Congrats, You’ve Won a Top Blog Award!

The Artist’s Road is nothing without its readers, who spark fascinating conversation in the comments and share posts with their friends. So with The Artist’s Road now an award-winning blog, you are the winners.

This morning the authoritative blog Write to Done named The Artist’s Road a Top 10 Blog for Writers for 2011-2012. Chief Editor Mary Jaksch certainly had her hands full, with more than 2,000 comments submitted in her call for nominations, and an impressive array of top 20 finalists.

A sign I encountered in Cape May County, New Jersey, on my cross-country U.S. road trip. It's telling me to slow down and not make turtle soup. That trip itself told me to reassess my life.

I’ll confess to some surprise at winning the award. It is true that I am a writer, and that as many writers do, I write a lot about writing. We’re navel-gazers that way. But as readers know, the focus of this blog is broader than that. In one respect it chronicles my return to writing, but more broadly it chronicles the commitments and sacrifices involved in living an art-committed life. Thus the name The Artist’s Road, not The Writer’s Road.

This blog plays a critical role in helping me move forward now that I’ve found my way back onto that road. Each post is an announcement to the universe that I’m sticking with it, for a few more days at least. So you could say The Artist’s Road is, at its core, a phenomenally selfish indulgence on my part.

But I do enjoy sharing what I learn along the way. That could be wisdom from the many creatives I interviewed on my cross-country U.S. road trip, the experience that sparked the launch of this blog in the fall of 2010 and that helps explain the blog’s title. It could be insights from my instructors in my MFA in Creative Writing program, including the post about recommended reading this summer that was promoted on The Huffington Post. It could be sharing highlights from conferences I attend, such as the AWP, the Poynter Institute, or the Creativity in Business conference. Or it could be a moment of personal discovery, from organizing my thoughts to juggling work and family.

Another crossing sign I saw in south Jersey. Like those baby ducks, I'm walking as I try to learn to fly.

I will also confess to experiencing discouragement at times with this blog. It requires time. It requires creative energy. But that is true of any aspect of living an art-committed life. And so by continuing to honor my commitment to this blog and its readers, I can continue to commit to my artist’s road.

I leave in a few days for Montpelier, Vermont, for my next MFA residency. I can’t say how much I’ll be blogging between now and my return. But I promise you I’ll pass along whatever I learn to you, whether it is about writing, creativity, or simply being present. In the meantime, congratulations on your role in an award-winning blog!