I am sitting at the Bray working late, about to wrap things up when I open an email from Plinth Gallery.  The title of the exhibition they are promoting is called “Connecting the Dots”.  I am interested in dots, so of course I explore.  Then I open up Facebook and immediately see a post by Amanda Palmer with “connecting the dots” in the title.  I am a new fan of Amanda Palmer.  I don’t spend a ton of time online, but I check my Facebook and email and try to keep active.  I opened a twitter account and can’t get into it.  Same goes with my Instagram account.  I avoid reading in-depth stories about the horrors happening in the world, but I try to stay informed about pesticides, scientific discoveries, bees dying, politicians ranting, my favorite tv shows, you know…the usual stuff.  Or at least “my” usual stuff.

So connecting the dots.  I read Amanda’s entire blog.  I really like how she writes and I like connecting dots.  And it made me want to write all this, RIGHT NOW.

Yes, right now my head is so full of stuff to share with people and I haven’t been able to take time to sit and write.  To sit and share.  I have so much to make.  So many ideas I want to try out.  And I’m so pleased with how the gallery looks here at the Bray.   And then I try to absorb and soak in the clouds and the mountains and my kid playing soccer…there is just so much to do and see and experience.

Last weekend I had a friend visit for the weekend.  A friend that became a much more solid friend after this past weekend.  Three years ago Trevor, Rachel and I met and had a wonderful whirl-wind adventure in Chicago.  I dragged them to a bunch of openings and bars.  And then we all kept in touch through the internet.  How cool is that?  It took Trevor asking for our couch and then a weekend full of hanging out, bar hopping, eating steak, playing board games, and visiting a studio sale in Jefferson to really find out where we connected.  It was great.

May.  Crazy month.  I had our Spring Pottery Sale at the beginning of the month and Donna Flanery’s exhibition opening.  The following weekend was the Bray’s Mother’s Day Sale.  And the following weekend was packed full of birthday celebrations (some good, some sad, but we had poetry reading, drinking, cake, star wars humming)…and then a workshop with one of my favorite potters Linda Arbuckle (upcoming blog about that for sure!), and now I’m deep in prep for the Bray’s auction and tomorrow night’s opening reception for the Windgate Fellowship Exhibition.  PHEW!  Is that enough?  And then there was an amazing artist at the Holter Museum of Art, Nora Naranjo-Morse, the past few weeks-and I didn’t even get to spend any time with her! (and her work is fabulous!!)  And over in Missoula is a huge group of cool people filling up a huge wood kiln to fire all week.  And I was really hoping to fit in a visit…

OK.  I just took a deep breath.

I have this little print-out of a piece of art by Brian Andreas on my studio wall that says, “She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short.”  It really is.  And I just spewed my month of May all over the place.  Throw in getting sick, Matt sick, getting pots made, gardening, Mom in law visiting, a good friend’s grandma passed away, and well, holy shit, I think I am ready for June.

Last night I spent the evening decorating pots.  It was really nice (except for some sanding).  Just blaring music, my slip trailer and tons of pots.  It felt great.  I’m going to keep connecting my dots, enjoying reading about other’s and their own adventures connecting dots and maybe find a little more down time to be in the studio!