Back to Real Life

I hear the coffee brewing, and I am already showered and dressed for the day. In ten minutes I will take the J to school and then swing by the feed store to pick up a metric ton of chicken food. I don't actually know what a metric ton is (it wasn't a quantity with which I had to familiarize myself in the writing of the book) but, surely, the bags and bags and bags I am off to buy qualify.

It's good to back to a normal life (note that normal does not equal either quiet or restful). Orders to fill, a newsletter to write, glass to inventory... Oh yes, and a few more pesky book details to wrap up/projects to fire. The tjantings were fun yesterday, but the initial results were disappointing. Not surprisingly, if something is an advanced technique/breaking new ground it probably won't work out the first time (or everyone would be doing it).

Transitions back into normal life are hard, and I'm actually kind of glad mine is happening at an already chaotic time of the year as the transition has a bit less impact. The past year has been filled with new things--most of them in glass. It has left me with nightly vibrant, active dreams and a restless need to play (mad scientist) every day. But I'm not a mad scientist. Right now I'm a Mom and a chicken feeder--time for posting is up.

The Mad Scientist Has Risen!

Got the hotplate heating a bowl of water for a little double-boiler action and melting beeswax this afternoon in the studio. Also got out my tjantings (shown right) to do some drawing on glass with them. It's really too bad the book is (mostly) done and in the hands of the copy editor as I have visions of creating batik in glass dancing in my head and wouldn't mind adding a section on it. I just know it's possible... In the meantime the tjantings and beeswax are useful for another technique that *does* show up in the book so I'm not frittering my day away on FUN (heaven forbid).

So, done. Wow. I want to revel on that idea for awhile before I have to add the caveat of the first draft is 98% done (I remember writing  finish later in a few places that I am pretty sure the copy editor is going to notice). The photography is also mostly done with just the beauty shots (finished project photos) and a couple of projects I am still futzing with (screen printing and the fused box) left to do. It seems like every time on those two I get to the "this is it, this is how I'm going to do it and write it up" stage, I tweak the process or the materials or SOMETHING a bit and have to work the changes into both the manuscript and the photos.

Today is mostly over in terms of studio work. Managed to ship orders today, and I'll fire another order that needs to ship asap. I think I'll put another glass clay vessel in the kiln (I'm still tweaking the firing schedule on that project, but the clay itself is incredible), go get chicken food, take the child to cello, and prepare for a night of putting photos with text and more editing.

Decided on Saturday to go ahead and do the artist studio show (the Siyeh Sleigh Ride) this year and spent yesterday putting together the email announcement and the web page for it. Tomorrow I will send out the end of the year newsletter and I am going to offer some sweet glass, kiln, and class deals.

Life is good. Off to (live every day as if my hair is on) fire.