May Blooms
Latest News:
There are two new release prints for the month of May. One is Warm Light, in which a beautiful white Podenco stands in a square of sunshine. It honors the warm, simple moments in our lives with dogs, and adds that cozy relaxed feeling to any room.
The second is Spring Blooms, with a dark Podenco looking up at you through the filtered light under a blooming Cherry tree. It just feels like fresh air and new beginnings, with a lovely pink that cheers up any space. Do you have a special room that you like to unwind in? This one is perfect for a place like that because it just makes you want to breath deep and soak in that feeling of fresh spring air and the smell of Cherry blossoms.
In The Studio:
I have had quite a few ideas for paintings the past few weeks, and I’m trying to get better at writing them down when they come to me. When I’m actually ready to paint, ideas seem scarce, so having a list to pull from really helps. The act of drawing/painting and idea generation seem to use different parts of the brain. It feels like they don’t happen together, they happen at different times and I have to put them together. Ideas for digital paintings vs traditional come to me separately as well. Ideas for traditional paintings are a separate list.
My “studio” time the past couple of weeks has been shifted, unfortunately, away from these fun ideas toward attempting to understand the recent decline in reach and growth on social media, specifically Instagram. I have always had slow, steady growth, and I’m fine with that. I’m not one to rush to blame the algorithm when my posts perform poorly, I assume it’s either the content itself or my poor use of hashtags. In the past, switching up hashtags has helped, but not so much anymore.
I feel like I have spent way too much time this month stressing over how poorly my posts have been doing and trying to figure out how to remedy that situation. Instagram did a major update and apparently this problem that I am having is widespread, and no solution has been offered. It is very discouraging.
I have started experimenting with Reels, because that’s what IG wants us to do. I shared one Reel in my main posts and it performed MUCH more poorly than the already poor reach I was getting. I don’t really care for them in my main posts, but since I can share just to the Reels section, that’s what I’m trying now. So far, the two Reels that I have shared just as Reels have gotten MUCH MORE reach, but minimal engagement. They have been viewed by over 2000 accounts each, versus the 158 accounts that have seen the one posted in my main feed.
As this experiment progresses, I might make a Story to share the results, in case it can help other people. I would save it in my Highlights so it can be viewed beyond the 24 hour limit given to Stories. I will let you know if/when this happens.
If you find that my posts and Reels don’t always show up in your feed and you don’t want to miss them, please follow my hashtag, #DynamicDogArt, to increase the chance that you will see them. It would be greatly appreciated!
I’m actually not sure if it will really help, it’s another experiment!
At Home:
The big good news for the month is that my Podenco is doing SUPER on his new medication! We are managing PLE (protein-losing enteropathy) and he does not tolerate Prednisone well. He’s feeling great off of the Pred and his new steroid, Budesonide, is working really well for him, with no side effects, at least so far. He also needs long-term antibiotic therapy, as his protein levels drop below normal without both a steroid and an antibiotic. With him doing so well on the new steroid, we now get to try using an antibiotic that is safer for long-term use (Tylosin). He does really well on the other, but there are risks of neurological side effects with long-term use, so we want to see if the safer med works for his PLE. We won’t know until his next recheck, next month. Fingers crossed!
Right now he’s doing fabulous! Playful and loony, enjoying the fact that the weather has finally turned gorgeous and he can play outside every day with his bestie, the little man. I absolutely love seeing them having fun together, it was a hard won relationship, a rocky start, but that’s a story for another day. Now they seem to truly love and trust each other and it warms my heart seeing them interact together.
I hope that all of you are having a very happy spring, with lots of dog-crazy fun days planned for the coming weeks! Thank you so much for being here! God bless!