It is with great sadness that I put this blog on hold for health reasons. Hopefully I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, I will keep sharing art regularly through my Instagram, so please follow! I’ll miss it here very much. ❤
Archive for announcement
Health Hiatus
Posted in announcement, art, surreal with tags announcement, art, pop surrealism on November 4, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyHalloween Countdown: SheWalksSoftly Store Giveaway!
Posted in announcement, etsy, halloween, jewelry with tags announcement, etsy, halloween, jewelry on October 5, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyI’m celebrating the inaugural Halloween season for my brand new SheWalksSoftly Etsy store with a giveaway! Win ANY jewelry item of your choice (or a custom request).
This was originally an Instagram contest but I’m opening it up to blog readers! You can either follow on Instagram or Facebook and use the directions there, or participate via email by forwarding this post to at least 3 friends (please include shewalkssoftlyblog@gmail.com as well, so I know you’ve participated).
Contest ends 10/12, 11pm EST. All entries will be assigned a number, and the winner drawn at random.
HAPPY HAUNTING!
Call for Halloween Submissions!
Posted in announcement, halloween with tags announcement, halloween on September 29, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyAs always, I’m taking part in the Countdown to Halloween next month!
Please share your amazing Halloween finds from around the Web (see contact link on the right sidebar). I always credit submissions and include a link to your own personal websites/art if you provide one. Can’t wait!
We Interrupt This Blog for a Serendipitous Kitten Rescue Story
Posted in announcement, cats, you can't handle the cute with tags announcement, cats, kitten, you can't handle the cute on June 29, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyIn an utterly surreal event, THIS ran under our car in the middle of moving traffic on a gigantic highway yesterday. It was the very last place one would expect to find a kitten, as there were no wooded or residential areas for many miles. He was all the way in the left lane, and undoubtedly seconds from being roadkill. We screeched to a halt and scooped him up. He’s 7-8 weeks old, one pound, around the size of an adult fist.
He has a shockingly sweet temperament for a feral, and checked out fine at the vet. We have a black and white cat already, and this fellow is black AND white. Fate, right?
I’ll never forget the site of Casey emerging from under the car holding this fellow as traffic frantically whooshed by in all directions. He opened the door and said “I guess we have a new kitten.” “Um…I guess so!” I said…already completely in love (can you blame me with that face?).
Name ideas, anyone?
Times, They Are A-Changin’
Posted in announcement with tags announcement on June 21, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyI’m a late adopter of social media, and late to let go of tools I love. But I’m aware non-monetized blogging is “dead” and increasingly find that people prefer their media in bite sized morsels. Many artists post incredible work on Instagram that is never (or not yet) added to their web portfolio. And while I do stay on the pulse of the contemporary art world, those countless in-the-moment findings are almost never reflected here.
So I’ll be opening up the format of SWS to include both regular posts, and less formal brief posts with a feature image, and the artist links/handle. I will also no longer limit myself to one post (or very few) about each artist over time. This is the best way for me to keep the SWS archives in place and put out a larger, more current fresh crop of imagery. It will also allow me to focus appropriately on my health and related pressing matters in my non-blog life.
My Instagram will have a slew of other artistic/creative content that is not cross posted anywhere, so follow there if you’d like.
All artists I post will also have some of their work shared to Pinterest if you prefer that format.
Thanks for bearing with me! I’m not sure how this experiment will turn out, but I hope it works. 🙂
The SWS Facebook Page is Moving! (Plus Rant)
Posted in announcement, cats, soapbox, vintage with tags announcement, cats, soapbox, vintage on March 11, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyAllow me to step on my soapbox and let loose a rant that’s been brewing for quite sometime…*ahem*…
If you don’t want to read the whole post, I’ll lead with the end point:
I’m shutting down the SWS Facebook “page” and keeping it personal, the way I originally intended, by inviting you all to my regular profile. Click “follow” and you’ll get the daily blog post (as well as some bonus content).
Be sure to click “follow” and not “add friend” so you see the artsy content and avoid clogging up your own feed with my name tagged in various memes and medical articles. Follow HERE.
Now the reason…
A couple of months ago, Facebook notified me that they were going to shut down my blog profile unless I submitted legal documentation proving my name is She Walks Softly. So I converted the profile to a “page,” lost all my data, and now my blog posts are listed as reaching about 7 people instead of 500+ per day via Facebook specifically. Since I had barely touched the site for 5 years, I didn’t realize that Facebook wants us to buy ad space so they limit the post audience and don’t let us add anyone or communicate from a “page.”
