Putting Your Work Online: A Virtual Gallery

This is one of my favorites of Christine's @LineDesign33 Virtual Gallery.
I like it because it inspires me to imagine being that mermaid on the whale's back.
I can't wait to hang this up in my classroom to pique students' imaginations and creativity too.

Like me, my cousin, Christine Lucey-Meagher, is passionate about creating and caring for others. As an educator she designed amazing learning experiences for students like this Dr. Seuss Project. Also like me, her motivation has been to create, inspire and build community. Money has been an afterthought.

Now retired with a collection of beautiful hand-created line prints, Christine is developing her own virtual studio, LineDesign33. Together Christine, her husband Kevin and I started her online studio yesterday with a website, Twitter account @linedesign33, Etsy membership and Facebook postings. In the days ahead, I'm sure she'll create a Google+ presence, Pinterest, Facebook page, Etsy sell page and more.

After posting her virtual gallery yesterday, she already received a couple of orders for cards and personalized art work. In exchange for my time, she gave me a poster of the beautiful line drawing at the top of the page. I can't wait to share that drawing with my students as a point of imagination, inspiration and just pure pleasure.

It's important to put our work online these days. It's a way of sharing our commitment, care, talent and creativity with others. It's also a way to receive feedback and develop our efforts and craft. Further when our work is online, it's much easier to share with audiences near and far. It saves a lot of legwork and gives us more time to create with depth, breadth and purpose too.

I invite you to visit my cousin's beautiful website, view her amazing creativity and even order prints, cards or posters too as they make terrific, original gifts for others and decorations for your home or office.

I also invite you to put your wonderful talent, interests, inspiration and creativity online for all to see and share. As Thomas L. Friedman notes in his latest book, Thank You for Being Late--today's world is a start-up culture where everyone, in a sense, is their own personal "start-up business." As you think about that, wonder what your start-up is and how you'll share the time and dedication you give to that work with others. Please share with me as I'm interested.

Visit Christine's Virtual Gallery @LineDesign33 or LineDesign33