Today is THE DAY.
No, not the day I SEW this top together like I thought ---
It’s turned into the day that I dig myself out of over 400 emails that keep clogging up in my inbox. Some have been on back burner for a while, but many have me then adjusting my calendar over the next 5 ((?!?!?!)) years as I work with guilds and groups trying to get things scheduled so they flow well, and still leave me SOME time home in between trips.
2015? 2016? some stuff in 2017? Gosh, I’ll be really OLD by then.
But then the thought comes back that ANYONE who is working any job ---knows that they will likely still be working in 2015, 2016, or 2017. The only thing that changes for me is my location. But it’s still just like any other career anywhere. Sort of.
I got the funniest email from a guild program person who finally got the “go ahead” to schedule me in 2016 because of the “problem with teacher’s calendars”.
PROBLEM!? There is no PROBLEM. It’s all quite orderly. And yes, it is full – I hoped I explained well, that just like anyone who has any profession, we hope to be working 3, 4 or 5 years from now. The problem is with short-sighted one year term program chairs who are not given the okay to schedule into the distance because the next guild person at bat might want to choose “someone else”.
We, the "someone elses" do plan more than one year, two years, three years in advance. We have to. There are only so many "First Thursdays" in a year. Only so many "Weekend Workshop" opportunities that come before a Monday Night guild meeting.
But there is no problem with my calendar. I think of it as job security. It pays my bills. It just put a new deck floor on my back deck. Hopefully soon it will get rid of the cruddy 30 year old fiberglass tub/shower in my master bath and give me a tiled step in shower and an updated bathroom, even though it will still be small…..it will be PRETTY instead of just functional!
Those blocks ARE calling me ---oh the colors, oh the textures and the possibilities for this quilt top being THIS CLOSE TO DONE!
But email slogs on. And I know I’ll feel so much better to know that everything that needs answering has been answered. That things are filed into their folders, and that I can see the empty space where the email ends --- and the time for quilting without this hanging over my head begins!
And that’s what’s going on over here in the basement ----
13 comments:
Our guild gets a new program chair every two years. The current one, just elected this past June, has you on our "wanted" list. I know what you mean about planning years in advance. Our guild is not hampered in this way because every new program person inherits the previous person's programs, gets to fill in where there are gaps, and gets to plan into the future as well. If there is any mortal left on the planet that doesn't know how in demand and busy the good quilt personalities are, well, all I can say is "duh"! And good for you that you can earn a living doing this. We out her in quiltland love it!
Our guild does something similar to what Mary Ellen wrote above. Regarding the vast quantity of emails: I wish that somehow my backlog of 400 emails could bring me the possibility of money and not just work. I would like to delete them all and start over but some are address changes and personal notes for me to responds to so I weed through the forwards to get to those.
Sounds like you need an assistant! I would volunteer but...Ohio is a long commute,lol! I find it much easier to work if other things are caught up!!
YOU are fabulous!!! Truly a QUILT GODDESS!!!!!
Quilter Hugs from Marcia de Aguiar in California
Oh, Bonnie - it could be SO much worse - you could have NO emails to sort through - and NOTHING to schedule - ;))
I agree with A Left-Handed Quilter above. Things can always be worse. I am happy for you that you have that much "work" scheduled forward. In addition to the fixing up of the bathroom you can schedule other lovely "fixes" to your home....like more shelving in the "basement sanctum" for fabric and "new" machines. Happy quiting...when you get to it.
Faye in Maine
Bonnie, perhaps you've gotten so popular you need an assistant to handle scheduling? Of course you'd probably have to pay them, and there would go the new shower. Hmmm.............
Keep in mind that prices of hotels, gas, food, materials, etc....will be even higher in a year, much less five years and even further down the road. When i got so busy, i raised my prices and they still purchased my services. However, that was oly 6-12 months at most that i was dealing wit. I just dont want you to lock yourself into what ends up being a pay decrease when you will then be worth een more than you are now. Hope you kow what im sayong and im sure ouve already thought of this anyway.
On another note, remember those 80's and 90's dress jumpers we all wore with a t shirt under them? I found about 5 of them at salv. Army, they were made by a lady here, she sold them at her shop. All the teachers wore them...there is a TON of fabric in these things! The top is lined with self fabric and the skirts are really gathered at the high waist where the skirt attches to the top. Plus, a couple had those decorative ceramic buttons on them. Such as apples, birds, trees, etc. Gosh time warp! Lol anyway, thought id share that with ya
Dont let it all get you down.
400 emails? Wow! I get antsy when I get above 50. It just seems so overwhelming and unmanageable when there are too many. Sometimes you just have to make yourself clean it out...kinda like the sewing room. It feels so much better to start with a clean slate!
Sounds like real work and you make the rest of job look so darn
easy. I still don't know how you do all that travel without being exhausted.
But hey I am 10 years older than you and you will not be old in 2017! ( but I will :0))
Happy Sewing...when you can get to it
after working on the logistics of ONE of your workshops I can tell you that if I was your assistant you would have to pay me in hexies and margaritas! And yummy dog treats for Jack. Girl, I couldn't keep up with you on my best day, but am overjoyed seeing you so successful. Stitch on!
There is a new house under construction across the street from me. I got a walk-thru on Tuesday and they have the latest tile in their bathrooms. It makes me ache to remodel Although our bath is part of the 16 year old addition to our 60 year old house (so relatively new), the newer tiles are beautiful.
Oh, Bonnie - thought of your featherweight and laptop loss when I was forced to get to grips with a new laptop et al last week. Took your 'Ooh, goody - new technology!' stance - until i found 13,800 emails in my inbox - some of them important enough to keep. Sifting and deleting took forever. Problem is sorted now, but there were moments when I could have cheerfully thrown the blighter through the window. Hope you get through them quickly! Just love your energy and enthusiasm - it's quite contagious!
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