The Holidays, Christmas Trees, and Being Creative

Can you believe that it is almost December! The Holidays. Christmas trees. Baking. The Gallery. Family. BEING CREATIVE.

I love managing the gallery. There are always many tasks. I never have a boring day. But, back to being creative. It is hard when I need to use the logical side of my brain most of the day. I have several serving trays and two sets of dinnerware to make that have been ordered for early winter. Luckily both customers are flexible as to when the sets need to be completed. It makes me wonder though if it allows me to procrastinate.

Josh Herman, www.joshherman.com, and I talked this fall about carrying his work. Josh and I met at MISSA, www.missa.ca, several years ago. We had both signed up for Robin Hopper's glaze formulation course. We worked hard in that class for two weeks. Over 2000 test tiles later, a strict formula for recording test glazes, and we were sent on our way to continue the paths we were headed down. Josh was interested in textural glazes. Look where he has gone with them!

Josh's forms and glazes are not easy. I know that for all of the successes that we see, he has had many smashed with the hammer. We have five of Josh's pieces in the gallery.

For my own work, I use reticulation glazes once in awhile. I have been thinking about focusing on them this winter. It's hard to articulate what swirls in your head when considering new paths. It is probably best to not talk about it, just be quiet with your thoughts, letting them formulate so that you do not get locked into an idea that might cause an unwanted path, ultimately. It is hard to know.

So, here's to putting tasks, thoughts, needs....into mental boxes and allowing the time to be creative.