed.  Here's one - can you guess who I was?

My students were studying Vincent Van Gogh that autumn, so I came dressed as you can see in the photo above.  The kids had learned how he would put candles on his hat so he could paint outside in the dark.  Between the candles, and the bandaged ear, the kids obviously all knew who I was..

And below is a bonus photo, taken at a party given by an art teacher friend, yikes, more than 20 years ago.  My son's babysitter had to take him to her house (he was a preschooler), because we knew he'd freak out if he saw us. (He was young and sensitive.)  There was a costume contest at the party, with the theme 'movies', and my husband was an exceptionally good sport.  He isn't usually a costume sort of guy, but he agreed to do it for me.  (Thanks, honey.)  We decided if he was going to go so far outside his comfort zone and wear a costume, we'd better try our hardest to win the contest.  And we did!  He let me put thick makeup stuff on his face, engraving the scar.  And he found silver marker caps from old-fashioned Magic Markers, and taped them willingly to his neck. I wish I had a side view photo of my hair, with it's lightening bolt silver streak.  And I wish I had a photo where we aren't smiling.  Oh well...

By the way, when we arrived at our friends' house for the party, their young son took one look at us walking up their front sidewalk and went crying to his bedroom.  He didn't come out again the whole night.  Success!! ;)

So, hop on over to Cassie's blog and vote! I'd love it if you vote for me, but I know the choices are all terrific, so mostly, please just go and vote and celebrate all these wonderful, imaginative women - and one terrific man, too!  And thanks, Cassie, for giving us the
opportunity to share our fun art teacher outfits!!