Tag: Dialogues Murals

Why BlogPaws is so Important to Me

This post originally appeared here on April 1, 2010. Since I am going to the second BlogPaws conference in Denver, CO next week, I wanted to share it again (with updated links). It is especially poignant for me since I will be speaking at and creating a mural at BlogPaws West.

BZTAT

When I was child, I was painfully shy. I am talking pathological anxiety, excruciating and terrified of people kind of shyness.

Even though I have been a mental health therapist for 19 years, I still do not know where the shyness came from. I do, however, know what saved me from it.

Animals.

Having family pets gave me friends of whom I was unafraid, and who showed me unconditional love. My pets also gave me something that I could talk about with people, alleviating some of my social anxieties.

I am 48 years old now, and I now feel fairly comfortable in most social situations. I even have found comfort in speaking in front of large groups. Even so, I still rely on my love of animals as one of my mainstay conversation topics.

So it is no wonder that I gravitated towards pet lovers when I stepped into the vast sea of social media.

Through my blogging cat Brewskie Butt, I have met hundreds of pet lovers from all over the world, and I have developed friendships that are very deep and meaningful through online interaction. I have even had the opportunity to meet some of these people face to face, enjoying a more full experience of our shared love of animals.

Next week, I will get the chance to meet many more of these people and other new friends at [BlogPaws West], the [second] ever pet blogging conference, being held in [Denver, CO]. I can’t wait!

I am looking forward to the event as an opportunity to expand my professional network as a pet portrait artist and blogger, and I am hoping to learn some new skills to enhance my online presence.

More than anything, though, I am looking forward to meeting people who share the love that I have of animals on a personal as well as professional level. And, I am looking forward to meeting some of their pets also, because many people will be bringing their animals with them to the conference!

Robert Brault said, “The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.”

I believe this to be true. We allow pets into a very special place in our hearts that is unguarded and unfettered. Friends who understand this best are the ones I most want to allow in my company.

So you see, painting pets is more than just a niche art style for me. It is something that connects me to the world from a place deep within my soul.

And that is why meeting up with fellow pet lovers at BlogPaws is so important to me.

I’ve never used before, so at the right moment I was afraid that I wouldn’t achieve erection because of my concern (especially when I had a new girl).

I hope to see YOU at BlogPaws!

I Need an Image of an Adoptable Cat for My BlogPaws Mural.

Lorenza
Digital Art by BZTAT

Can you help me out?

I want to use a dog and cat image for the mural that I will be creating at BlogPaws West.

Last night, I was going through zillions of photos of critters to use as reference images for the mural.

Then someone posted this sweet pup named Lorenza on my Facebook wall.

I thought, “She’s Perfect!”

LorenzaLorenza was found in Canton, OH and is looking for a home. The person who found her volunteers with Second Chance For Animals, and she has offered to pay the adoption fee for anyone who is one of my Facebook Fans.

Please let me know if you are near Ohio and are interested. I will connect you with the volunteer.

Now I need a cat…

Do you have a photo of a cat that is available for adoption that I could use for my mural along with Lorenza?

If so, post it on my Facebook Fan Page with some information about the animal and how it can be adopted by Friday September 3, 2010.

I will choose a cat to be featured in the mural from the photos I receive.

Since a big part of the BlogPaws mission is to Be the Change for Pets, it seems only right to feature pets in need in the mural.

I am looking forward to painting the mural, and I am looking forward to meeting you at BlogPaws!

BlogPaws West: Your Chance To Pawticipate in Creating A BZTAT Mural!

BZTATBlogPaws West, the second conference this year put on by the great BlogPaws Team, is less than 2 weeks away.

And guess what? I am not only going to be there, I am going to be creating an artwork during the conference in collaboration with all of the attendees!

BlogPaws has commissioned me to create a Dialogues Mural as part of the BlogPaws West Conference in Denver, CO September 9-11, 2010.

A Dialogues Mural is a public artwork that I create on-site at an event with the help of event participants. Participants are encouraged to scribe their thoughts, ideas, reflections, drawings, etc. about the event’s theme, which I then incorporate into the mural using collage techniques.

A Dialogues Mural keeps the energy, inspiration and dialog going well after an event has concluded. Additionally, having an interactive artwork as part of an event creates a memorable attraction that lives on in the hearts of participants.

The theme for the BlogPaws mural is Hand to Hand – Paw to Paw: Celebrating the Worldwide Community of Pet Lovers.

I am very excited about creating the BlogPaws mural, as the organization and it’s purposes are very near and dear to my heart.  I will get a chance to create an artwork with some of the most influential writers and entrepreneurs in the online pet community, and I will get to spend great times with friends who I have met online.

Are you coming to BlogPaws? If so, come prepared to share a thought, an image, a quote, or some other idea that will become a part of a collaborative piece of art. it isn’t hard. All you need to do is write your thought on a small piece of paper and submit it to be included with the thoughts shared by others in YOUR community.

I can’t wait to create and share dialogs with you!