Welcome to my newly redesigned website!
I hope you’ll take some time to look around and get familiar with the new layout. It should be easier to navigate than my old website, and I hope you’ll find it’s much prettier, too.
What’s changed?
I’ve gotten out the hammer to completely dismantle My Storytelling Studio (the writing website). All of its links have been removed, the portfolio is now the “Gallery” and fresh peachy pink paint has been applied to the headers, with gold trim in footers and special areas of interest.
My objective was to trim everything that took a lot of time and energy that wasn’t art- related. While I still enjoy writing, my latest goal-setting session pointed to the need for more art practice on a daily basis, so something else had to give way. Hopefully, this will also mean that the blog posts will get more love as they will be one of the only two creative writing outlets I’ll have in 2024 (the other outlet is writing for the Storytown Radio Show).
I apologize for being offline since the end of November. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to tear everything down and build it back up again. When I started blogging in 2015, the website setup process was pretty simple. Back then, a person could simply choose a theme and let it do most of the work for you. Today there are all sorts of nuances associated with putting together a website, and it seemed like every change had to be implemented EXACTLY right.
But I think the result was worth the weeks of sweat and tears. What do you think?
A new online shop
I’ve also created a new shop for art prints and a limited number of accessories. I’ve named it “Studio Second Street”, and if you go to the shop homepage you can read why I chose that (visit studiosecondstreet.com)
Studio Second Street is intended to replace the “Aniza Studio” branding that I’ve had for the last five years. I thought the name “Aniza” sounded too much like a fashion or perfume brand than a visual art studio.
The YouTube Channel
I plan on keeping the YouTube channel active in 2024 but will change the name to “Annette Zimmerman” or “Studio Second Street”…I haven’t made the final decision yet. “Living an Artist’s Life” was a great name and I still believe it captures the essence of what I’m trying to accomplish with that medium, so maybe I’ll come back to that name in the future. For now, building a brand means staying consistent on all the social platforms, which means the YouTube channel shouldn’t have a third name.
Sigh. It’s hard to have so many ideas and not be able to use them!
I hope you’ll find it easier to navigate through the stuff I put out and, as always, that you find something useful here for your own creative practice. Please let me know your first impressions by leaving a comment below!
Until next time, happy creating!
Anni Z
