An Ode To Bridget

Coffee in the Austin skyline mug, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" by Warren Zevon on iTunes. I passed briefly through the office this morning (the room in the house with a desk, a file cabinet and a bookcase--nominally an office though really just a place to pile paper crap and keep a ferret) and wistfully thought of what I could do to clean it up and make it usable if I just had some free December time. Then I realized that it's not about an actual real amount of time--it's all about perception. Take my friend Bridget. She may angst about many things, but I doubt not having enough time is one of them. If Bridget had been in the Donner party, she would have made it through--and not by killing her companions. Oh sure, she'd waste not want not after natural causes took 'em, but she wouldn't hasten their demise. The point I'm trying to make is that Bridget just rolls up her sleeves and gets it--whatever "it" is--done. No muss, no fuss, no whining. This is not to say she's superwoman and she is on top of everything, but I am pretty sure she spends a lot less time whining about what she wishes she could get done than she does just getting it done. A pre-New Year's resolution: In 2009, be more like Bridget.

And let's not wait for 2009, let's just do it right now. The sample sets went out yesterday, and while I was waiting for the UPS site to come up so I could ship them I whipped up an info sheet and subscription form for additions to the set (with pricing and everything). Some time in the next couple of days I need to get a good photo and write up an article for the website on their availability. I don't like doing sample sets. I'm not charging for them what I would charge for an equivalently sized piece. But, like shows and marketing, I believe them to be a necessary evil for business growth.

Today I fuse the additional pieces I need for the glass show this weekend--after I figure out what they will be. I mostly mulled it out while I was anxiously waiting to get to sleep last night, I just need to write out the firing schedule before heading off to the first appointment of the day at 10:00.

The second appointment of the day is with Todd. Today I get to see what he did with two kiln loads of glass shards, scraps and squares and a whole bunch of wire and bamboo. With this new line of work, I am much more focused than I have ever been on the importance of marketing and advertising. When the economy is tough it's even more vital to aggressively bring yourself to people's notice and differentiate yourself. I believe that these new pieces fill a perfect niche. They're beautiful, bright, whimsical, handmade by professional American artisans, very reasonably priced, and made from recycled materials. What demographic did we miss there? Next step: Photos, a story written up, and ads/postcards/info cards/a web page created.

Friday I am scheduled to meet with my accountant to review my books before the end of the year to see if there is something I need to do for taxes, payroll (what's that?), etc before 2008 scurries away. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Now that I'm all motivated for pulling together a new product line, I am even less inclined than usual to work in Quickbooks. But needs must when the devil drives.

Side note: I was compelled to look up that idiom when it popped into my head--hence the link--and was vastly amused to find this additional reference to it from an article in the Times from 2002. "Applied conscientiously in the rush hour it [the rule ‘women and children first’] would ensure that no male adult would ever reach his office on time, if at all. Needs must when the Devil drives is a more realistic motto for the Underground." I read that quote and picture Dave shepherding Jessie off to school every morning with a harried look on his face. I have to grin. Now I have to work.

Go forth! Be Like Bridget!