Thursday, October 25, 2012

Change Is In The Air



Change is in the air.  That was certainly evident Tuesday when we got off the plane a little after midnight and were greeted by the frosty Reno air.  Twelve hours earlier we were getting one last swim in at our resort in Akumal, snorkeling with tropical fish and massive sea turtles.  I believe it is important to recharge, get away from computers and phones and life in general, and once again this was the perfect ticket.  This is our second trip to the Yucatan and I'm sure not our last.  I am blessed that my partner and I both share a passion for travel.  We love exploring, learning about local culture and history, indulging in local cuisine and of course getting in as much snorkeling as possible!






Speaking of change...a lot of change is happening in my world and at Copper Cat Studio.

When I started doing shows and festivals a few years back, I applied to every show I could physically get into.  Sometimes this meant a couple of shows in a weekend, sometimes it even meant doing two shows in one day.  Flashback to last year's back-to-back Taylor Street Market from 8am to 2pm, then the Nevada Museum of Art's Egyptian show from 3pm-8pm. Crazy huh? Well maybe not as crazy as this year's lineup of three solid days of doing the Great Reno Balloon Races from 4am to 9am, then biking back to my studio to open it for Reno Open Studios from 10am to 5pm.  Yep, I was a zombie by day two. Actually more like day one.

I have been saying this year that I am burnt out on doing so many shows: packing and lugging multiple 40+lb crates of mosaics to my car-to my booth-back to my car-then to my studio, not having weekends with my husband, unreliable weather conditions, the craps-shoot of if it would pan out financially~ all of the things that quickly become the downside to life on the road doing shows.  Don't get me wrong, when I'm at the shows I love it~ I love the interaction with all of the people, hanging out with fellow artists who have become lifelong friends, the great festivals with amazing food and bands, trading with other artists (maybe the best part!).  All of that is good, but I'm learning that it is not necessary to kill myself in the process. Which means I have a handful of shows left this year and then I'm done. Handful meaning five.  And not technically done for good.  There will be a few shows next spring and summer, but only my favorite local ones and maybe I will try a couple over the hill.

This does not mean I won't be creating amazing mosaics daily in my studio. Actually quite the opposite!  I am already switching gears to create custom lines for a few different retail locations locally, I will reveal my schedule for fall and winter classes and workshops next week (super excited about this!) and I am focusing on the many in-house custom orders that I am receiving weekly (a bonus from all of the exposure of the past few years of shows).  I will continue to stock anywhere from 100-150+ pieces in my studio, so please feel free to contact me to set up a private shopping appointment, I am in my studio most days.

So, although I'm not necessarily appreciating the cold changes in the air, the changes in the air at Copper Cat Studio are actually quite refreshing!  I will keep you posted~  Katie