Hi there! I have a blog again!

I can’t figure out how to change the date on the top of this page, I’m not a woman in STEM. Today is March 6th, 2024!

I had a blog when I was in high school, and the only feedback I really got was about how hilarious I am and that I NEEDED to keep writing. Let me tell you, hearing nothing but how funny and great you are really starts to get to you. My ego was the biggest ever observed in recorded human history. In the 7ish years since I last updated that blog, I still hear roughly once a month (mostly from my grandma) that I have GOT to start writing again. The world needs to hear what I’ve got to say! Which, honestly, doesn’t feel like much right now! I’m taking the opportunity of having my very own website (that I pay for, so I can post whatever I want) to start my blog back up again. 

Most of my musings these days are about what it’s like to be a small artist in a world dominated by mass production and consumerism. Artists, especially ceramicists, are in a tough spot right now. We want to stay true to ourselves as both people and artists, and make a living while doing so, but are routinely met with customers who would rather have something mass produced by Amazon or Target than a handmade, one-of-a-kind piece of art; and they aren’t afraid to let you know! Maybe I’m alone in this experience, but I highly doubt it. A couple of months ago I was vending at an art market and was approached by a woman who told me multiple times that my work was not “good,” not worth the price point, and that she could get something similar for much cheaper on Amazon. Listen, I get it. I’m the kind of person who wants to save $2 by buying the store brand paper towels rather than the name brand. The difference between these two situations is that when I skip buying Bounty paper towels, I’m not directly affecting their bottom line, or hurting their feelings for that matter! If you don’t want to support me by buying one of my pieces, that’s totally fine! I’m not in the business of persuasion, you either like my stuff or you don’t. But you don’t have to be mean about it! I pour my heart and soul into every piece I make, and comments like that really hurt my feelings! What this woman couldn’t see from the finished mug alone was the 4 hours of work and 3 weeks drying and firing that went into making it. She wasn’t good enough for one of my mugs anyways, they’re too pretty to go home to someone with an ugly heart. 

I know this kind of stuff comes with the territory, I am as vulnerable to negative opinions as I am to positive ones. Truthfully, I thought this was more funny than hurtful. Genuinely why would you tell an artist their stuff is “not good” then walk away? I should’ve told her that her denim capri and sandal combo was not good. That really would’ve hit her where it hurts. 

Anyways, I have a blog again now. Maybe it’ll be funny. Maybe it won’t be. Maybe it’ll be about ceramics, or maybe it won’t be. Maybe it’ll become a diary of sorts since I’m sure no one will actually read this. I could put the nuclear launch codes in an entry and they could go completely undetected (up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start; by the way). 

Okay TTYL!

BTW my first blog was called Chicken Friend Feelings. I’m mentally referring to this as my Blah Blah Blog