Wow, I never would have thought that I would blog this much. 100 posts is a lot! (and 338 comments since the last time I posted about the 1000 comments!) To celebrate, I thought I’d do something a little special, and write about how this came to be, the best of my blog posts, and what I’m going to do going forward.
I had originally started sorting photos for the second blog entry of my Singapore trip when things suddenly got really busy and I never got to it. Even after coming back to Vancouver, I haven’t had a chance to get to it. Good thing I didn’t, as I didn’t even realize this was my 100th post. As Lightningsabre put it elegantly, it would have been a shame to waste it.
So how did this all begin? My very first post was on December 24th of 2007, but my actual blogging started earlier March 18th 2004. At that time, I wanted full integration of my blog with my web gallery, so I literally built my own html blog. (I don’t know how to code in PHP). So all of my entries and comments for those three years were manually added, using a stripped down wordpress theme customized to my liking. I basically tore out every “wordpress” aspect of it. I did this because I wanted something more customizable, and wordpress was pretty limited with what I could do. A full Content Management Software would have been overkill as well, and was confusing to learn.
The very first person to comment on my “blog” at the time, was now long-time friend, Shino. I didn’t know him at the time, so I was absolutely thrilled that someone had commented on my blog. Over the next little while, I found manually adding comments was troublesome, so I started using wordpress.
Slightly before this, figure.fm had just started its infancy. I found it to be a good place to exhibit my skills, and began photoshopping my figures. It wasn’t long before I began using wordpress as my main site, and putting my gallery on second.
Technically, this isn’t the 100th post, but more like 110 or something. On June 2008, I split my blog. I wanted to keep radiantdreamer more focused on anime and figure photoshopping, and less on the video game industry and art. So I tore out all those entries and integrated them into Mirror’s Edge. Now, Mirror’s Edge has become more of a glorified bookmark folder where I put tutorials and such I find on the web. A pretty good resource for any 3d artists.
The post that’s been getting consistent number of hits has to be my Plastics post. It gets a steady influx of hits every single day. I’m sure it’s helped a lot of people, as I see it’s a pretty popular search term in my blog stats. In addition, it seems Are You A Hentai Otaku? gets a steady influx as well. It’s hard to believe that these early posts get the most coverage on my blog even after so long. I’m definitely proud of my Anime Pride category. 🙂
My first official Figure Photoshop post was Elwing. I had done many photoshop images before that, but this was the one I wrote a tutorial on. Already, you can tell that I’ve been at this hobby for quite some time. Though it’s not one of the most popular posts, it’s definitely a favorite image among my readers, and friends. I guess I lucked out a bit on it, as many people had no idea this was photoshopped. This was definitely one of my most early posts, as there were only 5 commenters!
Nendoroid Gamers is probably everyone’s favorite photoshop pic. It was also the first time the blog had ever gotten 30 comments on a post. The Hentai Otaku post came close, but this one definitely got the comments a lot faster. I have to admit, this is probably one of my favorite pics. It just seemed right. It was a lot of fun to do.
I guess my posting frequency was a lot higher then, but in August of 08, I put up an apology post for lack of updates. The post previous to that was only about 14 days before it. I find that interesting because it’s been quite a long time since my last post this time, yet it feels like time is flying by a lot faster! I guess when things get busy, the blog ends up suffering.
Somewhere in the New Year of 09, I stopped doing figure photoshops, stopped doing art, and stopped sharing. Something happened, and I felt like blogging was pointless. My hits dropped, my comments dropped, and I wasn’t enjoying blogging anymore. It wasn’t until this post that I realized what was going on, and what I was going to do to fix it. Seriously, I was on the verge of calling it quits at the time.
After a few posts, I started picking up on it again, and wrote another Anime Pride article. This one was about my wife and her interests in anime. Writing this article was fun, and really invigorated me back into blogging. This was where I found my need to share again, and it was answered with great response from readers, with their insights, experiences, and suggestions. This was what I write for – an experience to share with others of the same interest and community. Since then, I have been writing and doing art to share with everyone the experiences I have in my life that are related to anime and figure collecting, which now that I think about it, was the initial goal that somehow got lost along the way.
