Can we be honest for a minute? Disappointment sucks, yet in a life well lived, it is a certainty. The only way you or I will ever evade disappointment is if we sit and do nothing. Inertia, though, brings its own form of disappointment.
I spent most of Sunday afternoon and evening self soothing after a disappointing Michiana Pottery Tour. I knew, given my current body of work, that I was the most vulnerable artist on the tour. My work must first been seen to be comprehended, then picked up and evaluated closely to truly fathom how incredible it really is. Man, that sounds so egotistical, but it is entirely true.
When I tell people most of my work is less than 1.5" tall, they chuckle but don't really believe me. Even when they first see my pieces, they aren't sure what they are looking at. Disbelief quickly follows, because their mind tells them there is no way someone could actually make something so intricate with their bare hands. Then I show them. And they are blown away. But, without that interaction, without the picking up, holding, and closely gazing at my work, people remain pretty nonplussed.
After a couple of adult beverages, a good book, and a tub full of bubbles, I went to bed Sunday night with no guilt. I rose Monday morning intent in not trying to figure out what is wrong with my work, because there is nothing really "wrong" with it. In fact, some of it, I am quite proud of. Instead, I spent this past week regrouping and putting plans in place. What am I doing right? What could I have done better? What else can I do? I studied other ways to engage my audience and diversify my work - I could really use more videos on my social media accounts so people can "see" the work being made, finished, and the tiny details. I can find collaborators, because we know it takes a village today, more than ever. And, I can return to my roots and make functional art for daily use in the home. I used my Maker's Yearbook to set goals and make plans for the remainder of this year and next year, because let's be honest, we're not going to see each other in person again for quite some time.
I love the Maker's Yearbook. It breaks my time in the studio down to smaller steps that help me make my goals happen. It helps me decide what is most important for my business, but it also reminds me to make time to do something just for myself during the month. It helps me focus on the money and the marketing, prompting me to consider not only how many sales I need to make to pay the bills, but how I will get those sales, all in an easily digestible day to day format.
How we go on after disappointment is what truly matters. Samuel Johnson said, “Disappointment, when it involves neither shame nor loss, is as good as success; for it supplies as many images to the mind, and as many topics to the tongue.” So if you're looking for me, I'll be in the studio.
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