Back on track after some shitty days and weeks.

Printing on paper, which is fun.  I think I'm sick of printing on wood.  Especially for SM because it's so slow and the payoff isn't much.  Anyway, paper is fun.

Really focused on totes for a few weeks.  Had a lot of fun making them for Dog Days, and then Pixies, and now will focus on Arts on the Ave.  Actually thinking ahead a bit.  Hope the weather holds.  Thought they would sell faster at Pixies, kind of disappointed about that.

Slow working on commissions, but made some progress recently that broke the dam, so that is great.

Tooth problems sorted for now.  New dentist monday.  U G H.

Summer winding down

Saw rat at studio just now crawling across deck.  YUCK ! ! ! ! ! !

 Ugh - I write every year about how I hate this time of year.  Everything just stops - news tv blogs email fb IG, calls, texts, just everything.  

Vacation time, and Im always not on vacation.  

 

Leaves me feeling desperate for interaction and movement.  I just feel like a blob.  I want to do NOTHING!  Probably because of the recent events, but made worse by A U G U S T.

Trying to work up energy to print, and I just don't have it.  Ugh.

 Still in fog, and trying to work.  Combo of working all weekend, sad news and shifting gears has got me stuck.  Drawing is the TIPPY TOP priority, yet I keep putting it off.  Classic for sure.

Pixie (happily) wants some totes, so I shifted back to production mode which turned into a slog.  Monday I used the screens for paper prints, then cleaned them thinking I was done done done.  Then got new totes in, and wanted to give her a bunch of the good designs, so went back to making the same screens and printing printing printing.  Ugh, a little sick of printing these.  But they came out great, I got a bunch of designs, and love the branddave logo I print lower back.  So all good.

Weeks / August going fast.  Anxious to get thru weekend.

 

 Tuesday after Dog Days and a momentous event Sunday: dad died.  

After a crazy focused week of making tees and totes, I was so anxious to just get set up, and get these sold!  Everything went well and according to plan saturday.  Coffee at coffee bar in the morning, then we went to studio to get stuff, and then 14th to set up.  Just tees and totes, so all was easy.  Last minute decided to include the old women's tees and sold for $5 ea.

MER and Bill and Lee came by, and had a good day.  Again, vibe is very different from the past.  Lots of walk-bys, and just not the same neighborhood feel. But when people stopped to look, that seemed to attract others to look, and reactions were almost always good.  Totes were a big hit, which was great because we really had no way to display like other years on the fence.  In fact, we did no display, so of course a lot of people would walk by not knowing what we were about.

The $5 tees sold well, and others too, but I would say just ok.  Like people are not so into buying shirts, or because it's on the street, or something.  Just not as appealing.  Maybe because they are not expecting to shop for these things like they are when coming to a festival like Arts on the Ave.

My instinct to concentrate on Mediums worked well.  I don't remember anybody asking about XL. or not much L either.  I was sweating that out last minute.  I do think I got the colors wrong, I could have made them more appealing overall with more pastel colors like lavender and melon on lime.  Colors like that.  Instead I stuck to a more familiar masculine range.  The best part was that they all looked good together, but was really dark when you saw them overall.  I NEED TO SEE THIS AHEAD.

So good day, we wrapped at 4 then I took emma out to Dumbarton and had a GREAT time with her.

Sunday morning when we were at Columbe Bill called with news about Dad.  My initial reaction was to keep our plan for the day, but happily changed course and realized I needed to go see him and acknowledge his condition.  That I would regret not doing that, and it was the right thing to do for him.  So Hex and I drove out, and he was in a sad state, breathing hard and not conscious, or aware of us being there.  Just as we were leaving, John and Luke strolled in, so we went back up with them and left again, for a hot drive back to DC.  

Hex was pressed for time to meet a tenant in VA, so we set back up quickly and he left.  Another day of sales, but was typical Sunday with lighter sales and crowds.  Time went fast, and repeating all the stuff we did Saturday, breaking down.  Took Emma back to Dumbarton.

That night at 5:55pm, dad died.

Dad passed away yesterday 5:55pm

 

 Oh dear Dave, what a time.

Way overdue on the blog.  Do I catch myself up?  

 June was a shitshow.  Hex back from LA, with covid, then I got it, and it just fucking lingered.  Lying around became the norm.  I was so lazy and unmotivated and just sick.  I worked thru some of it, but it was rough.  I would lay on my studio floor and nap.

July became a blur.  Felt much better and just trucked along on all fronts.  I guess mostly on cards and prints and finishing up what I didn't get to in june.  Sales at SM were a great in june, so that gave me peace in july.  and another hallmark extension.  And tees for pixie. 

Here we are in AUGUST, and I resolved to get so much done and prepped for holidays.  WELL, here we are already one week down, and practically all my time went to prep for Dog days this weekend, which I never know about.  

Rain?  Bad designs, wrong colors, wrong sizes?  Ugh, I get so scared that I made a 1000 wrong choices.  Here I am with it all finished, and I want to change everything.

 

Went into the week picking a new color pallet of shirts after bad choices.  Yellow was gross, and purple too.  But was that a bad choice???  I just don't know.  And made a ton of totes - white!  And pink!  I like them, but with people like them?  UGH

Lots of soul-searching today as I tried to finish up and take stock of everything.  Yesterday I went thru old drawings from first months of BSUR, and made me so nostalgic, and then freaked out about how 30!!!! Years have passed, but I'm back to the same headspace and energy.  Making these little jokey drawings and tees, and wondering / hoping if people will like them / buy them.

 At that time, Adam was rocket fuel.  Somebody who loved my work, saw its potential, and PAID ATTENTION.  Constant attention.  I realize now I CRAVE THAT ! ! !  I've had so little feedback for so long.  IG has dried up, and SM feels so removed.  Hallmark too, and storydistrict.  All these sources of feedback are gone.  I feel so isolated and sometimes very lost.

 

Anyway, lots of angst, but probably misplaced.  If history is a guide, tomorrow will be great.  Some misses, but lots of hits.  And hopefully good sales.  

 

FINGERS CROSSED !