Sunshine is just what we’ve been craving this rainy winter. And lo and behold I got some by surprise! Thank you, Joy of Rabbithole Comics, for nominating me for a Sunshine Blogger Award. Joy herself has a lovely comic strip. Also not to miss is her Museum of Leporine Art – a collection of illustrations of classical works of art, creatively reimagined…

The rules:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog.
• Answer 11 questions the blogger asked you.
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your blog post.
• Nominate 11 new bloggers & their blogs. Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they received the award and ask your nominees 11 new questions.

My answers to Joy’s questions:

1. How did you discover blogging and why did you decide to start your own blog?  I started a drawing blog quite a few years ago. I was a young mom, with little ones who needed lots of care. I had always loved to draw, and started a blog to connect with others, to have a creative outlet, and as a sort of artificial spur to keep creating. I’ve retired that blog, and now just work on this one (I also post Coexist on Instagram).
2. In terms of blogging, do you think audiences look for quality or quantity more, and which is more important to you? Quality captures readers, and consistent output retains them – quality is always a primary goal.
3. What is the hardest part of creating content for you? Putting pencil to paper to draw. Once I start drawing, I get absorbed, and it is relatively easy to finish. Just beginning is the hurdle.
4. What are your tricks for curing Writer’s Block? I read other comic strips or humor writers, to get my brain in the groove.
5. What is your creative process?  Do you tend to space work out, or do you like to complete entire projects in one sitting? I keep an ideas notebook. I work out the ideas in my head while I am doing mundane tasks. Once the comic script is worked out, I pencil and ink and scan it, usually straight through.
6. How do you deal with being discouraged or unmotivated?  What about stress? Ah. I need any advice I can get, there.
7. What is your ultimate dream vacation? Staying in a cabin in the woods in the mountains.
8. What is your ultimate dream pet? A friendly cat.
9. If you had to spend one week in an empty room, what three items would you bring with you (besides basic necessities like food and water) and why? A blanket – to wrap up in, like a burrito. One serious book – spirituality, philosophy, or history. One “frivolous” book – a good thick novel.
10. Which new activity or hobby would you try if you had the time? Snowboarding.
11. Do you have any future big plans or changes in store for your blog? No. My current goal is small – just to post more regularly.

I’m going to bend the rules a little here and nominate just 4 blogs:

1. Omnia Caelum… Poetry, Art, Music
2. ashokbhatia
3. As much cake as you want
4. The Aroma of Books

Five questions for my nominees to answer:

1. What is your favorite comic strip?
2. With what fictional character to you identify strongly?
3. Would you rather cross your native country by airplane, train, or car?
4. When you were twelve years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
5. As you have gotten older, do you find that life seems easier, or harder?