after show blues

updated tue 2 dec 03

Jennifer Boyer on tue 25 nov 03

Post show blues is SO common! I dread the adjustment period I go
through in January when my crazy studio schedule slows down. The
production "zone" is sort of addicting since you don't have to think
and barely have to make a decision. Your list is a mile long and you're
going down it from dawn til dusk.........Then when your list is done
and you have to think what the next stage is, you're at a loss. One
answer sometimes is to think of something non-clay that you've been
wanting to do, and do that. It uses up your residual obsessive work
energy, but gets you out of the studio. I made a quilt in January once.

Jennifer, who's survived post holiday blues every year so far..... you
will too.

On Tuesday, November 25, 2003, at 03:45 PM, Suzanne Botello wrote:
> . Anyway, I =
> have been feeling out of sorts the past 3 days, even moved into self =
> pity (I have no friends, I'm too far away from my friends and family
> and =
> no one who knows me special came to my show, I still have some pots =
> left, what am I going to do with them, I'm sad, I'm a terrible artist,
> =
> I'm not even an artist, I'm an artist, but not a business person,
> blah, =
> blah, blah...)...It came to a head in the middle of last night when I =
> woke up and felt like crying. My poor husband tried to soothe me with
> =
> the logical stuff: ***********************************************
> never pass on virus warnings or emails with checking them at:
http://snopes.com

Jennifer Boyer - Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT 05602
http://thistlehillpottery.com
***********************************************

Libby Krause on tue 25 nov 03

Suzanne,

I think we all go through something like you experienced to a greater =20=

or lesser degree after a show. Here's food for thought. It was in a =20=

post from Edouard Bastarache a few days ago, and, by the way, thanks =20
Edouard for sharing this.

Libby Krause


LIFE AND A CAN OF BEER

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours =
=20
in
a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the beer.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in =20=

front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large =
and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then
asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of =20
pebbles
and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles =20
rolled
into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students
again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if =20
the jar
was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor
then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the =20
entire
contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the
sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter
subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. =20=

The
golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your
health, your friends, and your favorite passions--things that if
everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still =20=

be
full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend
all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room =20=

for
the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that =20=

are
critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get
medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. =20
There
will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. "Take care
of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your =20
priorities.
The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer
represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes
to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always
room for a couple of beers."

On Tuesday, November 25, 2003, at 02:45 PM, Suzanne Botello wrote:

> I have been experiencing something I hadn't felt in awhile and =20
> wondered if any of you ever have this experience? I did a show this =20=

> past weekend that I'd been preparing for the past 2 =BD months. All =20=

> I've thought about are shapes, forms, colors, glazes, decoration, get =20=

> new display shelves made...

> Suzanne Botello
>
> Mudpie Studios
>
> Flagstaff, Az
>
>
>
> =
_______________________________________________________________________=20=

> _______
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at =20
> melpots@pclink.com.
>

Tim McCracken on tue 25 nov 03

Suzanne,

I am about to have my first sale, so I can=92t comment on the after-sale
blues, but... Another passion of mine has been auto racing. Some
similarities in that it takes ridiculous amounts of time and energy to
get prepared for the event. The event itself, and the people involved,
are intense and invigorating, and then there is all of a sudden...
nothing, or your day job, or whatever else you have been neglecting.
Post-race blues.

One thing that has helped has been getting together with friends that
were involved in the race to watch the in-car videos. Basically, we
celebrate the successes, laugh at the failures, and talk about the next
time. Maybe the same thing can be done in ceramics - what went well,
not well, could be different next time... Maybe it starts you on a new
path in your ceramic work. Maybe it is just a good time with friends.

Good luck preparing for your next race.

