Word Up is a melting pot of ideas on art, design and culture.  Any suggestions or thoughts are most appreciated!

ワード・アップは美術、デザイン、文化｛ぶんか｝のるつぼ。提案など、言葉は大歓迎です。宜しくお願いします。

Look a big graph

I thought when I started my web site blog that I would just do a few bits here and there and be done with it.  Little did i know that in actual fact blogging takes effort and creative thought.  Not only to write interesting and meaningful content but to actually promote and market your literary creations.  I have complied a list of basic but important tips for successful blogging:

1. 1. Create original well written content
2. 2. Blog regularly (2-3 times a week) to keep your readers happy!
3. 3. Stay focused on topics (choose a limited number of topics)
4. 4. Comment on other blogs.  Hopefully someone will comment on yours too!
5. 5. Share your site/blog URL
6. 6. Use appropriate tags
7. 7. Enable related link features (plug-ins etc..)
8. 8. Avoid clutter, make content easier on the eye for reading
9. 9. Plan your posts – they will be more intuitive
10. 10. You need to enjoy writing! A bit obvious but i needed to make it to ten!

Referring to No. 3 (stay focused on a few topics) I’m slightly worried that my only content so far is a Japanese shopping bag tranny guy and some plastic trees.  Hopefully I can make a connection to some further reaching topics somewhere down the line!

To conclude I figure its best to write about something you find interesting, thus you will not be dumb struck for new content and the proliferation of your blog machine!

The other day i was strolling through Yoyogi park, when I spotted Japanese shopping bag tranny guy.  These weren’t any standard shopping bags, but the more expensive department type (I guess he was going for the Vivien Westwood look!). The Japanese are good at origami but this guy has taken it to a new level!

As a consumer, shopping bags are an essential item, however it still shocks me when i buy single items; a soft drink; or a pack of sandwiches and I get asked if i want a plastic bag!  Generally the Japanese are at the forefront of eco-friendly electronics, housing and cars, however when it comes to the little things like plastic bags, the consumer is driven by convenience.

During my university days at Leeds Metropolitan, a fellow artist Lucy Irvine used discarded shopping bags in her work to great effect. By making the pieces from plastic bags, piping and cable ties, a dialogue is created between the industrially produced components and the handmade. Ironic ties could be found in my own work, where plastic wood flooring reflects the material its supposed to represent.