This week has been tough. Since last Sunday's post, things went downhill wicked fast. I spent the better part (worst part) of twenty four hours in the local hospital with what we were afraid was a heart attack. After every bizarre test known to man, it was declared that my heart was fine, but lots of other things weren't.
By the time I left the following afternoon I had been diagnosed with diabetes (which I didn't have pre-surgery) and an anxiety disorder. Nifty eh?
Not like I have anything to be anxious about right?
Closing the studio down has been far more difficult than I thought it would be. Every time I try to explain it to someone I am met with doubt or questions about other ways of working... folks just really dont seem to get it. I guess I have to be okay with that.
Some part of me wonders, if people are actually bothered by us closing, where the hell have they been for the past half-decade? We've done mass mailings on so many occasions: Holiday studio sales, seconds sales, Art Trail... and each year we've seen fewer return customers. Weird to say the least.
Moving on to something new seems the most logical progression. I haven't been shooting as much this month. It has just been too damned hot to think, much less shoot. As I sit here, nearly 10pm, the house is well over 80 degrees and I cant stop sweating. A cold shower sounds inviting. I can't wait for this heat to break, for the wind to blow and for it to pour down a cold soaking rain.
So what does all of this have to do with Joe Strummer and Redemption Song? Hell if I know. Joe just makes me feel better. Something about his timing/rhythm and the depth of his lyrics... it just sits well with me. Helps soothe my frustrations and allows some semblance of peace to wash over me. I've heard dozens of folks cover this tune. From Bob Marley all the way to some folks I won't name for fear of embarrassing myself by admitting that I have seen some very odd bands. I wish I had seen Joe Strummer perform. Watching his life stream by on dvd just isnt the same.
Here are the details about the closing of the studio:
August 21st, 9am-noon... three hours.... that's it. Pots are available NOW!
YES, the prices GO UP every hour of the sale.
Think scarcity, think collector's item, think about the fact that I won't be making more pots. Zilch.
Get here early and save yourself the frustration of wondering why all the pots are gone. We are already out of some things: ice cream bowls, soup mugs, pitchers, oval vases. We have LOTS of plates to choose from. Tons of bowls. But at noon on Saturday the 21st, we close this chapter. If you want pots, don't wait till the very end. The best selection of pots is NOW.
Postcards are at the printer. Should be in the mail to everyone sometime the first week in August. An email blast will go out in about two weeks. Between now and then the pots are flying off the shelves as tourists are flocking in every day.
8 comments:
There's a big beautiful display of your work at the MAG Gallery Store, too. We are all sad that it will be the last one. But wish you luck in your new venture, for which you are clearly talented.
Margie Searl
I think you are doing the absolute best you can with this wierd hand you were dealt.
I too want to ask where all those people were and are.
How do they expect us to stay in business if they don't come out and buy our work.
We are wondering after 28 years if we can make it.
Best of luck in all that is going on!
Sad to hear that you haven't been doing so well. Hope your sale goes well. Good luck!
I started leaving a longer comment, but it was turning into a rant against 'modern society'..... maybe it'll become a blog post.
I'll just say that I've always thought your photography is outstanding and I wish you all the best with your new business. I think being service-based will be an advantage. It's hard to outsource photography to a third world country for $.10 an hour.
@Margie- I am jazzed to hear that Colleen has pulled together a nice ensemble of our work. It'll be the last hurrah! (a small aside: she is encouraging us to bring a few of our HUGE platters to MAG sometime in September... so watch for them!)
@Brian- I was surprised to find out that even photography (or parts of it) are being outsourced to India and China. Turns out that folks there are just as adept at editing images in photoshop as folks in the US are. Hard to know what jobs are secure anymore.
@Victoria- The sale may be almost silent... We are selling pots so fast every day now, that there may not be many left that Saturday morning. I keep telling folks, DONT WAIT till August 21st... COME NOW. But most of our locals dont seem to get it. Oh well. What can I do?
True, parts can be outsourced, but the actual taking of the photos has to be done onsite.
As you probably also know, I was disturbed to find out my CT scans and MRIs were being read in India and sent back to the doctor...
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