Since then, the blog has been growing steadily, and I post whenever I can (usually Fridays, and sometimes Wednesdays). It’s definitely been a long road, but there are more things for me to share all the time!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the blog has reached over 100k hits. It’s been a while since I talked about that.
Thanks for reading my long-winded post! Figure Photoshop on Friday? We’ll see how I feel. ^^
Read more!
I wish long life to RADIANTDREAMER and many other items!! 😉
Thanks very much Lylibellule! Hey, I’ve been wondering, your blog is a mix of english and… french?
Not mix LoooL 😀 Each posts on Lylibellule is written both in english and french.
I think that’s more friendly especially because most of figures blogs and websites are in english. Let’s juste please everyone.
If you want to post a comment in english, it’s not a problem 😉
Wow, that must be a lot of work! It’s tough enough as it is writing a blog. That’s very impressive!
K, gonna add you to my RSS feed. ^_^
(and adding to blogroll)
Congratulations Radiant Dreamer ^^ It’s a beautiful number ^^ I hope more and more post !!!
Thanks for the pleasant wishes, Leonia! Will definitely post more! ^_^
Another milestone reached, eh?
I have to admit that I think I may be reaching the point where I feel that blogging might be a chore but then I have been sticking rigidly to a “1 post per week” format since the blogs inception. Problem is that I feel that if I break that (aside from on hols or when there’s no other choice) then I won’t be able to get into the swing of things again but at the same time, I sometimes struggle with deciding what to write week in week out, and that’s not good!
But it looks like your love of blogging is still going strong! I hope to see you continue for some time.
Yeah, another milestone. It’s interesting looking back on one’s blog and learning so much about my own personal growth, both as an internet blogger, a hobbyist, and as a person.
Blogging only becomes a chore when you are forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to. I find that I’m more able to enjoy blogging if I don’t force myself. With the right attitude, you’ll get back into it.
Really, don’t sweat it. You’re not obligated to post. Post when you want to, or when you find something interesting to blog about. It’s more fun that way, and more interesting! Don’t worry, you’re on my RSS reader, so I will look forward to your next post, whenever that may be!
I bet you say that to all the bloggers!
It is true that I have been tempted to just simply post when I feel like it but the schedule is a bit like 2 sides of a coin. The “need” to post something once a week can often get me off my arse and actually do something with the current project instead of just sitting down and playing modern warfare 2 (or whatever the flavor is at the time) and doing cool bits makes me want to share it with people. I’m also a creature of habit so if I break the habit, it’s really hard to go back to it.
Aren’t I a stinker?
I still want to share my kits, tho more just the completed ones but I use both my hobby and my blog to get the ball rolling in a sort of antagonistic pairing. And even then I can only complete a kit every 3 months or so, if that!
Having said all that, I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel quite just yet. And thanks for your readership. It’s much appreciated!
lol! I can’t say whether I say it to all the bloggers! 😛
I guess for some people, it works well to try keeping to a habit, while for others it’s a matter of motivation or inspiration.
Personally, I can’t get myself to blog about something routinely unless I really have something to write. I can’t post an article that I’m not happy with myself, so I want to make sure I do it right. I don’t want my readers to read a half-assed article. 🙂
Right now, it just coincides that I have stuff to write about on a weekly basis – it’s whether or not I have the chance to. ^^;
Congrats!
I need better time management, I look at the day, see it’s been three days since last update and say to myself “Time to update!” then I do homework and wargame public beta-test, and the day ended, and repeat, and repeat.
I think once this semester draws closer to an end it’ll be better, and moreso if I limit my beta-test activity, which is beginning to grate on my nerves anyhow.
Anyway, congrats!
I already have 71 posts, so I guess if I’ll move to “just” 2 posts a week it’ll be alright, but right now I seem to be at 1.5 posts a week, which is unfortunate. Seeing Porco Rosso and Whispers of the Heart on Friday, and it’s not like I’m lacking material.
Thanks Guy! It’s always good hearing from you. Sometimes, you just gotta shift your priorities, and just do what’s most important, whether it be blogging, or doing homework. There’s always a time for everything, and you are well aware of that. 🙂
A lot of bloggers nowadays seem to be finding blogging to be a chore, (see my comment above). Fortunately, you don’t seem like that type, and simply just lack time. You’ll get to it. 🙂
Congrats!!! Haha oh my we actually wrote something similar 😀 Read your old post about nearly giving up and thank goodness you got back into the swing of things ^^ I really enjoy your pictures and edits! Looking forward to more awesome stuff from you. Keep the passion burning ! 100k is a very nice number!!
