Day; 260. Sunny and warm again, spring is in the air!!
Temperature on outside kiln; 52 degrees
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Post-Oscar binge, 5 hours of TV last night, I wonder if I have damaged some brain cells.... Loved, Loved, Loved Chris Rock! Hilariously funny and brutally honest when it came to #oscarssowhite... "hard to care about best foreign documentary short, when your grandmother is swinging from a tree.."!!!! Whoa, that was brave.... I also loved that he raised $65,000. in 5 minutes for his daughter's girl scout troop by just having all the millionaires in the audience buy some cookies!! I just loved that!!... "come on Leo you made 30 million for your movie, buy some cookies!!" Chris Rock for president!!
Anyway, back to the studio... spent the morning glazing and then I went to the mail box.... Whoa!! Big Surprise! I always hope there is going to be a check in the mail even when I know there isn't going to be... I always think every time I walk out there, "maybe someone sent me money today..." always an optimist I guess. Today it paid off!! I opened the box and there was a sweet lookin' little hand written/addressed envelope for me from someone is Santa Fe... Hmmm, I was instantly curious.. as it is my birthday week I just assumed someone sent me an early card.. But, no, a lengthy hand-written note from a friend's mother whom I had not seem in 20 years!!?? With a check for one thousand dollars in it!! WHAT!!!! I sorta collapsed right there in the street and started crying...
You see today is the last day of the month and tomorrow being the first of March I didn't really have much of a plan to get my bills paid beyond my well-worn Visa card... I was really nervous about using it again for my health insurance and electric bill and digging a deeper/bigger hole for myself. The relief that swept over me was so great that it knocked me to the ground... I sure hope none of the neighbors was lookin' out the window at that moment, if they were they must have really wondered what was goin' on next door...
This is so out of left field that I just took it as the Universe looking out for me. I now know assistance can come from very unlikely places and I vow to see only variation/diversity in others and to bless them on whatever journey they happen to be on. To the Noyes women of Santa Fe, NM, may you have the trip of a life time and I thank you from the deepest, most sincere place in my heart...
As I was jumping around and dancing in delight a few minutes later, this time in the privacy of my own studio, the phone rang... Someone from the community wants to bring a house guest over in the morning to buy ceramics.... ! What a non-coincidence!! When it rains abundance sometimes it pours!!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
LOA- My New Friend..
Day; 259. Sunny but brisk.
Temperature on outside kiln; 40 degrees
kiln firings; glaze firing to Cone 6 in Little Bear
Music in the studio; various and sundry on Ipod...
After a week of summer temps we have been back to winter for the last 3 days... 4-5 inches of snow on Tuesday and sunny weather yesterday and today but chilly!! After working in the garden all last weekend it was hard to go back to long underwear and hats/gloves... but I love the moisture and so do my perennials...
A busy week getting ready for a 3 day show in Albuquerque so I have been remiss in writing any posts.. after glazing all day I just don't have the juice to write coherently... but if I am ever going to get to day 365 I must try...
So this week was about serendipity I am happy to report. Seems like the energy of manifestations I have been working on is starting to loosen up and flow, here is a list;
*thinking about getting in touch with possible student Margaret and at the movies on Sunday she shows up at the same theatre/showtime and sits in the seat right in front of me... !
*thinking about friend in Boulder I want to see and director of ceramic program at Boulder High emails me about possible workshop next month...
* Another friend of 20 years ago from Boulder shows up at my booth and tells me she knows said director and validates connection...
* Thinking about how nice it is when I don't have to drag my ceramics anywhere to sell it and two days in a row customers call and ask it they can come directly to my studio and buy stuff...
* Thinking about customer on east coast and she calls with a credit card number and orders $150. in breakfast plates
* Thinking about how I just need someone to call and place a large special order so that I can immediately charge them the 50% deposit in order to pay my health insurance and the Santa Fe Opera calls and wants to know if I will make a large order of 60th anniversary mugs for them...
* Thinking about how much I want a percussion/cahon player for Maggie and the Magpie's and a good friend calls and wants to get together.. she sang in a band for 30 years and after one practice session with us, is excited to come every Wednesday and play and sing with us...
Kinda really diggin' this Law of Attraction (LOA) thing, it seems to work! If I can just focus long enough on The Wanted, and ignore the Unwanted, I am good to go!!....
