Reflections on Blogging after 660 Posts

It's a rainy Friday in Brooklyn, but this weekend will be bright and sunny for the Renegade Craft Fair in Williamsburg!

I'll be checking it out probably on Saturday, and I'm brainstorming ways to cover it for Greenjeans Blog a little differently this year, perhaps by polling visitors or something. I'm finding that just taking pictures of vendor's booths I like is getting a little stale, and am looking for new ways to blog about craft shows.

This is part of my recent reflection on how to revamp and reinvigorate Greenjeans Blog. After 660 posts (!!) I am starting to want a little more out of my blogging experience. Since I no longer have the shop to talk about I've been feeling a little adrift as to the purpose of the blog.

I'm nevertheless very passionate about craftsmanship, sustainability, and conscientious living, and so want to find new ways to blog about those issues. I am also increasingly interested in businesses based on handmade products, and not just craft galleries. From small-batch Brooklyn-based chocolate producers to celebrated Parisian couturiers, I'm interested in how the handmade makes a living and shapes our physical and culinary world.

Part of my blog-renewal effort is to rebuild on a new platform by switching to WordPress from Blogger. (WordPress is more sophisticated and allows more user design and layout control.) By rebuilding the blog I think I'll be able to prune dead bits and encourage new growth. Will be launching this later this summer.

Now, as many of you know, I've been tossing around the idea of changing the name of the blog, and after a great deal of back-and-forth, I think I'll keep what I've got. I decided this at the ICFF when I noticed vendors greeting me with "Hey there, Greenjeans!" Well shoot, if it ain't broke don't fix it, right? So I'm just going to keep my alternative name in my pocket for possible future application (like a new space!)...

As for blog content, there are a few features I will keep and hopefully expand. I love doing exhibition, book, and film reviews. I love visiting artisan's studios and doing Virtual Studio Visits. I love writing short essays. And I love sharing pictures of interesting new work at craft and design shows.

In addition, I think I'd like to do interviews not only with artists but also with curators, writers, gallery owners, and other professionals in the community. Basically, I'm wanting to get more involved with the various intersecting communities participating in the craft world, and hope that with some strategic planning and organizational brush-ups the new Greenjeans Blog will be leaner, meaner, and more fun and informative for all of us!

If YOU have any suggestions for how I could improve Greenjeans Blog, please leave a comment!!

Thank you for reading!

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans.