Pain, Patience & Projects, Part 1...
First, the projects. 'Cause I'm contrary like that. ;-)
First, the major project-from-hell that's been sucking up all my time for the last few months did get completed for Coronation this past weekend. Yay! Unfortunately, it didn't get there by morning court, due to issues with rivets. Specifically, issues with riveting metal bits onto leather. I've come to the conclusion that when riveting metal bits onto leather that's not backed by something stiff (as on a book binding), I need a heavier rivet than 18 g. silver. The stupid things just bent & twisted everywhere. I eventually came up with a quick fix that would hold the thing together & am working on a nicer-looking final version to replace them with in short order- something a bit more like a staple or a cotter pin where it's got a head & gets bent over. Despite missing court, both the friend who commissioned it & her Lord the recipient were both very pleased with the piece. "This is really *me*", he said, which I consider high praise indeed. I'm letting him keep it until I've got the new fake-rivet bits together, which should be by War Practice (aka middle of May). I'm planning on doing the Artisan's Row at WP so I can demonstrate fixing a coronet (aka a crown-like-object, not a horn-like object) along with whatever else I feel like playing around with while I'm there. :-D
Also in the projects category, I had a meeting with the executive director of a new local business incubator project- the StARTup Arts Incubator. It's a business incubator aimed specifically at local artists who want to get businesses going. I've been hearing about it for a bit, since it's naturally involving a bunch of folks from my grad school Alma Mater, which has the largest (& best) art department in the PA State system but I hadn't known that it was active until a guy from our local SCA Shire told me he knew someone involved & passed names along. Turns out the studios aren't quite done yet- they plan on them being done in August- but they're starting in on the business training component now. I took Mom along with me to the meeting because she understands the business end of stuff. Plus, I've been telling her for ages that if I ever became a successful artist, I was going to hire her as my accountant. :-) (GeekBro pointed out that this would mean that I would have to actually listen to her when she gives me financial advice. Personally, I think it might be a good way to help balance my "Oh, I have money! I should buy this..." tendencies)
The program looks really exciting & interesting- with one particular potential hold-up. Insurance. Much as I may be not entirely pleased with my current insurance, I'm not sure doing without is a good idea, especially when I'm taking roughly $800 worth of medications in a month (for which I currently pay about $100). So, I have to look into what sort of plans may be available for small businesses & what costs & such are for same to see if being fully self-employed is even remotely a possibility. Still, I find the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I've even come up with a solution for dealing with the Bitter Winter Blues that tend to hit in January-- travel. Even if I just drive somewhere south-of-here for a few weeks to check out museums & things, it would help immensely. And if I make them "artistic research trips" (which they would be anyway since that portion of my brain doesn't ever stop), I can write them off. Of course, the five-year-plan has me spending January in Florence. (And taking Mom with me, I might add, with some time spent in Rome & Vatican City, because she's Catholic).
It's all pretty exciting. :-D
First, the major project-from-hell that's been sucking up all my time for the last few months did get completed for Coronation this past weekend. Yay! Unfortunately, it didn't get there by morning court, due to issues with rivets. Specifically, issues with riveting metal bits onto leather. I've come to the conclusion that when riveting metal bits onto leather that's not backed by something stiff (as on a book binding), I need a heavier rivet than 18 g. silver. The stupid things just bent & twisted everywhere. I eventually came up with a quick fix that would hold the thing together & am working on a nicer-looking final version to replace them with in short order- something a bit more like a staple or a cotter pin where it's got a head & gets bent over. Despite missing court, both the friend who commissioned it & her Lord the recipient were both very pleased with the piece. "This is really *me*", he said, which I consider high praise indeed. I'm letting him keep it until I've got the new fake-rivet bits together, which should be by War Practice (aka middle of May). I'm planning on doing the Artisan's Row at WP so I can demonstrate fixing a coronet (aka a crown-like-object, not a horn-like object) along with whatever else I feel like playing around with while I'm there. :-D
Also in the projects category, I had a meeting with the executive director of a new local business incubator project- the StARTup Arts Incubator. It's a business incubator aimed specifically at local artists who want to get businesses going. I've been hearing about it for a bit, since it's naturally involving a bunch of folks from my grad school Alma Mater, which has the largest (& best) art department in the PA State system but I hadn't known that it was active until a guy from our local SCA Shire told me he knew someone involved & passed names along. Turns out the studios aren't quite done yet- they plan on them being done in August- but they're starting in on the business training component now. I took Mom along with me to the meeting because she understands the business end of stuff. Plus, I've been telling her for ages that if I ever became a successful artist, I was going to hire her as my accountant. :-) (GeekBro pointed out that this would mean that I would have to actually listen to her when she gives me financial advice. Personally, I think it might be a good way to help balance my "Oh, I have money! I should buy this..." tendencies)
The program looks really exciting & interesting- with one particular potential hold-up. Insurance. Much as I may be not entirely pleased with my current insurance, I'm not sure doing without is a good idea, especially when I'm taking roughly $800 worth of medications in a month (for which I currently pay about $100). So, I have to look into what sort of plans may be available for small businesses & what costs & such are for same to see if being fully self-employed is even remotely a possibility. Still, I find the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I've even come up with a solution for dealing with the Bitter Winter Blues that tend to hit in January-- travel. Even if I just drive somewhere south-of-here for a few weeks to check out museums & things, it would help immensely. And if I make them "artistic research trips" (which they would be anyway since that portion of my brain doesn't ever stop), I can write them off. Of course, the five-year-plan has me spending January in Florence. (And taking Mom with me, I might add, with some time spent in Rome & Vatican City, because she's Catholic).
It's all pretty exciting. :-D