Temperature on outside kiln; 40 degrees
kiln firings; glaze firing to Cone 6 in Little Bear
Music in the studio; various and sundry on Ipod...
After a week of summer temps we have been back to winter for the last 3 days... 4-5 inches of snow on Tuesday and sunny weather yesterday and today but chilly!! After working in the garden all last weekend it was hard to go back to long underwear and hats/gloves... but I love the moisture and so do my perennials...
A busy week getting ready for a 3 day show in Albuquerque so I have been remiss in writing any posts.. after glazing all day I just don't have the juice to write coherently... but if I am ever going to get to day 365 I must try...
So this week was about serendipity I am happy to report. Seems like the energy of manifestations I have been working on is starting to loosen up and flow, here is a list;
*thinking about getting in touch with possible student Margaret and at the movies on Sunday she shows up at the same theatre/showtime and sits in the seat right in front of me... !
*thinking about friend in Boulder I want to see and director of ceramic program at Boulder High emails me about possible workshop next month...
* Another friend of 20 years ago from Boulder shows up at my booth and tells me she knows said director and validates connection...
* Thinking about how nice it is when I don't have to drag my ceramics anywhere to sell it and two days in a row customers call and ask it they can come directly to my studio and buy stuff...
* Thinking about customer on east coast and she calls with a credit card number and orders $150. in breakfast plates
* Thinking about how I just need someone to call and place a large special order so that I can immediately charge them the 50% deposit in order to pay my health insurance and the Santa Fe Opera calls and wants to know if I will make a large order of 60th anniversary mugs for them...
* Thinking about how much I want a percussion/cahon player for Maggie and the Magpie's and a good friend calls and wants to get together.. she sang in a band for 30 years and after one practice session with us, is excited to come every Wednesday and play and sing with us...
Kinda really diggin' this Law of Attraction (LOA) thing, it seems to work! If I can just focus long enough on The Wanted, and ignore the Unwanted, I am good to go!!....
Friday, February 19, 2016
Color Therapy
Day; 258. Overcast but warm...
Temperature on outside kiln; 50 degrees
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; singer/songwriters Matt Duke and Jay Nash
Spent the morning making coffee mugs with new forms... gotta keep from getting bored!...
I plan to glaze them with two different colors split vertically instead of my usual latte cups which just take too damn long to glaze. This way I can just dunk them top and bottom into the bucket without having to pour and wax... too complicated, I was going more crazy than I already am....!
I also got my new glaze tests out of the kiln and I LOVE them!! Who knew that just a few new colors would re-invigorate me ceramically. If I had know that is all it would take I would have made up a new batch 2 months ago, jeeezzzzz... here they are..,
The first image shows a beautiful blue/purple and a deep yellow ochre, both a soft satin matte. The second two test tiles are both white/off-white, one a satin matte and another a very dense soft matte, just lovely! I wish the reader could get a sense of the glaze surface from the picture but it is not possible. The second image is one of the soft whites over some deep texture, I love the elegance/calmness/softness of no color at all, just some soft winter white over a large bird. Very lovely I think. I cant wait to use these new glazes/surfaces.
Unfortunately I don't think they will be nearly as lovely refired with decals so I am in the process of making some short tumblers with a lot of texture to play around with... stay tuned for more pics tomorrow! ....
Temperature on outside kiln; 50 degrees
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; singer/songwriters Matt Duke and Jay Nash
Spent the morning making coffee mugs with new forms... gotta keep from getting bored!...
I plan to glaze them with two different colors split vertically instead of my usual latte cups which just take too damn long to glaze. This way I can just dunk them top and bottom into the bucket without having to pour and wax... too complicated, I was going more crazy than I already am....!
I also got my new glaze tests out of the kiln and I LOVE them!! Who knew that just a few new colors would re-invigorate me ceramically. If I had know that is all it would take I would have made up a new batch 2 months ago, jeeezzzzz... here they are..,
The first image shows a beautiful blue/purple and a deep yellow ochre, both a soft satin matte. The second two test tiles are both white/off-white, one a satin matte and another a very dense soft matte, just lovely! I wish the reader could get a sense of the glaze surface from the picture but it is not possible. The second image is one of the soft whites over some deep texture, I love the elegance/calmness/softness of no color at all, just some soft winter white over a large bird. Very lovely I think. I cant wait to use these new glazes/surfaces.
