Thinking Blogger Award!

Wow! I was bestowed the honor of receiving a "Thinking Blogger Award" by bead artist Lori Greenberg and I can honestly say I am shocked! Really I was convinced that there were 3 people in my life that read this blog regularly: Dave, my mom, and my friend Kate. It didn't bother me much however, I guess because the purpose of this blog for me was more an exercise in self-discipline than anything. As well as a forum for celebrating my successes and pondering and blabbing on about random musings as I contemplate my journey through the highs and lows of my creative life. But to learn someone else, someone unrelated to me, is reading my blog… regularly?! I really do feel honored. See her post here.

If there's anyone else out there reading and/or lurking in the shadows, please feel free to say hello and let me know you're there! It would really make my day.

So here's how this works: since I was tagged, I now choose my top 5 blogs, those I read regularly and the ones that make me think…

1. Art Biz Blog Art coach Alyson Stanfield's blog, this one is the ultimate thinker! It persuades me to focus on all the things I often (don't wanna!!) think about to keep me on track with my business. An endless source of helpful information.
2. Plastic Girl Liana Kabel's blog, the blog that started it all for me! She inspired me to start midgesmind and I continue to visit her Plastic Girl blog for insights and inspiration. I think she's fabulous.
3. Design*Sponge I visit this blog regularly because I'm always inspired by the great design blogger Grace Bonney highlights. I've discovered more artists and designers through this website than any other. Makes me ponder current art/design trends.
   
4. The Carrotbox I had to include this blog because it has introduced me to SO many jewelers around the world that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Always inspirational. Always gets me thinking about art jewelry.
   
5. I Totally Hear That! I have to second Lori Greenberg's choice with this one. Hands down my favorite music/pop culture blog. Writer Mark Blankenship has got it right, especially when he says things like… (in reference to the Miss Universe Pageant): "I know, of course, that women all over the planet are subjected to constant human rights abuses and that in America they still hit glass ceilings every day. However, I naively believed that misogyny and objectification were only peddled as entertainment in lad mags like Maxim and Stuff. I didn't know that such things were still being sold to us in the guise of female empowerment." Yes.

Now for the rules, should you thought-provoking bloggers choose to respond and continue the award giving:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).