Sunday, November 21, 2010

I Find Myself Distracted


I do, I find myself distracted. I write a monthly newsletter (www.betterstainedglass.com ). It's about stained glass and features a tips and tricks article, a featured art project, a new free pattern and a highlighted supply that we sell. It takes quite a bit of time to set it up and publish it each month.

Then, I write two different blogs, My Stained Glass Adventures ( http://sgadventure.blogspot.com/ )and Confessions Of A Video Junkie ( http://confessionsvideojunkie.blogspot.com/ ). The adventures one gets a post about once a month and the other usually twice a month. I find it hard to come up with more to say about stained glass more than once a month that isn't repetitive and redundant. With videos, I usually review ones that I've seen at home and have a strong opinion about.

Occasionally I write an article, strictly about stained glass that isn't a how to for the newsletter and it goes on our www.gommstudios.com website.

Then there's the weekly writing I try to do on our facebook gommstudios group ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=121011244611125 ) and the daily comments that go on the personal facebook feed, the monthly comments that go on the downtown Provo art gallery stroll group ( http://gallerystroll.blogspot.com/ ) and the monthly comments on the Utah County Art Gallery facebook group ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=120154841376303 ).

Now I'm writing a copy of this blog onto a Merchant Circle account and I enjoy answering questions that I receive weekly from those who find us on the Internet and those that are sent from AllExperts.com

It's no wonder that I find myself distracted!

I aspired to becoming a writer when I was in high school, I guess I've made it on some level, I only hope I'm doing a good job of it.

(By the way, an author likes an audience, so if you click on the sites I've mentioned, feel free to become a follower or join the groups)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Loving Stained Glass




I love stained glass!

I love to view it, I love it when it helps make an architectural statement. I love when an artist tries something different with it. I love little pieces of glass art and I love big, impressive masses of stained glass.

I love the colors of glass, how different qualities of light change the look of the piece. I love the heavy lines that run through the art, restricting us and yet defining our art.

I really do love it

BUT

There are things I'm less fond of. And it depends on the day and my mood. Usually cutting glass is a pure delight, but there are days when it's not as fun, when the design is boring or tedious. Occasionally I enjoy sandblasting. The sand flows just right and cuts into the glass perfectly and art is created, but most of the time there are technical difficulties that slow me down and I wonder why I ever suggested it to the client!

Right now, I'm enjoying getting videos about glass produced and getting Jeanne's first book completed. Writing the glass newsletter and setting up for an art show are so fun! These are related activities to stained glass and when I find that I really enjoy those side activities, it reminds me that this is why we keep practicing our art. We put pen to paper and cutter to glass, whether it's what we feel like today or not. Because creating the artwork leads to so many other fulfilling activities.

I have to create stained glass art if I want to have something to say in the newsletter! If we don't build glass, there is nothing to display, nothing to photograph and less to inspire us. So we love glass, for the glass itself and we also love glass for what it brings to our lives.