Festival artists have a love/hate relationship with weather. The forecast for this past weekend at Bethesda Row was for steady wind and gusts up to 40 mph. Which means a serious stress-out in the days leading up to the show. I was cursing the forecast. Wind is the worst enemy of pottery. But as the dawn arrived on Saturday, the wind did not. In fact, the weather was glorious. Sunny and warm, with cool breezes. The angled sunlight of autumn, and falling leaves that were turning color. It was beautiful. In the end I was cheering the weather. Now I have a different problem. I sold a lot more pottery than I was expecting. So this is all the inventory I have left, and all the holiday shows are coming up. Plus four wholesale orders, which need to ship for the holidays too. But I'm not going to start worrying about this until tomorrow.

Yes, there is a friendly rivalry between my neighborhood of Silver Spring and nearby Bethesda. But I will say that Bethesda can throw a killer art festival. This weekend, about 200 artists will take over the streets in downtown Bethesda, in the blocks that surround the Barnes & Noble. My pottery and I will be in space 49E on Elm Street. It's an easy walk from the Bethesda metro station, and all the nearby parking garages are free on weekends. Hope to see you there! bethesdarowarts.org

Also, I've set the dates for my Fifth Annual Holiday Open House ... December 10-11 ... more details will follow soon.

Mostly, I don't think it makes sense to idolize other people. And mostly, I don't have a problem taking credit for my own successes. I earned them. But I will declare openly, with gratitude and devotion, that Steve Jobs was my hero. 

I don't even own an iPhone or iPad, the newer revolutions. My hero-worship began long before that. My life would not have traveled the same path without his vision. Years before Apple overturned the music industry, the Mac did the same for graphic design and printing. When I graduated from college in the 90s, a design studio involved a large office, including a darkroom, heavy equipment, and toxic chemicals. Remember the smell of the wax machine, then cleaning our hands with Bestine? Within a few short years, all of these things fit into an elegant little box. This changed everything for self-employed designers. An almost zero overhead business. The design business was a satisfying career. But more importantly, it carried me to what I'm doing now. It subsidized my growing obsession with pottery, with money and a flexible schedule. And the know-how to run a small business. Oh, and it bought the house that holds the pottery studio. Another almost zero overhead business. A blessed life, and a dream come true. 

"Dear Steve, I couldn't have done this without you. Your magic changed my life. Wishing happiness for your soul.   -Mea"