Unfortunately I don't think they will be nearly as lovely refired with decals so I am in the process of making some short tumblers with a lot of texture to play around with... stay tuned for more pics tomorrow! ....
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
ChaChaChaChanges......
Day; 257. Sunny, warm, light clouds....
Temperature on outside kiln; 52 degrees
kiln firings; glaze re-fires and some new glaze tests!!
Music in the studio; Maggie and Magpies...
Non-studio day besides loading the kiln and making a few new colors up before the rest of the Magpie's showed up this morning. This is what we do when not making pots...
Loved having the Magpie's in my living room.. such a nice treat to stay home and practice instead of going elsewhere, not that it is a big deal at all, just fun to host rehearsal myself....
However, we are losing one of our own (temporarily) really soon, and while very excited for Julie, I am sad to see her go and not have the chance to sing with her for a full 3 months. I will miss her terribly. The good news is that I will have to work on my head voice which I am always threatening to do since Julie's beautiful soprano voice will be absent. So, as far as singing practice goes, it is a good thing... And for her, a wonderful opportunity as she travels around the country moving from open-mic to open-mic and meeting up with all kinds of folks...
We do have her for one more practice next week though so I will have to scheme on how to make it extra extra special...
Temperature on outside kiln; 52 degrees
kiln firings; glaze re-fires and some new glaze tests!!
Music in the studio; Maggie and Magpies...
Non-studio day besides loading the kiln and making a few new colors up before the rest of the Magpie's showed up this morning. This is what we do when not making pots...
However, we are losing one of our own (temporarily) really soon, and while very excited for Julie, I am sad to see her go and not have the chance to sing with her for a full 3 months. I will miss her terribly. The good news is that I will have to work on my head voice which I am always threatening to do since Julie's beautiful soprano voice will be absent. So, as far as singing practice goes, it is a good thing... And for her, a wonderful opportunity as she travels around the country moving from open-mic to open-mic and meeting up with all kinds of folks...
We do have her for one more practice next week though so I will have to scheme on how to make it extra extra special...
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Grammy's, Shammy's.....
Day; 256. Sunny and gorgeous again!
Temperature on outside kiln; 50 degrees!
kiln firings; none
Music in the sudio; Singer/songwriter Josh Ritter
Monday and Tuesday spent in the studio doing chores; mixing glazes, scraping shelves... etc...
Since it is sunny and almost warm outside, I am in the backyard scraping and kiln-washing my shelves. This is an arduous task that should be done after every firing and I think the last time it was done Pepe-the-intern thankfully did it for me, so that puts it at about 9-10 months ago! No wonder they are a veritable mess! It had gotten to the point where I had no clean shelves left and could not fire the kiln without completing this task... Bad, bad potter!!
Listening to a wonderful singer/songwriter named Josh Ritter today, it took me forever to find some music recorded in the last twenty years that I wanted to listen to... After watching the Grammy's last night, I came away with the same feeling I have every year, where-oh-where is all the good contemporary music? Why must I go back to Motown and the Laurel Canyon in the 60's and 70's to find anything worth listening to??
Most of the music performed last night I couldn't understand the lyrics or wished I couldn't, it all seemed so insipid and shallow... But when you grow up on Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell (my generations' best), where can you go from there?!..
I was happy to see that they did a one song tribute to Glen Frey and the Eagles with Jackson Brown singing lead, Joe Walsh playing guitar, and Don Henley of course on drums... I am sure none of the young people in the Staples Center last night really grasped the significance of that, they must have thought it was just a bunch of grey hairs singing Take It Easy. And well, it was that, but so much more... How does one explain what happened in So. Cal musically in the late 60's-80's if you weren't there to live it? Joni, Jackson, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Jesse Colin Young, Mamas and the Papas, the Eagles, Kenny Loggins, the list goes on and on...
Growing up 60 miles south of LA in Orange County at the time, I saw some pretty incredible concerts in my high school years... a lot of the music had a very strong social and political bent and really had a pronounced effect on the person I am today.. Everyone played their instruments well and could sing in harmony...
Ach, I sound like my parents bemoaning the passing of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.. I can just hear my father groaning as Jethro Tull plays on the radio.....
