Blog Art

It just occurred to me (during work, even) that the 1st Philippine Blogging Summit assumed at least four general categories of blogs: The Government Blog, The Writer's Blog, The Journalist Blog, and The Popular Blog. Each of these types of blogs was discussed by a representative writer, and as a result, all the participants to the summit got a glimpse of what it was like to operate them.

But something still nags at the corner of my mind: What about the Art Blog?

There are a number of artists given to posting their works (as well as their thoughts about their work) online these days. There is a clear distinction between these and the Writers' Blogs. After all, some people like looking at art or reading comics, and these people won't necessarily be the same ones who like reading treatises on the nature of fiction.

Writers and artists, although both creative kinds of people who are all too willing to discuss their art of creation, simply produce different works. A clear distinction must be made between Writers' Blogs and Artists' Blogs.

For one, Artists' Blogs are easier to read, and are even more interesting to look at. Artists have a better grasp of visual quality than many other bloggers do, and as a result their blogs tend to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye: Complementary color combinations, organized layouts, you know the drill.

Writers are - let's all admit it here - disorganized. I believe that this clearly reflects their cluttered thoughts, which tend to jump from one idea to the next. Most writers don't seem to care what their blog looks like, because for them, it's all about the writing. (That probably explains why this blog runs on a horrible pink-and-grey scheme, incidentally.)

Artists' blogs command attention that is often fleeting in nature - you drop by, you look at the nice pictures or read the funny comics, and you head off. Due to the fact that art usually takes a while to create, most Art Blogs I've encountered don't update more than two or three times a week. I don't know if artists expect feedback regarding their works, but they don't seem to get much in the way of criticism anyhow.

Writers' blogs - depending on the skill at which they're written - don't let your attention go for a substantial period of time. By its very nature, a writer's work forces you to set aside more than just a couple of minutes to really let things sink in. What I've found interesting is that a writer can fire his entries off at the rate of as many as multiple times per day, possibly even getting more and more spontaneous as he goes along. And if there's something that's common to all writers, it's that they seriously expect constructive feedback.

We should have a representative who can discuss Artists' Blogs next year. I mean, we can't keep assuming that they can be lumped together in the same category. I'd suggest Jonas Diego right off the bat, only he'd probably kill me for even mentioning his name. :)

Besides, the next thing we know, the Sculptors may have some interesting stories to tell...