Tim

Tim McCracken
timsmccracken@yahoo.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Suzanne Botello [mailto:Suzanne.Botello@COCONINO.EDU]=20
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 12:45 PM
Subject: After show blues

I have been experiencing something I hadn't felt in awhile and wondered
if any of you ever have this experience? I did a show this past weekend
that I'd been preparing for the past 2 =BD months. All I've thought =
about
are shapes, forms, colors, glazes, decoration, get new display shelves
made... I had lots of pots and did quite well for the kind of show it
was (lots of crafty things in some of the booths). Anyway, I have been
feeling out of sorts the past 3 days, even moved into self pity (I have
no friends, I'm too far away from my friends and family and no one who
knows me special came to my show, I still have some pots left, what am I
going to do with them, I'm sad, I'm a terrible artist, I'm not even an
artist, I'm an artist, but not a business person, blah, blah,
blah...)...It came to a head in the middle of last night when I woke up
and felt like crying. My poor husband tried to soothe me with the
logical stuff: "You had a good show. You worked so hard over the past
couple months that you haven't thought about anything else, and now
you're just coming down. Relax. You're loved. You have 3 really good
friends here and two of them were in the show, too. Relax.".....But I
still felt, as Charles Dickens put it, if I can quote him correctly,
"...like a lone, lost creature, and everything goes contrary to me..."
I had a death in my family last week, my aunt who embodied my childhood.
I couldn't make the funeral-too far to travel in too little time, and my
son turned 30 on Sunday, also 1000 miles away. Lots of things were
going on while I was working on my production schedule but I was in that
Zone and didn't let myself get off schedule. The show was fine, but
boy, did it hit me last night. I'm better already, but WOW. This was my
first real show since I moved to this area 3 years ago, and I don't know
if I'm just not remembering this After Show Blues or if it is common.
Does anyone else go through these swings after an event, or did I just
lose it for a few days? Thanks for any feedback.

=20

Suzanne Botello

Mudpie Studios

Flagstaff, Az

=20

Suzanne Botello on tue 25 nov 03

I have been experiencing something I hadn't felt in awhile and wondered =
if any of you ever have this experience? I did a show this past weekend =
that I'd been preparing for the past 2 =BD months. All I've thought =
about are shapes, forms, colors, glazes, decoration, get new display =
shelves made... I had lots of pots and did quite well for the kind of =
show it was (lots of crafty things in some of the booths). Anyway, I =
have been feeling out of sorts the past 3 days, even moved into self =
pity (I have no friends, I'm too far away from my friends and family and =
no one who knows me special came to my show, I still have some pots =
left, what am I going to do with them, I'm sad, I'm a terrible artist, =
I'm not even an artist, I'm an artist, but not a business person, blah, =
blah, blah...)...It came to a head in the middle of last night when I =
woke up and felt like crying. My poor husband tried to soothe me with =
the logical stuff: "You had a good show. You worked so hard over the =
past couple months that you haven't thought about anything else, and now =
you're just coming down. Relax. You're loved. You have 3 really good =
friends here and two of them were in the show, too. Relax.".....But I =
still felt, as Charles Dickens put it, if I can quote him correctly, =
"...like a lone, lost creature, and everything goes contrary to me..." =
I had a death in my family last week, my aunt who embodied my childhood. =
I couldn't make the funeral-too far to travel in too little time, and =
my son turned 30 on Sunday, also 1000 miles away. Lots of things were =
going on while I was working on my production schedule but I was in that =
Zone and didn't let myself get off schedule. The show was fine, but =
boy, did it hit me last night. I'm better already, but WOW. This was my =
first real show since I moved to this area 3 years ago, and I don't know =
if I'm just not remembering this After Show Blues or if it is common. =
Does anyone else go through these swings after an event, or did I just =
lose it for a few days? Thanks for any feedback.

=20

Suzanne Botello

Mudpie Studios

Flagstaff, Az

=20

Alex Solla on wed 26 nov 03

Suzanne-

You certainly arent alone. I would guess it to be pretty common. I know that when I did my first show in UT (this was about 8 yrs ago) I was so psyched up. Everyone had told me what a great show it was. I cranked and cranked and made tons of pots. Put them out there on the day of the show. Sold okay. But I wasnt fulfilled. No one stopped by to say that they were amazed by my work. Like you said, none of my friends showed up (but then again it was 8 hours away from where we lived).