Temperature on outside kiln; 50 degrees!
kiln firings; none
Music in the sudio; Singer/songwriter Josh Ritter
Monday and Tuesday spent in the studio doing chores; mixing glazes, scraping shelves... etc...
Listening to a wonderful singer/songwriter named Josh Ritter today, it took me forever to find some music recorded in the last twenty years that I wanted to listen to... After watching the Grammy's last night, I came away with the same feeling I have every year, where-oh-where is all the good contemporary music? Why must I go back to Motown and the Laurel Canyon in the 60's and 70's to find anything worth listening to??
Most of the music performed last night I couldn't understand the lyrics or wished I couldn't, it all seemed so insipid and shallow... But when you grow up on Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell (my generations' best), where can you go from there?!..
I was happy to see that they did a one song tribute to Glen Frey and the Eagles with Jackson Brown singing lead, Joe Walsh playing guitar, and Don Henley of course on drums... I am sure none of the young people in the Staples Center last night really grasped the significance of that, they must have thought it was just a bunch of grey hairs singing Take It Easy. And well, it was that, but so much more... How does one explain what happened in So. Cal musically in the late 60's-80's if you weren't there to live it? Joni, Jackson, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Jesse Colin Young, Mamas and the Papas, the Eagles, Kenny Loggins, the list goes on and on...
Growing up 60 miles south of LA in Orange County at the time, I saw some pretty incredible concerts in my high school years... a lot of the music had a very strong social and political bent and really had a pronounced effect on the person I am today.. Everyone played their instruments well and could sing in harmony...
Ach, I sound like my parents bemoaning the passing of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.. I can just hear my father groaning as Jethro Tull plays on the radio.....
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Like Magic...
Day; 255. Sunny and WARM!
Temperature on outside kiln; 50 degrees!
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; none
Non-studio day today.. spent the morning in the Farmers Market Pavilion doing a trunk show at my friend Karen's tea shop. Lovely woman, lovely shop...
Well, if you want to see all your friends in one day, go to the farmers market on a Saturday, they are all there..!! I realized anew how small Santa Fe really is, seems like I knew half the people walking by and the other half I recognized at least... I had a wonderful time seeing old customers and greeting old friends I had not seen in awhile, a nice way really to spend a morning and selling work as well, I am a lucky girl!
The highlight of my day was seeing an old friend/potter who is also a transplant from Colorado, we both have old friends in and around the mountains of Boulder.. Mary brought house guests with her, one of which runs the ceramic program at Boulder High School. When she saw my work she got really excited.. apparently she has been wanting to do some image transfer with her students for awhile and just hasn't had the time.. When I told her I was looking for more workshop opportunities we suddenly clicked and realized our meeting each other was very co-incidental and serendipitous... We have tentatively set late March/early April as a date and discussed money and accommodations as well.
I have a good feeling about this...! Just yesterday, not 24 hours ago, I was walking to the mail box and thinking that this year I would get up to Colorado and visit my good friend/mountain climber Tamara Jenlink. We go back 20 years almost to Nederland, Colorado... We have lived together twice and I believe we both think of each other as our sister. I have not had much contact in the last year with her so when I was offered an opportunity just this morning to teach very near to where Tamara lives, I knew the Universe was doing what it does best... serendipity!!! On top of that, another friend from Boulder who now lives in Santa Fe also walked by.. I have not seen Linda in at least 6 months. When I told her about possibly teaching in Boulder later this spring at the high school, she said she knew the woman who runs the studio there too and confirmed the connection. It was like the Universe handed me this wonderful opportunity and then sent another person by just to make sure I got the message/connection. Gosh, I love how things come together sometimes, it is so magical! Put the thought out there that you want to go to Boulder and visit friends, and boom!, the next morning the ways, means, and a place to crash fall into your lap, I LOVE IT!!!!
Keep it coming baby, keep it coming..... !
Temperature on outside kiln; 50 degrees!
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; none
Non-studio day today.. spent the morning in the Farmers Market Pavilion doing a trunk show at my friend Karen's tea shop. Lovely woman, lovely shop...
