Oh yes, it's the loon! Did you like that whiney post yesterday….. deep thoughts.
One friend pointed out I should quit pottery and start a greeting card company.
On Sunday night I wrote the letter to Head of the Ceramics Dept stating I just can't possibly take this job as Ceramics Lab Tech. It would take me out of the studio too much but, sigh… I am such a kick ass potter who is just so incredibly busy…… doing what? Oh yeah I had a herd of Brownies here last month and I'm a bit short on my electric bill this month.
After a couple phone calls, a visit to the college campus yesterday to slide the letter under the door of the guy who interviewed me, talk to myself on the drive there and just plain buying that ticket on the crazy train.
You just need to slap yourself and say this is a great opportunity!
How many times do we say, NO to things because of……
well this blog isn't long enough to list the excuses.
So for once I said, YES!
Do something different, get out there……. and then
Heidi posted this great article from the NY Times on her Facebook page
and it was awesome and boiled down to get out there!
You can read it here: Ny Times Masters
Can I work at the college, run the gallery and still make pots?
And then there is that gardening, fishing thing I love so much……
Well I will let you know…..
For now I am embracing the "Yes", deciding to pay my bills, have
a bit of a financial cushion and talk to real people because 8 chickens and a cat do not talk back.
I gave myself a one year commitment and can re-access this time next year.
Maybe I won't need to be so crazy and I kick back and relax for a minute.
nahhhhhhh, that will never happen……
Sandy, I just went through the same thing. First was the: yes I need someone to give me a check for working, doing it all by myself is taking too much out of me, next was the: but I like working for myself, can I really work for someone else? Then I got two job offers, took both, one didn't fit, kept the other, and I am so happy I did. It does get you out of the house, I wash my hair now, haha! I have met some really great people, I feel good about what I am accomplishing, I get affirmation that I'm actually pretty dang smart :-) but the best part, there is money in my account for the first time in a year and I didn't spend a dime to put it there, and it was fun earning it! How can you argue with that. The business of selling art is just not for me, making it, yes, and I have plenty of time for making. I don't have the time for selling. Maybe later after a break from it.. Give it a try, the worst that can happen is you have to write a resignation letter, the best part is you will see money in your bank account :-)
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Hahaha! Tracey…… I think we are living parallel lives sometimes! I told Butch I was so trepidatious over this and he asked me; Where you not be so trepidatious? The answer hit…. God, I would be nuts being a greeter at a greenhouse! I say; Yes, to personal grooming!
ReplyDeleteAnd going into this winter I thought, oh great my walk will consist of 50 steps to the studio and back to the refrigerator….. oh not good!
The other great aspect of this job…… I can take public transportation and let the truck sit here!
The beauty of the lab tech job is that it is pottery related which should make it an easier transition... I really hate those first few weeks of a new job.
ReplyDeleteThe other plus is that it pays more than minimum wage!
Michèle, what a great word….. transition! Another's studio is a far cry from your own so I will put my slippers on and step lightly on the eggshells. I really took under consideration your comment under the last post and thinking, yeah open an Etsy shop and promote yourself a bit more… and listed all the other things I should do. Really and truly, thanks for taking the time to post those thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI think after all the mental ping pong I was/am tired of chasing money. Pay the show fee, make a few dollars and then watch those few dollars pay for another show fee. It just never ends and after last year I made the decision to try something else. First the gallery and now this…. it's a year for "firsts". :)
Hanging out with the college crowd in a pottery studio ... If I was looking for a job, that would fit the bill! I went back to school in 2007, taking ceramics at the local university. So inspiring and fun to hang out with all those young bright minds. I am sure you will have experiences that you will bring back to your own studio. Enjoy the ride and see where it takes you.
ReplyDeleteI'm short on words, long on thoughts. I pulled off the road three times on my first meeting for the job I'd already said yes to. Fast forward, they pay me. Do I love it? No, but I really like it, really. I'm going back next semester. I still make things,but I'm more relax about paying the bills.
ReplyDeleteHa! Brenda, when I ran up Monday to fill out paperwork there were more people my age and older in class than I could believe! They are auditing! I guess this is what one does in retirement these days? I scanned the room for younger kids and had trouble locating any...... Oh this will be interesting :) I think I will enjoy the environment, the thought of other people in a studio is just ...... Mind blowing :)
ReplyDeleteAs I type this Meredith I know you have already been on the road for an hour or more. What a concept...... A paycheck! What is that???? :)
ReplyDeleteAnd how crazy is it when I started poking around the blogosphere, my favorite blogs were whynot pottery and Tracey Broome, now we are all working? Kind of curious......
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