Was it a bad show? no. Was I dissappointed? oh yeah. We put so much of ourselves into our expectations... sometimes it just isnt realistic. Doesnt mean it doesnt bring us down though. Dont we deserve to feel great??!! Even if the show sucks, we should still get a cookie right? Hmm.

Part of what I have gathered from people like Dick Aerni and Tony C and David H is that if you are going to sell pots and follow the path of self-promotion... something to remember that no matter how much you need that reaffirmation that you are indeed a good potter, good provider, good parent/spouse whatever,.... that reaffirmation needs to come from INSIDE first before looking for it from outside. In short, at the end of the show, take stock, make plans and look ahead, not down. It isnt easy, but it sure beats the alternative!

Keep the faith ! There are always better shows ahead and better pots in the next kiln load.

Alexander Solla

Cold Springs Studio
4088 Cold Springs Road
Trumansburg, NY 14886


Suzanne Botello wrote:
I have been experiencing something I hadn't felt in awhile and wondered if any of you ever have this experience? I did a show this past weekend that I'd been preparing for the past 2 ½ months. All I've thought about are shapes, forms, colors, glazes, decoration, get new display shelves made... I had lots of pots and did quite well for the kind of show it was (lots of crafty things in some of the booths). Anyway, I have been feeling out of sorts the past 3 days, even moved into self pity (I have no friends, I'm too far away from my friends and family and no one who knows me special came to my show, I still have some pots left, what am I going to do with them, I'm sad, I'm a terrible artist, I'm not even an artist, I'm an artist, but not a business person, blah, blah, blah...)...It came to a head in the middle of last night when I woke up and felt like crying. My poor husband tried to soothe me with the logical stuff: "You had a good show. You worked so hard over the past couple months
that you haven't thought about anything else, and now you're just coming down. Relax. You're loved. You have 3 really good friends here and two of them were in the show, too. Relax.".....But I still felt, as Charles Dickens put it, if I can quote him correctly, "...like a lone, lost creature, and everything goes contrary to me..." I had a death in my family last week, my aunt who embodied my childhood. I couldn't make the funeral-too far to travel in too little time, and my son turned 30 on Sunday, also 1000 miles away. Lots of things were going on while I was working on my production schedule but I was in that Zone and didn't let myself get off schedule. The show was fine, but boy, did it hit me last night. I'm better already, but WOW. This was my first real show since I moved to this area 3 years ago, and I don't know if I'm just not remembering this After Show Blues or if it is common. Does anyone else go through these swings after an event, or did I just lose it for a few days?
Thanks for any feedback.



Suzanne Botello

Mudpie Studios

Flagstaff, Az



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Alycia Goeke on wed 26 nov 03

hi suzanne,
i think it might very well be that you are coming down somewhat from the show
you worked so hard to prepare for but i think it is much more likely that you
are experiencing some feelings that you were too busy to feel earlier in the
month.
the two incidents you mentioned, your childhood auntie's passing and your son
turning 30, well, those two things are big....they mark passages and whenever
we have those kinds of occurrences in our lives, they not only mark the
passage for the individual involved but they also mark them for us personally.
i have three children. two of them are close to 30 and the other one is 18. i
have been aware of the changes going on inside of them and inside of myself.
there is some grief involved there because i no longer play the role in their
lives that i once did. i loved being a mom and my roles are changing. my
mother of 76 is still living. i am able to observe how that has been for her and am
now understanding her much better than i used to.
i am so grateful that i have clay in my life. i can feel myself moving deeper
into making it what i do full time instead of doing whenever i could steal a
minute here and there.
of course, this may not be what is going on with you but it's what came to my
mind when i read your post. also, don't rule out hormone fluctuations
....they can reek havoc!!!
take care and rest.
happy thanksgiving.
alycia

