Tropical Paradise
I've been a resident of Maui now for all of a week. Not bad, thus far.
I work for Da Factory, a venture started by a few friends of mine. Although I'm not on salary yet (there's only one salaried position so far), my initial duties include Maintenance and Operations Coordinator, Chief Technologist and Guy That Gets Things From the Top Shelf. Of course, those titles are all informal. What it really boils down to is: I show up, get things done and live on Maui rent-free.
I've set up a website over at BAMFglass.com for the sort of self-promotion I'll need as a freelancer in the world of glass art. It's still pretty basic, but will grow over time. My current plan is to discuss art and what we've been creating there, and talk about more personal things here.
To say the least, the experience of life at Da Factory is very immersive; I need a way to disconnect Da Factory and Big Nick, and having two pissant websites is the only thing I can come up with. Also, feedback from people not involved out here will be nice - sometimes this group's delusions need to be exposed as such by those with an existence that's a little more grounded.
I live in a swank house on the very tropical North slope of Maui, with a panoramic view that stretches from the top of Haleakala (when it's clear), across a verdant gulch, down to the seemingly endless Pacific ocean. There's always a breeze. Always. It rains just about every day at some point. Best of all, my house is only a few hundred yards from Da Factory.
Unfortunately, the house is a few hundred feet higher in elevation than the shop - it's great in the morning, but a shitty walk after a long day in the hotshop. I rode a friend's bicycle down today (thankfully it has good brakes), but I'm not really looking forward to grinding back up that hill later. After a few weeks, it'll be easy. I hope.
Last night, I was able to cook my own dinner, in my new house, for the first time. That was a nice bit of normalcy (something that has been sorely lacking).
Today is the first day I haven't felt overwhelmed and exhausted. I'm holding at slightly overwhelmed, but I've started to develop a solid plan of attack to get done the things that are needed. There is a LOT of work to be done, and much of it entails building equipment for the hotshop. This is already one of the nicest shops around, but there are still things we need to begin making art on the scale we all came here for.
I work for Da Factory, a venture started by a few friends of mine. Although I'm not on salary yet (there's only one salaried position so far), my initial duties include Maintenance and Operations Coordinator, Chief Technologist and Guy That Gets Things From the Top Shelf. Of course, those titles are all informal. What it really boils down to is: I show up, get things done and live on Maui rent-free.
I've set up a website over at BAMFglass.com for the sort of self-promotion I'll need as a freelancer in the world of glass art. It's still pretty basic, but will grow over time. My current plan is to discuss art and what we've been creating there, and talk about more personal things here.
To say the least, the experience of life at Da Factory is very immersive; I need a way to disconnect Da Factory and Big Nick, and having two pissant websites is the only thing I can come up with. Also, feedback from people not involved out here will be nice - sometimes this group's delusions need to be exposed as such by those with an existence that's a little more grounded.
I live in a swank house on the very tropical North slope of Maui, with a panoramic view that stretches from the top of Haleakala (when it's clear), across a verdant gulch, down to the seemingly endless Pacific ocean. There's always a breeze. Always. It rains just about every day at some point. Best of all, my house is only a few hundred yards from Da Factory.
Unfortunately, the house is a few hundred feet higher in elevation than the shop - it's great in the morning, but a shitty walk after a long day in the hotshop. I rode a friend's bicycle down today (thankfully it has good brakes), but I'm not really looking forward to grinding back up that hill later. After a few weeks, it'll be easy. I hope.
Last night, I was able to cook my own dinner, in my new house, for the first time. That was a nice bit of normalcy (something that has been sorely lacking).
Today is the first day I haven't felt overwhelmed and exhausted. I'm holding at slightly overwhelmed, but I've started to develop a solid plan of attack to get done the things that are needed. There is a LOT of work to be done, and much of it entails building equipment for the hotshop. This is already one of the nicest shops around, but there are still things we need to begin making art on the scale we all came here for.