Interview with Popular Blogger Willie Baronet

This is the opening quote on his blog. Willie Baronet, author behind the blog “williebaronet’ has been drawing his entire life, but it took awhile for him to connect to art in a personal way. Visit his blog at www.williebaronet.blogspot.com.

“I love doing my blog. I have been at it just over a year and already have over 840 posts, which is hard for me to believe. I had a couple of friends see my sketches and mention that I should start a blog, so I did some research and started one. I have always really been passionate about encouraging people to express themselves. That is what drew me to start a blog,” says Willie.

“One thing I do every Friday is submit to a site called ‘Illustration Friday’ (www.illustrationfriday.com). Every Friday a topic is published and this topic is emailed to subscribers. Each subscriber is asked to post an interpretation of the topic. It is good fuel for a lot of people’s blogs. To me, it is amazing just how involved this community is,” Willie says.

“I receive positive feedback regarding my blog from all around the world. Our neighbors used to be people we shared our fences with. Since the internet, we share the same interests by forming a virtual neighborhood. Blogs help form these neighborhoods,” Willie said.

Willie Baronet was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. “It is the Heart of Cajun country. I just love crawfish etouffe and jambalaya and other dishes from that area. I will tell you what crawfish etouffe is, I will even spell it for you. Crawfish etouffe is a rich, well-seasoned stew that is based in oil and flour. It is served over rice. I love so many things about that part of the country, the food, the music, the soul, the joie de vivre,” Willie said.

College has always been known as a time of exploration, and Willie shows us this. “When I first started college I was pre-law for a bit. Then I switched to math for a couple of semesters. Finally, I was flipping through a college course catalog and saw advertising design. Something hit me and a light bulb went off. I was a junior in college and took my first art class. I was totally enthralled! Advertising design became my major then. That was my first real exposure to art.” Willie says.

After graduating from college, Willie moved to Dallas, Texas. “After working for a couple of agencies, I started my own advertising design firm, which I recently sold. While I am still involved in a consulting role, I am also starting to concentrate on other personal pursuits, one of which is art. For now, I still draw a lot, and carry a sketchbook with me much of the time. In many ways it is like a journal, and my first draft is my final draft. My sketches come about by my either drawing what I see; or drawing something that is in my head,” Willie said.

“One of my most recent posts is about ladders, and I actually linked to over 40 different ladder sketches. You will see ladders in many of my sketches because I just love them! They signify my own growth and learning. I love to learn new things, search, and seek out the new ,” Willie says. (Check out his post on ladders at www.williebaronet.blogspot.com/2006/07/illustration-friday-clean.html. )

“Another pursuit I am considering is becoming a life coach. I have been working with a life coach for awhile. A life coach is a personal trainer for your life. Life coaches help their clients with strategically planning, meeting goals, and often address both practical and emotional issues that may be causing blocks,” Willie said.

Willie has many interests in addition to art. For instance, “I am an avid book reader. Being very eclectic, I read a little of everything. If a friend recommends it, I read it,” says Willie. “One of the funniest books I have ever read is titled ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’, written by John Kennedy Toole. The story behind it is very interesting. He committed suicide after initial attempts to get it published failed. His mom persisted and eventually got it published. He posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. It is a fascinating story where he captures the dialect of New Orleans’ characters very well. It is an intense book, yet funny,” Willie states.

“I love so many movies, and ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ starring James Cagney is one of my favorite oldies. That is a tribute to my mom as much as anything. She was a movie buff who had videotaped over a thousand movies that were categorized perfectly. She had quite a collection. Mom passed away three years ago, but through her I learned to appreciate old movies and so many other things. I was always inspired by her passion,” Willie shared with us. For other examples of Willie’s favorite movies, check out http://www.blogger.com/profile/10830171.

“Music is another area where my tastes are very eclectic. I like a bit of everything. From blues to disco, I like it,” Willie tells us. Once again, pay a visit to www.blogger.com/profile/10830171 for a listing of music Willie enjoys listening to.

“I would like to make the world a more safe and joyful place,” Willie is quoted as saying. Sharing his artwork and philosophy with others is but one way he accomplishes this. Thank you, Willie.

Visit Willie’s blog at www.williebaronet.blogspot.com. It is addicting!