Creativity in progress

Blue carded wool, blue mohair yarn balls, blue uncarded wool
blue hand spun 2-ply wool, blue and natural pewter handspun
wool and mohair two-ply yarn. 

This has been one of the most successful weeks of my personal professional life. I have accomplished or set in official motion projects that I have been working on for three or more years. I have presented proposals, gotten approvals taught classes and relaxed by spinning beautiful blue yarn.

Last evening, I went with several girl friends to help pack up house for a coworker who is moving to another park. We had fun and accomplished a lot. When I got home I was tired and listened to myself share worries about the upcoming year with Shawn as I carded and spun blue wool.

This morning, I have a few minutes of down-time to think over the week. I decided I really needed to write down and celebrate the amazing week I'd just had, just to keep the accomplishments from getting buried in the fuss and worry of life.

The week started with my getting approval to present a draft of a project that I have been researching, gathering information on, tweaking and finalizing since before I was Craft Director at OFC. Every year I have run the idea and information by my boss and gotten told it just was not complete enough, or that this was not the time. Now, the time was right, the info was there and I could start this wonderful concept on its way through the approval process. I really liked the proposal I wrote up. Shawn, in his much appreciated roll as my production manager, did some great charts and helped me get the numbers real. If this gets approved, it will dramatically change our 2012 season at OFC. If we get preliminary approval, we can start on the budgeting process for it next week.

Then I finally taught my super fun Traditional Winter Foods cooking class. I had a great group of students and we had fun and made delicious food.

The weather turned sunny and astoundingly gorgeous. I am coming to appreciate my office for its windows. Even when I can't be outside, I can still have the inspiration of the natural world.

Wednesday was devoted to catching up on projects and paperwork. The Quilt Retreat is going to be great fun this year, with almost 30 quilters already signed up. Our adult craft class morning on Feb. 12 is filling up and the Bluegrass craft show is so full, I don't know where I'm going to put everybody. I really need to get some top notch publicity out about that one!

Joanne Webb, lifetime member and supporter of the Arkansas
Craft Guild, Stone County and so much more. I will miss
your smile and sweet voice.

Thursday was in inspirational day. I am on the board of the Arkansas Craft Guild. This guild is the longest continuously running craft guild in the US. But, it has been suffering the same economic stresses as the rest of the country. We have made some changes there and are going to have the guild gallery open on Friday and Saturday only through March 5, with all volunteer help. People have been stepping up to the plate and the whole process is enough to make you positive about people!! We are opening the Joanne Webb Coffee Room in the Gallery, in honor of a truly wonderful lifetime member who passed away this week. I will miss her terribly, but now will be able to think about her every week as I visit with friends in the coffee room.

Then, yesterday, in Little Rock, I got to present another proposal that was the culmination of 3-years of work and planning. We are going to have a Glass Shop at the Ozark Folk Center!!! Thanks to the generosity and planning of the Ladies of the Committee of 100 and to Sage Holland, Beau Anderson and the help of OFC Superintendent Grady Spann, we will have a shop that presents the amazing history of glass in the Ozarks and that teaches and demonstrates how to make glass beads and that will be a place to buy those beautiful, sparkley treasures!!! Wow!

Yep, wow, what a week. Now Lena and I are headed out to do our weekly body score and FAMACHA check on the sheep and goats and to move the first batch due to lamb into the pen closest to the house. The weather is still beautiful and I'm going to enjoy the day and leave the worries about the future to the future.
love and hugs to all - Jen