whining

I hate to whine and I don't like to talk about things that are not going well. But I just have to say something about how BADly things are going right now. I am beat to a pulp trying to crank out enough work for the festival on Saturday. I am not happy with what I have to offer at the festival. And I'm not getting any breaks. I waited to order postcard-announcements until I felt like I had overcome the clay/glaze problems and could count on participating in the festival. I ordered cards to be sent by 'UPS 3-day special delivery'. That would get the cards here by Friday (the 6th) and I had labels printed and stamps purchased to rush them to the Post Office immediately. Well, for unknown reasons, UPS 'rescheduled' my delivery to Monday the 9th. On top of being late, they arrive on a postal holiday and will not be processed by the USPS before Tuesday noon! At best they will be delivered on Wednesday for the Saturday event. Well, that is really not the end of the world. Maybe I'd rather they did not get delivered at all since I am so anxious about what I have to offer for display and sale.

Then there is the continuing anxiety about finishing the pieces. I think they look great when they come out of the bisque firing but I am usually disappointed when they come out of the glaze firing. My son, Ben, has suggested that I just glaze everything white--or clear--and I think he may have a point. But I have a hard time doing that! Last year I was very content to 'just dip the pieces in a bucket of glaze' and put them in the kiln. But now I think I am supposed to do more. There needs to be some artistic aspect to the glazing. And I don't know how to do that but am no longer content to 'just dip". And it is not OK to think, "Well, someone may like it that way". I want ME to like whatever I offer to other people with my name on it. Maybe the answer is to stop signing the pieces! OK, end of the whine for today!