Well, if you want to see all your friends in one day, go to the farmers market on a Saturday, they are all there..!! I realized anew how small Santa Fe really is, seems like I knew half the people walking by and the other half I recognized at least... I had a wonderful time seeing old customers and greeting old friends I had not seen in awhile, a nice way really to spend a morning and selling work as well, I am a lucky girl!
The highlight of my day was seeing an old friend/potter who is also a transplant from Colorado, we both have old friends in and around the mountains of Boulder.. Mary brought house guests with her, one of which runs the ceramic program at Boulder High School. When she saw my work she got really excited.. apparently she has been wanting to do some image transfer with her students for awhile and just hasn't had the time.. When I told her I was looking for more workshop opportunities we suddenly clicked and realized our meeting each other was very co-incidental and serendipitous... We have tentatively set late March/early April as a date and discussed money and accommodations as well.
I have a good feeling about this...! Just yesterday, not 24 hours ago, I was walking to the mail box and thinking that this year I would get up to Colorado and visit my good friend/mountain climber Tamara Jenlink. We go back 20 years almost to Nederland, Colorado... We have lived together twice and I believe we both think of each other as our sister. I have not had much contact in the last year with her so when I was offered an opportunity just this morning to teach very near to where Tamara lives, I knew the Universe was doing what it does best... serendipity!!! On top of that, another friend from Boulder who now lives in Santa Fe also walked by.. I have not seen Linda in at least 6 months. When I told her about possibly teaching in Boulder later this spring at the high school, she said she knew the woman who runs the studio there too and confirmed the connection. It was like the Universe handed me this wonderful opportunity and then sent another person by just to make sure I got the message/connection. Gosh, I love how things come together sometimes, it is so magical! Put the thought out there that you want to go to Boulder and visit friends, and boom!, the next morning the ways, means, and a place to crash fall into your lap, I LOVE IT!!!!
Keep it coming baby, keep it coming..... !
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
The Magpie's Fly....
Day; 254. Warm and sunny, absolutely beautiful!
Temperature on outside kiln; 54 degrees
Kiln firing; decal firing of teacups
music in the studio; Van Morrison
Maggie and the Magpie's rise again! A lovely Wednesday in Feb., back with the girls singin' our songs!
Just a casual get-together/jam to start anew and get my voice back in shape, Although I felt like I was screeching, I at least was able to sing for a lot longer than last week and I didn't even cry once! Funny how progress is measured these days! Anne was there as well with her harmonica and that was great fun. I guess my voice will just get a little better every week until I no longer feel it complain after singing for 2 hours.
Home again in the studio and just loading a kiln for the two markets this weekend. Looking forward to getting out in the world and selling some of my stuff.. Terrible cabin fever after over 2 months of holing up inside. I sure hope it is in the 50's again this weekend, I love the warmth..it feels so good on my skin. It is Valentine's day this weekend so I think the markets will be good. I made a lot of little tea cups with my version of valentine's on them, so I am anticipating a prosperous 2 days.. Here is where I will be on Sunday...
My fellow Magpie and potter, as well as Uke player, Mia Endo will be there as well, so I look forward to hanging out with her and sneaking in a few of our own songs, between sales of course!
Temperature on outside kiln; 54 degrees
Kiln firing; decal firing of teacups
music in the studio; Van Morrison
Maggie and the Magpie's rise again! A lovely Wednesday in Feb., back with the girls singin' our songs!
Just a casual get-together/jam to start anew and get my voice back in shape, Although I felt like I was screeching, I at least was able to sing for a lot longer than last week and I didn't even cry once! Funny how progress is measured these days! Anne was there as well with her harmonica and that was great fun. I guess my voice will just get a little better every week until I no longer feel it complain after singing for 2 hours.
Home again in the studio and just loading a kiln for the two markets this weekend. Looking forward to getting out in the world and selling some of my stuff.. Terrible cabin fever after over 2 months of holing up inside. I sure hope it is in the 50's again this weekend, I love the warmth..it feels so good on my skin. It is Valentine's day this weekend so I think the markets will be good. I made a lot of little tea cups with my version of valentine's on them, so I am anticipating a prosperous 2 days.. Here is where I will be on Sunday...
My fellow Magpie and potter, as well as Uke player, Mia Endo will be there as well, so I look forward to hanging out with her and sneaking in a few of our own songs, between sales of course!
