This week’s art blogger interview is with Amy Ng who runs the large art and illustration blog Pikaland.com, ‘a blog about living the illustrated life’. Amy is an illustrator from Malaysia who also publishes zines and loves crafts and doodling.
Hi Amy, thanks for telling us about your art blogging. What is the address of your blog?
https://pikaland.com
Which country are you based in?
I’m based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
How long have you been blogging?
Four years and running!
How often do you post updates?
I post from Mondays to Fridays.
Do you have a niche or do you cover all of the arts?
We cover mostly illustration and a bit of art – sometimes the both collide and it’s becoming ever harder to just put one label on it.
How did it all start? Why do you do it?!
It all started quite innocently. I was blogging privately when I started collecting all these links to illustrators and I thought to myself that I should collect these in a separate blog, and so that’s how Pikaland was born.
Which blogging platform do you use?
I use a CMS – Textpattern. I’ve used it since my first blog!
Do you also use social media?
Yes! I use Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. My favorite out of the three is Pinterest.
What have you discovered about the art world since you started blogging?
I’ve discovered that it’s all about stories, more than just aesthetics or pretty things.
You are an artist as well. How does blogging complement your practice?
I find that blogging has really opened up my eyes to different ways of seeing, and that I’m beginning to recognize the patterns in which I am drawn to after looking at so many different types of art and illustration. I’m looking forward to putting what I’ve learned into motion this year.
Do you write the blog entirely yourself or do you have guest posters?
Most of it is done by me – I’ve had contributors before and I’m putting together a new group this year. It’s going to be exciting!
Do you post mainly images or text?
A mix of both. I like to think that I add something to the conversation rather than just post up pretty pictures.
Do you run advertising?
Yes I do.
Do you make any money from the blog?
I do, but not very much – it doesn’t cover half of my expenses! Call it a labor of love.
Do you encourage interaction and comments?
I do, but I prefer to email my replies to comments directly instead of posting them on the blog. I like to connect with my audience this way – it’s more personal.
What set up do you have for blogging? Do you blog on the move?
I don’t blog on the move, sadly! I do however, prepare my drafts in advance so I write my posts two days a week on my laptop.
What are your aims for your blog?
I’m not quite sure really – I just wanted to have a place where I could put up stuff that inspires me and I have an amazing community right here, which is quite amazing at this point.
Thank you very much for your time.
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