Thanks chubbybots! Yeah, it was a very close call. RadiantDreamer is still around, thanks to encouraging friends such as yourself! ^_^
I definitely do enjoy doing photoshop work, so giving myself the freedom to procrastinate has actually helped drive me to not procrastinate (weird huh?)
The soul still burns! XD
Grats on another milestone ^^ Busy work schedules don’t allow for much time to post, so just post when you feel like it. We’ll be here ^^
Thanks Micchi! You’re totally right. I’m so glad to finally realize that! ^^
congrats on your 100th post!! and powerful hit points lol keep moving forward, grow blog grow ^_^
lol hit points. ^^
Thanks! You’ll know when I post another video on my youtube too! ^___^
Wow Congratulations!
It must feel weird to think of all the posts you’ve made since the beginning when you really take a moment to think about it….Anyway, congratulations once more and I can’t wait to see you make more and more awesome posts!
Hi Lostty! 😀
It did feel a little strange looking back at my posts. It’s like a different person writing. I’ve forgotten a lot of it (I have terrible memory), so it was strange yet refreshing… O_o
Thanks for the encouragement! ^_^
Congratz~!
I’m lookinging forward on your blog ^^
Congrats!
Blogging is really not an easy task… Trying to think of what to post constantly and what’s not.
I’ve just started mine and found myself to be constantly adjusting my pace so I won’t feel burnt out of tiring to continue!
1 year must have been an encouraging milestone.
Hope there will be many more 1-years ahead!
Thanks BNN!
It can be hard to try and think of what to post. But posting for the sake of it is not healthy. I strongly encourage to post “when you have an idea” rather than “come up with an idea to post”. While frequency and consistency is important to keep readers coming back, quality is always better than quantity.
^^; it’s not a 1-year milestone, RD has been around since 2007! O_o
Congrats! It definitely has been a long road, but I assure you it hasn’t been wasted.
After doing a measley 3 posts (1 post per month) for my blog, I already find it very time consuming to make a great post. So having 100 posts is amazing to me.
I read the above comments and yes I agree to make posting not a chore you just have to do it whenever you want and not force yourself to post, but I think good time management is still required to have some regularity.
Here’s to a great future for your blog! I can’t wait till I’m reading your 200th, 300th, 1000th post! KANPAI! *clank*
Thanks pyauki! Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me (and you know why).
You may have only three posts, but you’ll get into the groove once you find it. 🙂 Right now, I can see that you’re still kinda trying to find your place. Definitely time management is required. I think though that as such, I’ve neglected some other things too – goes to show how much I care about blogging, I guess. ^^;
lol 1000th posts and I’ll be Danny Choo! Here’s to hoping I can last that long at my rate! KANPAI!
Heh! I guess we all went through “hard times” with blogging. It is kindda inevitable, but helps going on and refocusing on our true passions.
Good to read another of your experience article, very rewarding as always. And congratz for those gratifying stats ^^
You’re totally right. I’m glad that you’ve come back to the scene. I’m actually also glad that during your “hard times” you found something else to focus on that you felt was more important. Honestly, when you suddenly stopped posting entirely, I thought the worst had happened to you! O_o; Glad I was wrong! lol!
Thanks for still sticking around to share with me all that we’ve experienced!
Haha did I put it elegantly as “wasting it” XD I remember very well that it was my 100th post when I did post mine, but I didn’t really feel like doing a recollection since I did that recently in my first year of blogging. So I didn’t want to be redundant but I didn’t want to do it too simple either ^^;
Anyhow… Congratulations on post #100! 😛 Looks like I’m behind on reading some of your previous ones before this… I’ll catch up soon hopefully!
Sounds like a lot of people are calling blogging a chore, eh? Hmm… I suppose it can be a little, especially if the Gundammed html code and the editor is not co-operating >_< But yeah, I don't let it consume me. I blog about once a week, but no regular days for me or else it'll become a routine ^^; I'm somewhat slowed down at the moment, maybe because laziness is taking over, lol. Anyways I'll cut this short before I start making a sub-post on your blog… Congratulations again!