Monday, February 8, 2016
Warm Weather/warm heart...
Day; 253. Sunny, spring-like!
Temperature on out side kiln; 52 degrees!
kiln firings; glaze firing of tea cups
music in the studio; I-Pod mix
What a gorgeous day! Amazing what a 20-degree temperature spike can feel like!, there is a big difference between 32 degrees and 52 degrees, I prefer the latter...
Spent the whole day glazing tea cups for the trunk show at Artful Tea this Saturday... trying to fill the kiln, so put in a few plates as well, sure hope they are come out good, no extra day to re-fire of course! Always down to the wire! Well, I guess that is a potter's life!
In the afternoon, after affirming out loud to myself and ?, how much I love to pay bills, and most especially my husband's ( love to support him after all his support of yours truly... ), I heard one of those little beeps on my phone.... Another hit on my decal tutorial but this time from Etsy.com (my on-line shop) instead of directly from my website... After jumping around a bit, I calmed down and acknowledged that the passive income stream seems to be a good idea! And that the Universe is supporting it... Wow, that made me feel like I was on the right track and all I needed to do was keep going in the same direction, what a great feeling! It almost made glazing the rest of the day a fun activity, almost...
In any event, I was so buoyed by the seemingly effortless income that I floated through the rest of my day on a tide of good feeling/good music... Just keep going Maggie Mae!
Temperature on out side kiln; 52 degrees!
kiln firings; glaze firing of tea cups
music in the studio; I-Pod mix
What a gorgeous day! Amazing what a 20-degree temperature spike can feel like!, there is a big difference between 32 degrees and 52 degrees, I prefer the latter...
Spent the whole day glazing tea cups for the trunk show at Artful Tea this Saturday... trying to fill the kiln, so put in a few plates as well, sure hope they are come out good, no extra day to re-fire of course! Always down to the wire! Well, I guess that is a potter's life!
In the afternoon, after affirming out loud to myself and ?, how much I love to pay bills, and most especially my husband's ( love to support him after all his support of yours truly... ), I heard one of those little beeps on my phone.... Another hit on my decal tutorial but this time from Etsy.com (my on-line shop) instead of directly from my website... After jumping around a bit, I calmed down and acknowledged that the passive income stream seems to be a good idea! And that the Universe is supporting it... Wow, that made me feel like I was on the right track and all I needed to do was keep going in the same direction, what a great feeling! It almost made glazing the rest of the day a fun activity, almost...
In any event, I was so buoyed by the seemingly effortless income that I floated through the rest of my day on a tide of good feeling/good music... Just keep going Maggie Mae!
Friday, February 5, 2016
Momentum is my favorite word!
Day; 252. Sunny but bitterly cold with frosty wind blowing through.....
Temperature on outside kiln; 34 degrees
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; Shawn Colvin
Happiest moment of my day; seeing my friend Karen at her tea-shop Artful Tea in downtown Santa Fe
Two very great days after months of struggling and squirming around.. I finally feel like I have some momentum going in the right direction, that is in a positive flow instead of circling the drain..... Just in the nick of time if you ask me...
Yesterday I FINALLY got my digital tutorial on laser-toner decals up on my website. Well that only took me about a year, but better late than never. After solving software, uploading, and other various technical problems, I got it up and listed on magpiepottery.com. ,
I was feeling so satisfied with myself that I decided to take a nice warm bath before going to the first Eldorado Studio Tour meeting later that night. As I was getting out of the bath, I hear an email beep on my phone and decided to check it quickly before leaving. Lo and behold some angel in California had seen the post I put up on Instagram and purchased a copy of the tutorial. I was dumbfounded that the passive income stream from this idea only took about an hour to pay off.... I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I promptly did both at the same time... while also jumping around in the air. All 4 dogs thought I was crazy and did one of those really cute doggy head tilts.. you could just see them thinking, "what's up with the human now?!"
I just really needed some forward propulsion/momentum in my life and this was it. Any little thing would do.. Just something to get me going and feeling positive so that I could take another step, and then another, and another. For two months I just couldn't find anything positive beyond, "gee, my bed is soft!", which yes, is positive, but does not have a lot of forward momentum riding on it. I subsequently went to bed last night feeling pretty good for the first time in a long while.
