Day 9: Free Class Tonight!

365 Days Of My Life As A Studio Artist: Day 9

Day 8 Donations: $ .

Donations Running Total: $.368084

Day 9 Growth Idea: Offering a free class tonight. Sometimes people will tell me giving free classes is kind of counter productive. For me, it is very beneficial. Tonight we will be working on several projects if I get the number of students I am expecting. This is a lead came window that is almost ready for construction. Because the glass is thicker than the lead, I will have students tonight using a beveled grinder that will allow the edges to fit into the lead easier. They will be finishing a donated window that is almost done. They will be putting foil on beveled glass for kitchen cabinets that are in the process. And, we may be using the torch to create stamens for the flowers for the church window I need to finish. It is a good way for people to see if they like working with glass, and it is a good way to help me get donated items finished at a lower cost to me. The energy of the students really helps me. I think these are win/win situations.

My History: Now we are getting into 1990. My son is 3 months old. I had a brother, David, who died very young due to a heart condition. These things, although they are not directly related to glass, definitely influenced my life and the path I took, how I approach my work and my business, etc. I bring this up because my faith life is very important to me now. I was raised in the church but didn't feel close to God. This death made question a lot of things. I needed to know what I was going to do with my life. I can remember walking down the streets of Tecumseh with my sister, Stacy and my son, Matt. We were looking at a very small space in the Bidwell building... thinking, maybe I should start a small business in glass.

Today's Business: Busy day. Along with the class this evening, I have started putting together my Colorado crushed glass piece. It's 3:00am and I can't crush more clear glass because we have renters that live above my studio and they may not appreciate my sledge hammer. It's hard to stop mid-stream though. My bulletin board of current projects is almost complete. I have a lot to do! So, once done with this blog I am going to try to get some sleep so I can be ready for my 8am meeting at Great Ideas. I have to finish a mosaic sample for a customer before tomorrow. And, I think it's time to make a deposit and finish some of my current projects so I can bill them... not my strong point.

Pat Deere

LINKS: Last announcement for my Free Class tonight!