Dorie Mickelson on wed 26 nov 03

Thanks so much for your post, Suzanne. I don't know about others, but I
have definitely experienced some after show blues and am in a pretty
serious post show funk myself right now. I think the depth of my
depression is also related to the losses I suffered right before my last
show -- my precious 16 year old cat died in my arms six days before my
show, I buried her five days before my show (cremation in general
totally creeps me out and the whole kiln cremation idea is way too much
for me), and then a beloved aunt of mine died three days before my show
and I was unable to make the funeral or to sit shiva with my family, so
I did not even get to be with my family for any sense of closure or
support around this loss. And I was so overwhelmed with final pre-show
preparations that I really had to put my grief on the back burner. So
now the show is over and I am left with my grief over my cat and the
loss of my aunt and have spent a lot of time sleeping and crying and
feeling out of sorts. And since I am still fairly new to pottery as a
means of making a living, I have some ongoing anxiety as to whether I
can really make it as a professional potter/artist anyway, and when I am
in a bad state of mind over other things, it tends to seep over onto my
artwork as well and make me question everything I am doing. So I think
you are totally normal, or perhaps we are both abnormal , but in any
event, you are not alone!

On the sales front, one pottery teacher of mine who has been teaching
and doing shows for some 30 years or so said that in a GOOD show you
might expect to sell one third to one half of your stuff max. Also, the
economy sucks right now and I've talked to potters who have not even
covered their costs at shows this past year, so I try to keep all of
that in mind when I look at my own expectations for any given show. I
certainly would have liked to have sold a lot more at my last show, but
all things considered, I think I actually did fairly well. And the
experience, feedback, networking with other artists, etc., is invaluable
to me right now, so it was well worth it. Ultimately, I have to figure
out what combination of shows, galleries, commissions, side work, etc.,
I need to do to make this all work financially, but I am still sorting
that out.

A great remedy for me when I am feeling so down is to weigh out some
clay, sit down at my wheel, crank up the jams, and start throwing, as
that always helps to ground/center me and seems to make me feel better,
no matter what else is going on in the world or in my life.

Best Wishes,
Dorie, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where it is cold but the sky is blue and
the sun is shining

************************************************************************
*********************************

Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 13:45:12 -0700

From: Suzanne Botello

Subject: After show blues

I have been experiencing something I hadn't felt in awhile and wondered
if any of you ever have this experience? I did a show this past weekend
that I'd been preparing for the past 2 months. All I've thought about
are shapes, forms, colors, glazes, decoration, get new display shelves
made... I had lots of pots and did quite well for the kind of show it
was (lots of crafty things in some of the booths). Anyway, I have been
feeling out of sorts the past 3 days, even moved into self pity (I have
no friends, I'm too far away from my friends and family and no one who
knows me special came to my show, I still have some pots left, what am I
going to do with them, I'm sad, I'm a terrible artist, I'm not even an
artist, I'm an artist, but not a business person, blah, blah,
blah...)...It came to a head in the middle of last night when I woke up
and felt like crying. My poor husband tried to soothe me with the
logical stuff: "You had a good show. You worked so hard over the past
couple months that you haven't thought about anything else, and now
you're just coming down. Relax. You're loved. You have 3 really good
friends here and two of them were in the show, too. Relax.".....But I
still felt, as Charles Dickens put it, if I can quote him correctly,
"...like a lone, lost creature, and everything goes contrary to me..." I
had a death in my family last week, my aunt who embodied my childhood. I
couldn't make the funeral-too far to travel in too little time, and my
son turned 30 on Sunday, also 1000 miles away. Lots of things were going
on while I was working on my production schedule but I was in that Zone
and didn't let myself get off schedule. The show was fine, but boy, did
it hit me last night. I'm better already, but WOW. This was my first
real show since I moved to this area 3 years ago, and I don't know if
I'm just not remembering this After Show Blues or if it is common. Does
anyone else go through these swings after an event, or did I just lose
it for a few days? Thanks for any feedback.

Suzanne Botello

Flagstaff, Az