As I was getting ready to leave for town this morning, the same thing happened... My phone beeped, I checked it for emails, and lo and behold someone else had also purchased a tutorial... !! I love having money sent to my Paypal account while I am brushing my teeth!! No firing the kiln, no loading the truck, no driving 300 miles to a show, just put on your underwear and people send you money while you are getting dressed! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! I am sure I have never written that sentence in my life but I am suddenly enamored.
To add chocolate sauce to the ice cream, the technical problem which was preventing me from listing the same tutorial on Etsy.com, was solved while I had a casual conversation with Karen at Artful Tea. I feel bad though, she was telling me all about her technical difficulties with a new website, and we ended up solving mine instead! Serendipity is alive and well and living in Santa Fe... Thanks Karen! (hope you get your technical difficulties figured out soon..)
Temperature on outside kiln; 34 degrees
kiln firings; none
music in the studio; Shawn Colvin
Happiest moment of my day; seeing my friend Karen at her tea-shop Artful Tea in downtown Santa Fe
Two very great days after months of struggling and squirming around.. I finally feel like I have some momentum going in the right direction, that is in a positive flow instead of circling the drain..... Just in the nick of time if you ask me...
Yesterday I FINALLY got my digital tutorial on laser-toner decals up on my website. Well that only took me about a year, but better late than never. After solving software, uploading, and other various technical problems, I got it up and listed on magpiepottery.com. ,
I was feeling so satisfied with myself that I decided to take a nice warm bath before going to the first Eldorado Studio Tour meeting later that night. As I was getting out of the bath, I hear an email beep on my phone and decided to check it quickly before leaving. Lo and behold some angel in California had seen the post I put up on Instagram and purchased a copy of the tutorial. I was dumbfounded that the passive income stream from this idea only took about an hour to pay off.... I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I promptly did both at the same time... while also jumping around in the air. All 4 dogs thought I was crazy and did one of those really cute doggy head tilts.. you could just see them thinking, "what's up with the human now?!"
I just really needed some forward propulsion/momentum in my life and this was it. Any little thing would do.. Just something to get me going and feeling positive so that I could take another step, and then another, and another. For two months I just couldn't find anything positive beyond, "gee, my bed is soft!", which yes, is positive, but does not have a lot of forward momentum riding on it. I subsequently went to bed last night feeling pretty good for the first time in a long while.
As I was getting ready to leave for town this morning, the same thing happened... My phone beeped, I checked it for emails, and lo and behold someone else had also purchased a tutorial... !! I love having money sent to my Paypal account while I am brushing my teeth!! No firing the kiln, no loading the truck, no driving 300 miles to a show, just put on your underwear and people send you money while you are getting dressed! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! I am sure I have never written that sentence in my life but I am suddenly enamored.
To add chocolate sauce to the ice cream, the technical problem which was preventing me from listing the same tutorial on Etsy.com, was solved while I had a casual conversation with Karen at Artful Tea. I feel bad though, she was telling me all about her technical difficulties with a new website, and we ended up solving mine instead! Serendipity is alive and well and living in Santa Fe... Thanks Karen! (hope you get your technical difficulties figured out soon..)
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Lean On Me
Day; 251. Really cold and blustery. A February kind of day...
Temperature on outside kiln; 15 degrees! + wind chill. Ouch!
kiln firings; glaze kiln cooling
Music in the studio; Mix of soul music
In the studio on this very chilly winter day making a few more tea cups for next week's trunk show... Listening to music and wishing my voice wasn't so raspy still, trying to sing along with Michael McDonald... good thing he is a raspy baritone himself!! Mentally giving my body a lot of love and having to make peace with where it is at, I cannot force my voice into ranges it is not ready to go to...
However, I did go to the first band practice with the Magpie's in 2.5 months yesterday and oh boy, I could barely croak out a verse..! But I gave it a shot and really enjoyed seeing all the girls again. The most beautiful moment of the day and I would say the year so far, was the singing of Lean On Me by the surrounding Magpie's while I just sat and let tears stream down my face... I hadn't realized until that moment how much emotion I had been holding in my body these last two months as I chart a new course for myself. I haven't shared with family or friends the depth of the changes I have been working to manifest, nor have I allowed myself a good cry to let out the stress... I tried not to be too embarrassed as it all streamed down my face right in the middle of rehearsal.
