Sunday, May 31, 2009

Back in the Saddle



Back in the Saddle

He's BAAA-aack!
Finally! I am back to blogging on my Pottery web site again, though I have had to make a change to this blog site to do so, due to some technical changes. It always seems like updating things should make it easier, but instead it seems to provide new obstacles. Oh well, maybe it's the universe telling me this is the better way.

I attended the Summerfair Art fair at Old Coney in Cincinnati today. It was so different to see the the fair from my perspective since I haven't exhibited at a fair since 2007. I could feel the desparation that the artists were feeling, hoping to get a sale, trying to do the right things, look busy, use the right phrases. It was demoralizing to see all these amazingly gifted people practically begging to sell their exceptional artwork. That was me. And I was SOOO happy not to be one of them today.

On Friday I fired a commission for an event planner in California, and tomorrow I will unload the kiln and see how it turned out. I am happy with the results so far, as is the client. I'll ship it off this week.
Yesterday I dropped off some work to Robin Wood Flowers, and she has ordered more to keep up her stock. I was lucky to have some work on hand when she ran out. Good plan.

I have a new apprentice, Edan, starting on Thursday of this week. I am really excited about working wtih him, he has actually graduated from U. of MinnesOta, and is pursuing a career in pottery. I can't wait to get him started.

The other aspect of this is that I will now be working in the studio on a regular basis, Thursdays and Fridays. I had shut down the studio from February through April, and now I'll see what it feels like to put it back into use. This could be very energizing. I'll see how the body holds up to the work.

The bulk of my time is deveoping my new company that creates the materials for Small Group Book Studies, primarily for churches and non-profits. I have found that I have gift for asking questions. That is, in my mind, the best attribute of a teacher.

"Judge a man not by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks." -Voltaire


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Commission



Today I wanted to share with you the "measuring beakers" that I am producing for my commission in California. These are the reproductions, as well as the origininals. I have made 125 of these in various sizes and I am ready to glaze and fire them.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Byron Katie is the writer of the book Loving What Is, and last night I was able to discover the full meaning of that phrase. As I went to my steposon's high school graduation, so many things happened that I could have judged, or I would have judged in my old state of mind. Instead I just accepted them as they were. I had wonderful conversations that I could never have imagined because I allowed them to happen without looking for a way to control them.

As people behaved the way they were, I was able to accept and honor who they were, and release the judgment of whether that behavior was appropriate for the moment. It was totally appropriate in their mind, and they were right. As I released non-acceptance, the world started to look much more beautiful. As I took down my walls of judgment, the reality of the world began to glitter with magic and joy.

By the end of the evening, I went home enveloped in a cloud of magic, walking with "diamonds on the souls of my shoes". The magic continued to vibrate into the evening as I sat on the porch, listening to the frogs and crickets, sluggish fireflies making their spring debut. The only thing that is perfect is the present.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Blue Ocean Strategy

I've been reading Blue Ocean Strategy, and I am amazed at the paradigm shift that it embodies.

A week ago I was talking to a marketing expert, Marjorie, and as I described the marketplace that I am working in, she asked who my competition was. I said, one person in California, and she can't work on this full time. Marjorie said, "It sounds like you found a Blue Ocean."

So I went on Amazon and bought the book, Blue Ocean Strategy, and I am totally pumped with the authors' complete analysis and process driven exploration of the "Uncontested Marketplace" phenomenon. The epitome of a Blue Ocean is the one that Cirque de Soleil created with their totally unprecedented entertainment.

As I read this, I am realizing the opportunity to create a Small Group Book Study -slash- MasterMind group that can allow the members to help each other to put into practice all the processes described in the book. Entrepreneurs and corporate leaders alike would love to have this process in their arsenal, and at such an opportune time in the economy. This is the ideal time to start a business, or launch a new initiative. And to use this process would definitely improve the profit margin, and odds of success.

I will be pitching it to a couple networking groups, like LSS and Legacy Connections.

If you are interested, please comment/send an email. This will take place in central Cincinnati.
If you have read Blue Ocean Strategy, I would love to hear your comments. Tell me.