Sunday, January 31, 2016

Let's See

On our weekly Skype, Mom showed me woven work by Mrs E and Mrs T, four each, and Mom's three definitely going into the exhibition. She also read me their artist blurbs, but Mom hadn't started on hers yet. Slack! I love these women; they are quite different from each other but both lovely, hard-working and dedicated to what's/who's important in their lives. They were constant sources of pleasure and encouragement in Dad's last years and continue to be for Mom since he passed away.
Now that I have visual clues, I can start planning poster/invite/a tiny takeaway catalogue more concretely, and revised what to take with me. You know I can buy everything/anything in Japan, but I don't want to waste time looking for exactly what I want. (The picture looked Pond Green not a nice way so I killed the colors. I think I need to set the cameras' settings back to vanilla and rework white balance and other preferences again.) The paper on top of the photo paper is a set of wonderful warm creamy yellow with wood grain texture. I think they'd look lovely for blurbs on the wall, but if not I'm keeping them.

Seeing their woven work, not just Mom's, made the exhibition really come to life. Both ladies have been wonderful in supporting Mom realize this exhibition.

It's also made me feel excited about the real purpose of the trip, in addition to the people/exhibitions/places I hope to see, the cold, the food. The exhibition has been a box of fragmented ideas for me and my typically overblown/pushy enthusiasm for Mom. But discussing what makes good blurbs, different visual approaches, why/who might come to see the exhibition, since about September, Mom's started to own the exhibition, so now it's time for me to shut up a little.

That's also made me feel better about "interrupting" my life. I may have finally got the hang of living a life of a mostly productive/consistent weaver rather than just being on a roll for a period. I'm also leaving enough carrot/bread crumbs; I'm trying to get all these unfinished projects finished before I go so I can do another round of Pop Up soon after I get back. Keeping the momentum going, you know.

In fact, I stumbled upon Jade's event, Ideas Party, which happens online, so I signed up first and went to read more later. I didn't know anything about Barbara Sher, who turned out to be wonderfully pragmatic and funny, but also that I'm so the wrong kind of person for the party in four or five ways. Never mind, I can lurk.

What I did discover was, just about all the important stuff I envisioned while working on The Artist's Way in 2002 have come true. The superficial stuff I haven't got, like a beautiful home on a (safe part of) cliff with a large studio and a show room, (we were encouraged to visualize in a concrete way,) travelling the world and attending conferences and workshops, and selling lots; but I'm producing, I've managed to get rid of much noise in my head, I'm selling enough, and most of all I'm pleased as a punch about the life I have. Who can ask for more? (Plus, as much as I like travelling and workshops, in a way they are distractions because I need so long to think and work things out and execute.) For this alone, it was worth signing up for this party.

We're back to dry/hot weather again, and it's been uncomfortable hemming the chunky wool stuff. I was complaining to Mom in a Big Time Drama Queen way that in the mornings the house is already 23-24C and I start to suffer at around 25C. Mom consoled me by saying her apartment is south-facing and comfortable at a relatively consistent 24C! It looks like I need to pack exactly what I'm wearing now, plus a big sweater, a pair of long pants, and my sister's soccer-mom-watching-on-the-sideline down coat. I'm getting used to speaking cross purposes with Mom.

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On Friday I had lunch with Pat. Neither of us travelled since May but it was the first time we got together. Larry got sick of her dyeing in the kitchen microwave, so she got a dedicated one and when I get back we're going to experiment with my wools and silks. We also discussed pricing; because she travels more, she has a better grasp of the state of handweaving market while I really haven't got a clue.

I also looked for a nice box to put Aha Aha in. I went to four (??) stores but all the boxes that can hold a piece 28.5cm wide and 1cm high were also 4 and 5cm deep. So here's an idea; if anybody here wants a new business idea, how about oddly shaped gift boxes? You probably don't have to manufacture them as I know in Japan there are tons of flat shirt/hankie/towel boxes; all you need is to pretty them up and sell in small lots!

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My very old post about shadow weave is suddenly getting hits from somewhere in Facebook, but I can't back track. Do you know where? It's been a little spooky as it's an odd, old post, rather wordy. Just a little strange.

Right. Hemming. 

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