What I came to understand later that night was that laughing/crying are always just a release of resistance and that as I let more and more of it go, I come into closer proximity to who and what I really am.... No shame there at all, so I am giving myself credit for being willing to travel this road and I am spending the day looking at all the things around me that I am appreciative of. Hoping I can sing a bit more next week but not putting any pressure on myself, maybe it is finally time I learn how to play the cahon!?
Temperature on outside kiln; 15 degrees! + wind chill. Ouch!
kiln firings; glaze kiln cooling
Music in the studio; Mix of soul music
In the studio on this very chilly winter day making a few more tea cups for next week's trunk show... Listening to music and wishing my voice wasn't so raspy still, trying to sing along with Michael McDonald... good thing he is a raspy baritone himself!! Mentally giving my body a lot of love and having to make peace with where it is at, I cannot force my voice into ranges it is not ready to go to...
However, I did go to the first band practice with the Magpie's in 2.5 months yesterday and oh boy, I could barely croak out a verse..! But I gave it a shot and really enjoyed seeing all the girls again. The most beautiful moment of the day and I would say the year so far, was the singing of Lean On Me by the surrounding Magpie's while I just sat and let tears stream down my face... I hadn't realized until that moment how much emotion I had been holding in my body these last two months as I chart a new course for myself. I haven't shared with family or friends the depth of the changes I have been working to manifest, nor have I allowed myself a good cry to let out the stress... I tried not to be too embarrassed as it all streamed down my face right in the middle of rehearsal.
What I came to understand later that night was that laughing/crying are always just a release of resistance and that as I let more and more of it go, I come into closer proximity to who and what I really am.... No shame there at all, so I am giving myself credit for being willing to travel this road and I am spending the day looking at all the things around me that I am appreciative of. Hoping I can sing a bit more next week but not putting any pressure on myself, maybe it is finally time I learn how to play the cahon!?
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Relax, Everything is Fine.
Day; 250. Overcast, snowing. Cold.
Temperature on outside kiln; 25
kiln firings; none
Music in the studio; Mary J. Blige
The perfect day to be in the studio, I love days like this... It is nasty outside so I am content to be glazing in the studio instead of pining for the out-of-doors.. trying to get some cups done up for the truck show at Artful Tea next weekend and also a dinnerware set for the la Mesa show in KC next month. Feeling a little slow as I make glaze and color decisions, but that is good, slow and careful wins the ceramic race...
Thinking about yesterday still and the on-going happenstance of serendipity.... I went over to take some Clay Class flyers to the coffee shop and stopped at Utopia on the way home to talk to the owner about something else. She was not there but her helper Margaret was and she is someone who has wanted to get back into clay for some time. We ended up really connecting and are now talking about getting her into my studio to get her hands dirty again. I am always struck by "co-incidence" and how it isn't really... I was thinking about following my muse/divine inspiration actually on my way over to the shops and whammo! serendipity strikes!I just love how this particular Universe is set-up that way, it makes me feel hopeful and expectant. Like good things are just a moment away and I can chill out, relaxxxxxxx, and just watch the unfolding with awe... Everything is fine!
Temperature on outside kiln; 25
kiln firings; none
Music in the studio; Mary J. Blige
The perfect day to be in the studio, I love days like this... It is nasty outside so I am content to be glazing in the studio instead of pining for the out-of-doors.. trying to get some cups done up for the truck show at Artful Tea next weekend and also a dinnerware set for the la Mesa show in KC next month. Feeling a little slow as I make glaze and color decisions, but that is good, slow and careful wins the ceramic race...
Thinking about yesterday still and the on-going happenstance of serendipity.... I went over to take some Clay Class flyers to the coffee shop and stopped at Utopia on the way home to talk to the owner about something else. She was not there but her helper Margaret was and she is someone who has wanted to get back into clay for some time. We ended up really connecting and are now talking about getting her into my studio to get her hands dirty again. I am always struck by "co-incidence" and how it isn't really... I was thinking about following my muse/divine inspiration actually on my way over to the shops and whammo! serendipity strikes!I just love how this particular Universe is set-up that way, it makes me feel hopeful and expectant. Like good things are just a moment away and I can chill out, relaxxxxxxx, and just watch the unfolding with awe... Everything is fine!
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