June 3 will be my 6^th blog birthday! To celebrate, I’d like to take a look back at these first five months of 2021 and see what I’ve accomplished.

I currently have a few over 1200 subscribers. That’s a 28% increase over this time last year. I’d be happy with that growth, except that the previous year’s increase was 38%, so it almost feels like a loss . . .

I’d love to have 2000 followers by the end of this year. Could that happen? Yes, but only with your help. If you don’t yet follow my blog, but you like what you see, please subscribe! And if you read a post that you like, please click the “like” button. It makes me so happy, and it supplies valuable data about what my readers like.

My most popular posts of 2021 so far, according to number of views:

1. When Blogging Becomes Expensive
2. Back to South Mountain Park
3. Ideas for Valentine’s Day During the Pandemic
4. Smell the Roses
5. Review of Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza
6. Creative Juice #236
7. 19 More Best Zentangle Sites on the Web
8. Flower of the Day: Yellow Mystery Flowers
9. Which Way: Hikers on the Trail
10. Midweek Madness: Church and Chapel

Numbers 8-10 are responses to photography challenges; numbers 2 and 4 are photo essays. Many of my readers are amateur or professional photographers who are very generous about checking out photography posts. Photographers are a supportive community. I’ve been meaning to work on my photography and post more pictures, but my time to go out and shoot is limited right now.

My most popular posts of 2021 so far, according to number of “likes”:

1. Back to South Mountain Park
2. Weekly Photo Challenge: Small Creature
3. Wordless Wednesday/ Flower of the Day: One Perfect Vinca
4. Smell the Roses
5. A Photo a Week: All About the Scenery
6. Wordless Wednesday/ Flower of the Day: Cat’s Claw
7. Flower of the Day: Poppies
8. Wordless Wednesday: Whirligig
9. Creative Juice #236
10. When Blogging Becomes Expensive

Unsurprisingly, there is some overlap. Also unsurprisingly, eight of these are photography posts. I’m beginning to think photographers are my peeps. Maybe I should stop pursuing writing and art and music and dance and just concentrate on photography. That’s a thought. Except I like all the arts.

I’m not as enthusiastic about blogging as I have been in the past. Part of it is my life is very fragmented right now, a situation that is unlikely to change soon.

But by the same token, it’s easier to write blog posts than novels in the small bits of time I have. Nevertheless, I’m giving myself permission to skip a day every now and then.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite parts of ARHtistic License? Was there a recent post you especially liked? What would you like to see more of? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.