I take issue with this because Facebook frequently makes announcements regarding its perpetual quest to target the user’s experience to his or her own interests, as if we should be grateful. It appears this is largely a veil for self-serving data mining and manipulation of visibility for financial gain.
I’m an extremely pronounced introvert. And while I adore and admire my extrovert friends who cast a wide social net, due to my own wiring I cannot…even where it would serve me…muster the faintest interest in non-substantive popularity. This quality is simultaneously a gift that ensures a high concentration of quality personal interactions in my life, and a curse in our market-saturated society that requires copious self-promotion for any independent project (an endeavor at which I’m not only miserable, but wholly inept). I’ve never promoted my blog anywhere nor have I taken any measures to grow the Facebook page. Whoever ended up on these sites found them of their own accord and wanted to be there.
The plummeting numbers themselves didn’t bother me. It bothers me that many people who went out of their way to tell me they appreciated the blog content and followed daily through Facebook no longer see the posts, and I have no recourse to make them aware of the shift. Even if I could remember all the strangers who have expressed gratitude and write to them from my regular profile, I would get temporarily banned for “spamming.” And, if I were able to write to these kind strangers, the messages would be relegated to the recipients’ “other/request” folder, most likely remaining unseen. I didn’t even know an “other” folder existed until there were hundreds of messages in it…and I still never check it.
In short: people who expressed genuine interest have been shut out. This hardly reflects the site’s purported benevolent preoccupation with targeting user interests. Apparently, there is a penalty for valuing quality over quantity, for wanting followers who actually give a damn about the material as opposed to page views that can be bought.
This blog is a fun hobby that has nothing to do with my career. I will never earn money off it, and that was a conscious choice I made so as not to alter my content for search engine optimization, feel tempted to post shameless clickbait, bombard people with pop-up ads and other flagrant marketing tools…or do anything other than share my love of art, absurdity, and the darker side of life with fellow enthusiasts.
Passed the Halfway Mark!
Posted in announcement, cats, medicine with tags announcement, cats, medicine on February 29, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyWhen my dad began a fundraiser to save my life, I never in my wildest dreams believed that a little introvert who has been largely unable to communicate or set foot outside the house for years due to illness could have friends and strangers from all over the world rallying for her like this. We’ve passed the halfway mark, and I’m unbelievably grateful!
Feeling triumphant…
I’ve spent over 20 years flailing around in a medical system that could not (or would not) help me…and there is finally hope that I can make it. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making this possible. PLEASE keep this link circulating!
Survival Quest!
Posted in announcement, medicine with tags announcement, medicine on February 8, 2016 by shewalkssoftlyIt’s been a long time since I’ve given a health update on this blog because I’ve wanted the focus to be on interesting and entertaining content. But the truth is, I’m quite literally in a fight for my life.
My amazing father created this page, which gives a great summary of the story and status:
Help Bring My Daughter Back to Life
As I said to some of my friends recently, I love this planet…I know some really great people on this planet…and I’d like to stay on this planet a while to make, do, and help things. The medical system gave up on me for 21 years, then miraculously diagnosed me, then found a cure, then denied me the cure. Time is now of the essence.
I know times are tough, so no pressure to donate. If you feel comfortable doing so, it would really help to share the link via social networking (and/or personal email if possible since things get lost in the FB shuffle). If you do donate, please make sure I have your mailing address. When I’m able, I want to send a handmade/written token of gratitude to everyone who helped make my recovery possible!
Much love and thanks…
Countdown to Halloween
Posted in announcement, halloween, vintage with tags announcement, halloween, vintage on September 26, 2015 by shewalkssoftlyOnce again, I’ll be participating in the Countdown to Halloween, with the “Cryptkeepers” who gather every year to bring spooky treats as the holiday draws near (I usually begin October 1st).
Thanks, as always, to John Rozum for organizing this blog event. If you want to participate, head to Countdown to Halloween.
Call For Halloween Submissions!
Posted in announcement, halloween with tags announcement, halloween on September 10, 2015 by shewalkssoftlyIt’s almost the best time of year again! I know it’s a little early (but believe me, it’s been hard to wait THIS long to mention Halloween).
I’ll be doing a countdown again, and would love to see your favorite Halloween art, props, products, foods, decorations…well, you get the idea.
Please share the amazing things you come across, either here or on the SWS Facebook page. As always, I’ll give credit and/or link to your personal projects if I post your suggestion.