Reminders for the New year.

 How well do we think we will remember something?
There are many times when I am working on tiles that I think I will remember how I applied the glazes, until I sit down and pick up a brush.
As soon as I pick up the brush, all the remembering seems to walk away.
I was taking pictures on my camera as I go along and placing them on my computer, but the computer is in my office at the house.  Too far away to be useful when I am in the moment.

 In the past year I discovered that I could snap some pictures and leave them on the cell phone.
Those are not the best pictures ever taken, but they fill in the gap of my brain, and they are much easier to access when I am in the studio.

I have been working to add some new tiles this past year and having the pictures close at hand helps me to see what I liked and what I did not like.

It also works to text a picture to a customer.
I know many of you probably already do this.
Boom!, right to face book and other social media.
I am an old dog learning new tricks.

I have a few days before I head back to the school.
I will be teaching 3 days a week through the next semester then I have some decisions to make on what I will do next.
Do I stay or do I leave?
Big question for me right now.
There are always new things to ponder with every new year.

I am off to see if the studio is warm.
Potting in January is always a challenge.

Middle of the month February blues

February has always felt about 6 months long to me.
 In January we are coasting through the month and feeling as if it is okay to work as much or as little as possible. Then up comes February with what should be an easy month to rip through.
But for some reason this month begins to chew on me in a way that others don't. It tells me how close to spring we are getting, teasing me with the things that need to be done before the year rolls into high gear.
Then we have a cold snap and all I really want to do is pull the covers tight and raise my hand only to use a remote control to watch some 30 Rock  or something else mindless instead of chasing papers and clay around.
How do you stay inspired though February?
What do you do to kick start your day and get yourself out and working?
I wake up with a plan but the cold calls me back to a warm bed. Just one more minute, one more and then I will release you.

So what is coming up for the spring?
We are still working out the kinks on the collections. We have the first two  collections very well planned out, but noticed yesterday that 3 and 4 need more work. There are pots in those collections that we have not been made yet.
Today we will work on those pots.
As spring begins to sneaks into my brain I think of our first Whynot event.
We are planning our Spring kiln opening with our Suds and Muds gals from the last two years.
So save the date and come out on April 21st and 22nd and see us. I will have more on this soon it is on the list of paper work that needs to be done.
We need some new photographs to use for the new SAPA map and website and have made an appointment Monday for a shoot. There are times that one should pay the money and have some good shots made, they really do pay off in the long run. We have times when someone is in need of a picture of our work or of work from the Seagrove area. It is great to be able to pull that out and send it on.

Then there are times that you realize you have nothing new to pick from and the shots have been used over and over.
Time for something fresh.

I hear Mark going out to warm the studio before we layer up and head out.
Time for tea to get the head going.
Happy Valentine's Day- go do something kind for someone spread some love and goodness.
Pictures of working soon.
Cheers!
M
PS Happy Birthday to my DIL Katie and my BIL John!