Adjusting to a global pandemic has affected my creative energy, and I know I'm not alone in this. I wrestle with an almost overwhelming urge to get into my car and drive...anywhere, far away. It's taken effort to channel that desire to escape being trapped by quarantine. Instead, I work on art projects, and have been getting outdoors as often as possible (fortunately I live in rural New Mexico, with plenty of nearby public lands to safely explore in a socially-distant manner.)
This issue is labeled April/May because last month I just couldn't conjure the focus to write an e-newsletter while working on my current big project: the new e-book!
Exploring Modeling Glass:
The Basics and More
will be coming out in the next few weeks, and I'm very excited by how it's shaping up. I've worked in publishing for 30 years, and have written books myself, but this was the first project where I didn't have a publisher pushing me, no hard deadline, etc. That made for a bit of "project drift." But I'm back on track now!
The e-book is part of a new approach I plan to take regarding teaching the techniques I have developed with my product, Modeling Glass. I spent the last couple of years traveling and teaching, and I produced two instructional videos with AAE Glass (see below for more info on those videos). I have enjoyed the workshop circuit, but it's draining and inefficient, in that only people who can spare a fair amount of money and time to take a 3-day workshop could benefit. I think broader outreach projects like e-books and videos are the way forward. They are more accessible to people, far more affordable, and in these days of disrupted travel and life, a more sustainable way to teach. Since most of the workshops for 2020 are not happening, it's a good time to direct my energy in new ways. I anticipate the disruption of events will continue into 2021, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of the chapters in my ebook. They may shift slightly, but this is essentially what will be in the book:
