I reckon I am almost into meltdown time - well I was this morning. Maybe I have recovered. So much to do and never enough time. I have to say that nearly all the orders are done and gone so I am really sorry if you have had to wait - we have been working as fast as we can. The vanilla beans and old roses sari ribbon is nearly all gone and the other colours are not doing a bad job of moving off to new homes as well. I have placed a new order which I hope won't take quite so long.
But more importantly - I received a lovely parcel today for OWOH - from Sharne - Hundertwasser - so wonderful - thank you so much Sharne - I am so pleased I won your draw. It put me back on the straight and narrow today and I even pulled out one of my many Hundertwasser books for a quick long look.
And a lovely card as well. I love receiving parcels I don't have to package.... (I really do like those as well though)
Our big shipment of Soy Wax arrived yesterday and I have spent ages packaging the 50 kilos. This is what I have been testing over the past few weeks - I have a wax thingy which my hairdresser gave me a long time back and it is just perfect for heating the soy wax which melts at a very low temperature and is easy to use. I am not wanting to dye at the moment so I have been painting with Dye-na-flow paints and very pleased with the results.
Apart from the many things I simply must do, like my on-line workshops and an article for Embellish, I have managed a few minutes to test some new very beautiful metallic paints but I will keep those until Ian has had time to get them on the web. I have been feeling very gripey about hands-on workshops and demos. People seem to want to pay as little as possible and expect as much as possible yet they are happy to pay other professionals a proper rate. They pester you to run a workshop and when you tell them your rate, they look at you as though you are a thief. I think I have been far more than generous over the years and I am really now wanting time to play as an artist when I am not playing as a partner in The Thread Studio. Hands-on workshops require a lot of work if one is a 'proper' teacher (and I have been since 1974) - not just the being there and giving out wise words, but there is the preparation, the gathering, the carting, the setting up,the demos, the wise words and the packing up after everyone else has finished and of course the coming back home, the unpacking, the sorting, the putting back etc. I think I will stick to the playing in the studio and the writing. Enough of that.....
Last night we went to a play in the new State Theatre - nice building. It was Boundary Street and while the idea was good, the actors did their best , James Morrison was good - the play itself was thin and convoluted. And what annoyed me more than anything else were the two large tv screens with all the words written on them. So distracting - I am not sure I want to go to another play if that is the norm.
Off to write and have a glass of wine.
9 comments:
I SO hear what you are saying about being paid proper professional rates - I don't think people stop to consider the time and preparationinvolved. It's the same when trying to sell hand made items too... people seem to want something for nothing. I hope the glass of wine helped!
I agree with you. People want a lot and don't realize what it takes to do a good class. They should look at the prices for computer and business type classes! It's one reason I retired from teaching.
If something is worth having, it's worth paying for and you are very generous. I love that little quilted scene. Enjoy 'playing' in your studio and making your own art as often as possible.
I'm doing a 2 day workshop soon and the cost is $180 for the 2 days. Each day is 9.30 - 4.30 and anyone who has ever done a class knows that's only a rough guide. I've never known a tutor to say "righto girls, time's up, get out".
Allowing for lunch, if I break that down to an hourly rate, it works out to be less than $20 per hour for invaluable knowledge, tips and general ideas.
How I wish my mechanic, electrician, fridge/washing machine repair man, even my hairdresser charged that amount......the people questioning you need to take a long hard look at themselves.....enjoy that hard earned glass of red....cheers
I am so glad that the parcel has finally arrived. Hundertwasser's work is so inspiring. I hope that you have a better day tomorrow.
I think you are fabulous - you do so much and are so generous with sharing your experiments on your blog. I am looking forward to my share of Katherine's order with the lovely stencils and sari ribbon, and am really enjoying the Flower Power online course. Hoping you can get some play time for you amongst the busy-ness.
I can appreciate where you are coming from re workshops,also the preparing, packing and unpacking even as a participant can take an aweful lot of time.I hope you can find some of that elusive "me" time to play and enjoy that glass of wine.
Hi! Dale,
You are right to be offside about people not willing to pay what its worth for workshops, any artist is worth his/her wages. I'd say if they don't want to pay then play in the time you would otherwise teach, you are a profesional teacher and more than worth your salt. I love Rae's lace in the Paris mode must have some before its gone. Love the little piece at the tops reminds me of sprites and fairies.
I am so pleased that you are sticking to your guns about your prices as a teacher. You need to be paid what you are worth, which is a lot! Hope you have destressed now and are backinto the groove.
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