Yeah, I remember reading your recollection a while ago. ^^ I’m lucky that it never really crossed my mind to do one until now. I guess every 100 posts is a good milestone to do a recollection rather than a yearly one (unless one blogs like the way one tweets lol).
If you subscribe to my RSS feed, then you won’t fall behind on my posts! 😀
You write your blog in html? wow, blogspot gives you more freedom that I thought. The html editor in wordpress is rather limited…
Thanks for being around since the beginning of AFN!
Heheh when I did that one year thing, I didn’t realize I was close to 100 ^^; Hmm it’s not that I’m falling behind on your posts, it’s just I haven’t had the time. I always have you on follow on my Blogger Dashboard, so I can click your name and it’ll show all your posts no problem 🙂 Just… no… time… >_<
Hmm… well I don't write everything in HTML on Blogger, but I do mess around with the codes a little bit (like adding target="_blank"). Mostly the major problem with the html on Blogger is that it repeats the code for "Read More" sometimes when I edit stuff, so I have to fix those up afterward. I'm sure it's about the same as WordPress anyway ^^;
Speaking of AFN… I haven't made a nomination or vote yet, lol. I'll have to get around to that soon XD
ic ic. There’s always a lot to do! I can barely keep up myself! lol!
For wordpress, they try to make it as user friendly as possible. When you add a link, it automatically does all the HTML setup for you, including the target=”_blank”, and even alt=” ” text, etc. etc.
I rarely have to edit any of the HTML (I only do it for adding images, since it’s faster doing copy paste in HTML than going through the interface). I’ve never had any problems with “Read More” or the like. You may want to take a look at wordpress and see if you like it!
No worries about AFN. Voting hasn’t begun yet. But hurry up and get your nominations in before the deadline!
Thanks for the link…. i figure out that i still didn’t put you in my blogroll but i read you for a long time now. 😀
I’ll do it right now.
Yes indeed, it’s a lot of work but i do it with pleasure.
Congratulations! I’ve been your silent reader for a while. I admire how you can always come up with something interesting to post, really. My blog has only 71 posts as of today and it took two years! 🙂
Thanks! I’m very happy to hear that I’ve got some readers that I don’t know about! Wow! You’ve truly made my day!
I’m glad my contributions to the net aren’t in vain! 😀
Congratulations on the milestone. I look forward to the next 100. ^^
Thanks dude! It’ll be a while before I reach 200, but I’ll try my best! ^^
Hey, stumbled upon your blog from Google – I enjoyed your illustrations and reading through your blog posts. Sometimes I wish I had an illustrating job like yours (always has been a childhood dream of mine haha), but oh well, I’m starting to enjoy mine more and more too. Congrats, and I’ll keep your blog in my radar!
Hi!
Thanks for visiting, and welcome to my site! I’m glad you are enjoying my work. It definitely is fun to have a job as an artist, but it’s also not as stable a job as most, so the reality of it isn’t as pleasant as most people believe. Spare time art is very different from work time art! ^^;
Your illustrations look very good too! I like ’em! Adding you to my blogroll!
So glad that you come back at that time, or else I would not know anything (actually only 1 %) about you at all and amazed me that in the other corner there have somebody so expert in these some kind of modifying figures, backgrounds or whatever. (I mean photoshop figures that mentioned in your post)
More than that, I think I also need to thank Danny, since it is my 1st time as a supporter/fans in my life and then I “discover” you from his site. ^^
Well, what did you know?? Your post enlighten the flare inside me even I didn’t notice about it at that time, made me read all your posts in this site (except photoshop tutorials ><)
Anyways, just gambate and give your best shot!!!!
Eat my words again, seems your blog only like to eat mine, wonder why…
Here’s the add-on after the (except photoshop tutorials ><
I think a lot of people are tied to Danny in some way or another. Danny has mentioned me in his articles a few times before, but in the greater picture of it all, his site is just a venue for everyone. It’s still up to me whether or not to post anything there to increase my exposure or not. Not to mention the people that are on Danny Choo are always evolving. Some people move on, and new people join in, and as such, I’ve seen different “generations” of commentors/readers come to my blog as well.