Holiday Hustle

I am busy, busy, busy these days.
     Getting ready for the holiday season was made a little more difficult by the fact that going into October, which is usually very slow for me, I was almost a month behind. I had to stock up all of my galleries & retailers and then my Etsy shop and build up the stock pile.
           On one hand, A mentor and online friend speaks about how she doesn't really prepare for the season, on the other, I get a little crazy with my preparations. I make tons of shit. and when I say tons, I literally mean it, I used over 1000 pounds of clay last month. The shop is over flowing with merchandise, my drying racks are full of items ready to be glazed whatever color I run out of, tiles that I sell the most of, custom and rush orders etc. I am prepared dammit. maybe even over prepared. (I usually am.) I can attribute this to experience, and my anal retentive nature. Its like working a busy dinner at Salsas back in the day, except this dinner rush lasts 6 weeks, not 6 hours. God, I remember all too clearly having a 3 hour wait list for dinner, people lined up around the block and running out of almost everything by the end of service. At the studio,  I have everything prepared and my head is down, I will just keep going until its over.

   This year, I fell pretty good about where I am standing on this, the beginning of shit really hitting the fan.. I have increased my pars for everything weeks ago, so I have quite the stockpile....... and it does make me feel better knowing that I can take a few days off and the world is indeed, not going to end while i stuff myself silly with delicious food and wine and watch copious amounts of crappy television.

    I am thankful for my crazy organized ways and equally insane work ethic, because after Christmas, I will have a little  left over inventory to help me shift slowly back in to work in January.