Blogging the deck design process - does anyone else do it?

Inspired by several blogs that friends have (including those of one or two people here ) I have started a blog to record the experience of designing our new deck.
Actually it has become a bit of a ramble about all sorts of things - but I think that in a way that's right - the deck does come out of the whole experience of working here after all.

I don't want to give the URL as it IS a bit too rambly as yet to share, but what I would love to know is if you are aware of anyone else who is blogging or has blogged the design process of a deck. I feel I want to see what others have done. I need to build up a bit of confidence before going public!

I stuck mine all on this list, though I DID think about getting a separate blog account. Ended up not putting it anywhere else after all, but the whole process I went through is on the Deck Creation list in 3 or 4 threads.

If I do it again, I might. Trying to separate out and verbally define what the process actually IS might be interesting - or get in the way. Only way to know is to do it.

I tried blogging a bit for another project I was working on - found that it tangled it's own feet, because while I was writing up the blog I ended up doing major work on the project, and usually it managed to change what I was doing in midstream. Trying to verbalize what I was doing clearly enough for other people sometimes wasn't the best way to go when I was working on too abstract a level - sometimes it ended up trying to make sense of something that really wasn't ready, and it took me a while to recover the original thinking. Haven't tried it with artwork yet.

Astra said:

Trying to verbalize what I was doing clearly enough for other people sometimes wasn't the best way to go when I was working on too abstract a level - sometimes it ended up trying to make sense of something that really wasn't ready, and it took me a while to recover the original thinking. Haven't tried it with artwork yet.

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Thanks for these replies. Hudson, I found the threads on your deck really interesting - I enjoyed them as they charted the whole process.

In reply to Astra - Yes, when I began I imagined a fairly straightforward account, along the lines of "today we did the sketches for the Four of Wands" or whatever. But it has turned into a much more general blog - accounts of living here, my own thoughts on life (I try to limit those as I guess they are not of broad interest!) as well as bits about the emerging deck. I'm not sure if that matters. I do follow Sarah Ovenall's blog on her site (she designed the Victoria Regina) and although I expected more about tarot - there is in fact very little - I've found that I enjoy her blog in its own right.

So, I can't decide really. I was hoping someone else was specifically blogging the design process and we could compare and contrast approaches to the blog. There must be someone doing this? Anyone else know?

When in doubt, Google.

Here is just one site I found by entering the key words "art blogs" in Google.

Bob

Marie White has a nice online journal for her Mary-El Tarot. Lots of entries on various inspirations behind the cards, different ideas for drawings, etc. There is a link to it on her homepage, or this link might work:
http://www.mary-el.com/archive.asp

I don't have a journal for my deck. My website doesn't get enough visitors to be worth it.

I do think that working a deck - like any long-term creative project - inspires the urge to write about it. I enjoy writing, and am directing most of that sort of energy into the book to go with my deck. The book is an absorbing project in its own right, but I don't really want to share it until it's done.

Lorena

Lorena B. Moore
Ironwing Tarot
http://www.mineralarts.com/artwork/artwork.html

Personally, writing a blog would really slow me down and would get in the way of my creativity. With two decks currently in progress, I know it would be far too time consuming for me to do one and I honestly do not have the time to spend writing one.

Joy to you,
Maralee

The idea of writing a blog concurrent with designing a deck is an attractive idea. At first glance, it seems like the ideal thing: to acquire insight into the misty beginnings of a large and internally-consistent artwork. But in practice it's not workable, at least for me.

If I'm working on some large project, I'd rather be working on the project, not documenting it. That's making one job into two jobs.

Or, if the purpose of the blog is to sort out my approaches, my influences, my rules, and the hundred other things that are involved in making something as (hopefully) important as a tarot deck, I'm not sure I'd want to give the public any access to it. Like a baby, it needs time and quiet and focused attention in order to gather itself together and grow, not the vague thoughtforms of mildly curious onlookers.

If you don't know, I plan to make a tarot based on a serie of horror games. I talked about my project on a horror games board, and some people showed interests. We discussed a bit about the games and tarot, it was quite interesting. I decided to continue the discussion at my board because the board where we are is not about tarot. So, I started the threads and all on my board, but no one showed up after all. I think I'm going to continue anyway, because I noticed that, as I was explaining them what I had in mind for this card and this card, everything seemed to be clearer, it made more sense. I already have a personal diary, I've never thought of making a blog though for my tarot, but I think it's a good idea, and it's possible I might make one after all. Excellent way to straighten out what is in my mind.

rota said:

Or, if the purpose of the blog is to sort out my approaches, my influences, my rules, and the hundred other things that are involved in making something as (hopefully) important as a tarot deck, I'm not sure I'd want to give the public any access to it. Like a baby, it needs time and quiet and focused attention in order to gather itself together and grow, not the vague thoughtforms of mildly curious onlookers.

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Yes, I suppose the first question has to be "What's the purpose of the blog". I suppose for me it's partly recording my own experiences and thought processes - for me. Maybe it's a way of communicating the whole context too, though it never occured to me that people would comment much (a bit perhaps, but I'm not sure people respond hugely to blogs so I don't imagine being bombarded with questions!) Because the new deck is slightly strange - in a nice way I hope - the context and process are quite amusing, so perhaps that's also one of the reasons I have begun to "blog" it.

I write and type fast, so it probably only takes 20 minutes a day or so - and tends to be fitted in while I'm doing something like waiting for a file to download, so it isn't as time-consuming as it may sound (I see that that's one concern several people bring up - and of course it's very true that it could grow to demand too much time).

I suppose as I'm also writing a companion book for the new deck it's a way of letting myself do looser writing - which can free up the more disciplined stuff needed for the book.

Anyway... this is turning into a thought-provoking thread. Oh - and thanks for the suggestions. I'd forgotten somehow about Marie's diary and will go look again.

Oh - maybe I should also say that my blog is not a step-by-step guide or record or anything. My Irishness comes out so I tend to start by saying "We tried out such and such a costume today" or whatever - then go off on tangential stuff. But in a way it's the tangential stuff that has a certain truth to it also. Even though we spend hours each day on the deck, other things also happen - and influence the work. Of course