A Productive Week

This week was the week I started to make some inroads to being a grownup, although I'm sure I'll be setting aside some time to remain a kid.

It was cleaning and organizing time. When I clean and organize, I go all out, and the area afflicted will look even more like a bomb went off than it did before I started cleaning. Tunes blare out from the stereo, like this one and this one, because I like to keep my energy level up while getting things done. Earlier in the week, I tackled my home office, and while it's not completely done and immaculate, as Mr. ShellHawk commented, "Hey! You can see the floor!" That's a big win in my book.

Yesterday, it was studio/garage cleanup day, and I made some pretty major inroads. I have a sculpture I must have completed within the next couple of weeks so I can submit it to the America's ClayFest, which used to be Feats of Clay. Feats of Clay closed down because of lack of funding and a few other factors, so there went that avenue of exposure. 

Anyway, I'm re-making Raven, who had the nerve to blow up in the kiln. He'll be a little smaller this time because I'm building him on one of my kiln shelves to ensure that he'll fit into the kiln when he's done. (Last time I made him, it suddenly occurred to me I needed to measure and had to ask my bosses at Parks and Rec if it would be o.k. if I borrowed their kiln for the purpose, because he was too big! They were kind, but I really can't ask again...)

I also got together on a Skype call with my friend, Bill, who designs web pages and does all manner of cool business stuff for people like me. (And I am very grateful he took time out of his busy schedule to help me out!) I now have a to-do list and some serious studying to do. I also have to do one of my least favorite things. No, not eat Brussels sprouts, although that is in the top ten.

I have to start doing math. And numbers. And start paying attention to all those crazy business things like time, materials costs, fuel costs, etc. (To be fair to myself, I had already started to pay attention to those things while still clinging to plausible deniability of anything that might be something I don't want to know in any concrete form... Hey, it worked for a while, so stop judging me! ;o))

To say that I don't like math much is like saying that Hitler had minor issues with Jews.

Math makes me sweat and cry like a baby. I admit it. I hate it, and it hates me right back, and I've been that way since 2+2=4.25, or whatever it equals. I jokingly told Bill that I'm an artist, not Warren Buffett, and he smiled and sent me a list of things that included math, anyway. I still love him.

While I know I'm overdue for everything on the list, the creative side is whining, "Hey! I just want to make stuff! Why can't I just make stuff?! Why do I have to waste time on all this stupid admin?!"

 I've had to tell her to shut up rather firmly, because if we can't work together on this, there will never be the bigger studio, front-loading electric kiln, gas kiln, or anything else on the list of ceramics playthings I'd like to have.

She's still whining, but not as frequently. And we're trying to figure out some kind of income without having to go back into dentistry.

It will come. Of that I'm sure.