"Guest Blogger post on BlogPaws"

Was so excited to be asked to write a "Guest Blogger" post on BlogPaws page. Such an amazing group they are so interested in sharing the work of pet bloggers all over the World. Since I started the Dogs project from an idea as well as my passion for rescue, BlogPaws wanted me to write about how that simple idea is becoming reality with a steady social media platform. Let's face it, if there were no Facebook, Twitter or Blogger , Dogs for the PAWS wouldn't be the growing group that it is. So remember if you have a passion and love for a cause, whatever that may be...don't hesistate to build an idea from it. It could be the best thing you ever did.

I included the link to BlogPaws site in case you would like to check it out or sign up to attend their annual event which will be this August 2011 in Vienna, Virginia. I am attending also.

"The Uniqueness of YOU"

Each of us is an individual...with our own thoughts, ideas and passions.  Seldom do we discover that these passions for a "cause" can be the start of a new direction in our lives.  I am one of those people who made that discovery.  Some called me a "crazed animal activist"...simply because I wanted to do something that brought no monetary rewards at all, but exposed and promoted the work of animals rescue and shelters across the nation.  I am not a celebrity or a public figure, just a regular person who had a passion for an idea that began from watching a movie, scribbling on a piece of paper, and a love for animals.  I rescued and adopted a special dog I have loved for the past 10 years. That experience brought me to be a volunteer for a rescue group, many years later.

I am a professional graphic designer and illustrator. I wanted to do something with my art that would be engaging and also help to promote the dedicated effort that rescue and shelter people make, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This idea began in September of 2009.  October and November are national adoption months so I planned to kick off this project then. For the past couple of years, I had wanted to get back to painting pet portraits. Everyone loves pet art. I decided to challenge myself and paint 80 rescue dogs' portraits and include the stories of their rescue, in 80 days.  I work full time, so would have to do all of this at night, after work and during weekends.  I decided to send out an email to all my rescue friends and see who might submit a dog to participate in my project.  I wrote a simple press release, introduced my plans for the project, added the logo on a letterhead type email and sent it out. I received 35 submissions that first week.  Knowing the work a pet portrait can take, I painted all the portraits 8"x9".  This way they wouldn't take too long to paint.  Well, that was the understatement of the year!!  I never considered the amount of painting and the detail work required, to make each dog look the way I wanted him or her to look.  I got a good start, but the 80 days I had planned to paint became 90 days, and day by day til it ended at 503 days.

I saw the movie, "Julie &Julia", about the writer who cooked her way thru Julia Child's cookbook and wrote a blog about it. This is what gave me the idea for the blog.  It looked easy enough, but I am an artist , not a writer, so I planned to have the participating dogs' families write the stories.  I would paint the portraits, post them on Twitter, Facebook, and the project blog www.dogsforthepaws.com.  I did set up the blog , but not knowing a lot about .com and such, I just used the basic blogspot.com part of the blog address. It was not until recently I bought the domain and now it is a .com.  So much easier for tweeting, posting, business cards, etc...  The plan was coming together nicely, but from an idea you have to consider an image so that you can promote and have people recognize you.  The project had a name but needed a logo.  Since I was painting the portraits, I went with a simple but colorful image...the paw in a lot of colors.  I picked a funky, trendy font and put it all together.  If you are not an artist, there are many affordable designers that can help you with developing your image and logo.  You can also use a great clip art site, such as iStock or Vectezzy to find an image to use.  With a little work you can have a logo, plan and blog site set up and ready to go within a few hours.

As I continued painting, learning how to post on the blog, Facebook and Twitter, something miraculous began to happen. I was painting and posting and people were starting to join the blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.  I would post a new dog and story, and have INSTANT comments from friends and followers.  My little "art project" as I call it, was beginning to become a reality with a group of pet lovers just like me.  People who want to do something to help animals in need. To learn how to use social media better, I took an online class. With Facebook and Twitter I posted to all the different pet groups, magazines online and published as well.  Also, I posted to all my pet friends, current and all the new friends I was meeting along the way.  Folks seemed to find the stories of these rescued pets to be inspiring and they loved the art presentation.  It's that simple, friends.  Take all the parts and pieces and present it in an engaging and unique way and your passion will drive you to success.

With the World at my fingertips...through Facebook, Twitter and the blog, I would post and share to all my local sites, as well as national sites, groups, events, etc... The project was first introduced nationally by DogTipper.com and it continued to gain popularity and friends.  The project has been featured in many online and published magazines as well as FIDOFriendly, All Things Dog Blog and PeoplePets.  The PAWS PACK families, as they are fondly known, have written and contributed stories and posts to bring more attention to the dogs and the shelters/rescues that found these animals.  More and more people started sharing as well  and the portraits began to get the attention of so many people.  I spent about three hours every night, just working with the social media and interaction with fans.  Also, there was painting every night of the week. I was excited! This project was being noticed all over the country and I was invited to paint all sorts of unique rescued dogs.  My first portrait was of my own rescued dog, Wyatt Earp. However, this blog touched on every breed of dog and every subject that had to be addressed by the rescuing shelter or group...from fighting dogs to senior pets.  From Nico, the Dogo Argentino, Faith, the very well known two legged dog, Rosie, from the Basset Hound puppy mill, Chamberlin who has sparked the WORLD with his amazing story of recovery and Target, the Afghan Hero dog who was named USA Today's Most Heroic Dog of 2010...the project dogs are all inspiring.  I tack the paintings on my studio wall so that I can remember what I am suppose to do...inspire others to be the change for all animals in need.  The group is not breed specific at all, which makes it fun to read about Azera, The Nova Scotia Tolling Water Retriever to Riley the Labrador mix senior who lived 13 years of his life on the end of a chain.  The stories are heartfelt.  I always joke that I have kept the Kleenex Company in business while working on the portraits and reading the stories, and crying through many days and nights.

After the idea first popped into my head and until I finally finished the paintings, people have wanted to share, post and talk about the project.  They asked when the next painting or story would be posted, etc... Some hope that posting on the blog about a rescue group that needs to raise funds might get attention and support from other animal lovers.  Pet lovers meeting other pet lovers, from all over the World...using the blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. Here I sit in Charleston, South Carolina, doing my art, and looking at the studio wall with the coolest "wallpaper" you have ever seen.  This simple little idea of 80 dogs' portraits, with 80 stories or their rescues, has grown to almost 3000 fans from Twitter to Facebook and the numbers continue to grow daily. It really is a reality that is coming into it's own, with an active support group. I am truly amazed!

Just remember that not every idea will become reality but with your heart and passion for your idea, you can make a difference and find success, just by being the unique individual that YOU are.  For my birthday my Mom gave me a sign that says...

"Uniqueness"
"Today You are You, That is Truer than True. There is No On Alive Who is Youer than YOU"

Now go make a difference!

http://www.blogpaws.com/2011/03/the-uniqueness-of-you.html