After the BMAC: I'm going to be very pale this year ....

.... because I will spend the next 6 months in my basement making pots! I had a really successful show. I took 19 orders, including 9 from existing accounts and 10 new galleries. Thanks to everyone who wished me safe travels to Philly, the roads were pretty clear and the driving was ok, plus the Rosen Group made our arrival times flexible. The hard part was walking through ankle-deep slush puddles between the convention center and the hotel.

I don't want to sound overly celebratory, because it seemed the show overall had a down atmosphere. And what feels successful to a growing, part-time business might not relate to anyone else's pottery business (my advice to aspiring professional potters, always measure your success by your own self-defined goals, comparing yourself to others is bad for your sanity). My business will grow considerably this year, in spite of a continuing recession, and for that I feel grateful and optimistic. Still no plans to quit my design practice, but like last year I am giving myself permission to make pots full-time for the next few months!

Getting Ready for BMAC: The Big Chill

So one week before the BMAC (Buyers Market of American Craft) I was feeling pretty good about my planning ... all my pots were fired, my pricelist was printed, I actually had some free time to work on an early order. And then ... we got buried in two feet of snow! My power went out on Saturday morning, and didn't come back until Monday evening. That was 2.5 very cold days, wearing layers of fleece and trying not to stand still.

My Friday night pottery class was cancelled, we rescheduled it for Monday night and it got cancelled again ... because the area roads were still being cleared. We had thrown some pretty ambitious pots the week before, we were planning to alter and assemble them ... now we have to hope they don't dry out before we meet again, which won't be until after the BMAC.

I spent the day Monday packing up my booth for the show, and moving everything into my car. This was partly to stay warm, and partly because there's more snow coming tonight! Another foot or so is forecasted for the DC area and for Philadelphia ... ugh. Now I plan to spend Wednesday night shoveling snow again, and hoping the roads are safe to drive to Philly on Thursday morning. I'm trying not to feel down, I bet every artist in the show is stressing out about traveling this week. I'm telling myself that Thursday will be a long and challenging day, but after that the forecast looks clear, so buyers should be able to attend.

At least I'm glad that all of my planning and packing is done. All I can do now is hope the power doesn't go out again, and brace myself for the next few days.