Quote of the Week

So I've decided to start posting a new quote each week...hopefully something inspirational and awe-inspiring, but at the very least, something I like for some reason.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." (Howard Thurman)

And the Studio Saga Continues...

Wow...what a busy couple of weeks! My adorable studio is coming along nicely. I should be able to move in sometime before mid-May. Rit and I spent last weekend trenching for the electrical lines from the house. Not the most fun job in the world. This weekend will be spent working on the interior walls. Anyway, here are some updated photos of the progress. Is it the cutest lil' building or what? Any ideas on colors for the inside?



I've been working on some fun new products lately. Keep your eye on the website for upates!

My Dream Studio...

I'm so excited I can hardly breathe. I began feeding my glass obsession in a modest studio in my basement. Alas, it was too dank and dark. So, I moved upstairs into a spare bedroom at the front of the house. It was great. Two windows, an attached bathroom (however mini...)...who could ask for anything more?!? Well, apparently I could.

We live in a small house--a fabulous house possessing great character--but a small house nonetheless with small spaces and no storage. After having my studio on the main floor for over a year, I began longing for our guest room back...and more space for my studio. Plus, it would be nice to reclaim the areas to which "Kate Gadd Glass" has metasticized...i.e., the basement, the garage, the ledge in the dining room, etc. What to do? Well, we began looking for a new house, but to no avail. There are no larger fabulous houses possessing great character in this area. Hmph. Back to square one.

That's when the great epiphany descended upon us, a true ah-hah moment. Let's tear down our leaky, much-in-need-of-a-new-paint-job old shed in the back yard, expand it ever so slightly, and turn it into a one-of-a-kind Kate Gadd Glass studio/storage space for all of my glass-related stuff (and there is much). And so it began--the bidding war, the meticulous planning, the envisioning, the dreaming, the drooling, and the not-to-so-eagerly-anticipated all-day tearing down of the old shed. Wow. It was a true back-breaking day. But, thanks to our neighbor, Ed, we finished it in one day. And a clean slate appeared. Construction on the new pad begins tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. Enjoy the photos!

BEFORE

DURING

THE CLEAN SLATE...Let the fun begin!

I love this stuff!

How fun! My first blog! Although I've had a website for awhile now, this feels so much more personal for some reason. Crazy!

So I had a show last weekend in Kohler, the Spring Garden Market at the American Club. What fun! It was a two-day show--both long days. The preparation for the show and the show itself were physically exhausting, but I had a great show and I met some great people. It was such a reaffirming experience for me. I LOVE being a glass artist. I feel like I'm totally in my niche. I feel like I've found what I'm supposed to be doing. I love spending all day every day in my studio pulling creations from my mind. I love the energy of a show when all of the vendors are setting up and customers are just starting to arrive. The air virtually hums with it. I love it. I love seeing a smile spread across a customer's face as their eyes fall on one of my tribal faces. It's exhilirating to see a customer's eyes light up when she looks at herself in the mirror wearing one of my necklaces or pendants. I love chatting with people from all over the country.

I will never be a millionaire. Few artists are. But even fewer people in this world find the perfect job in which they can express themselves, unleash their creativity, relish some much-needed solitude, and feel perfectly alive.

Life is good. I love this stuff.