Musings from a Glass Artist

Combat Scribing

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:16:44 +0000

So we went to an SCA event last weekend. It was a lot of fun – Ian took a kumihimo class, and hung out with several ladies of the fiber guild after his class, working on his current cord-making project.

I headed straight for the scribes’ room, as I had to drop off a few award scrolls that were to be given out that evening in court. After geeking about all the other scribes’ scrolls that had been dropped off, and getting some geek over the scrolls I had done, the head scribe started to go through the scrolls received to make sure she had them all.

A Finished Scroll of Mine

It’s not all that unusual to have one scroll not turn up, but somehow, real life had intervened for three of the scrolls due to be given out that day. And that is where I come in. I’m what’s affectionately known as a “combat scribe”.

A High level Award Scroll I Made

There are two parts (generally speaking) to every award scroll: the calligraphy and the illumination. Calligraphy, is, well, calligraphy, or the text of the award. Illumination is anything that isn’t the text – usually a fancy first letter, or some gold leaf motif down the sidebar of the scroll, and so on. A lot of people (myself included) do both calligraphy and illumination, but some only do one or the other. People who are only illuminators make up what are called “scroll blanks”, which are basically painted scrolls that are ready and waiting for text. The head scribe (called a signet) usually has a selection of blanks on hand at any event in case of emergency. And we had three emergencies.

Scroll Blank

A combat scribe is someone who scribes under “fire”. When an award doesn’t show up, there is anywhere from a few hours window to 45 minutes in which it’s determined a scroll is not going to show up on time. And the clock is ticking. Within that timeframe, a combat scribe has to lay out the wording for the scroll, including the particulars like the recipient’s name, what they got the award for, the date, etc. and then do the calligraphy for the whole thing. Fast. And accurately. Out of every 10 people or so who do calligraphy for the SCA you may find 1-2 people who combat scribe.

Personally, I love it. I like the challenge of creating something that is aesthetically pleasing in a timed situation. It hones my skills like no self-timed re-creation at home can. A combat scribing situation is nothing I would ever wish for, as it means that someone typically had a scroll disaster or personal emergency crop up. But the secret part of myself hopes that when that situation does crop up at an event, that I’m there with my ink-stained fingers and scribal kit, ready to sit down and do battle.

Yeah, Well, Rapunzel Got Evicted.

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:33:48 +0000

So you’re stuck with me today.

I have really long, fine, stick straight hair.

It’s about down to my bum, actually, and with every inch that it grows, I end up with more and more funny stories about it.

For example, I was in line at a convenience store last week, I was wearing a fleece top, and it was cold, so my hair was sticking to about everything in sight. This lady in line behind me fished something out of her purse, and my hair must have liked it, because when she went to zip up her purse, I felt that distinct tug that told me my hair was getting stuck in or to something. Again. I turned around and took custody of my wayward locks, and she started apologizing all over herself for not noticing. I thought it was funny, and said so, and realizing that no harm had been done, she joined me in a chuckle.

That’s just one of the anecdotes I can share about my hair. The real focus of today’s soundbite is this: Long hair hasn’t been fashionable since the 70′s, and with the saturation of ads today touting the scrubbing of all your parts everyday, I wanted to toss my hat in to the ring, and explain some long hair stuff that seems to work for me. Most of this might go against the fashionable grain, but as my hairdresser (who I imagine has a bit of experience with this sort of thing, since she’s been doing it as an occupation all her life, and she’s in her mid 50′s to early sixties) says my hair is the healthiest long hair she has ever seen in her career, I think that gives me a leg to stand on regarding my hair care routine.

So here’s my advice, and hey, if it works for you, Mazel Tov!

Wash it as little as possible.
Yes, you read that right. I was the whole of my hair about once a week. Otherwise, your ends get frizzy and fried, and split prematurely. When I wash my hair, I shampoo the hair that actually touches my head, down to about the first vertebra below my hairline. The rest I don’t actually shampoo – just letting the shampoo from my head wash through the rest of my locks is usually cleansing enough.

Use good conditioner. This is one of those instances where “good” conditioner usually equates to spending a little more money. But in my experience, you get what you pay for, and stuff that is thin and washes right out does not help a comb go through my hair post-shower. I use Aussie’s 3 minute miracle, and a bottle lasts about 2-3 months. (Hey, if you’re only using it once a week, it goes a long way!)

Apply the conditioner from about the first vertebrae below your hairline down the rest of the length of your hair, and then finger comb the part that’s conditioned until you can comb it without hitting any snags. Rinse the conditioner out with slightly cooler water than your normal shower temperature – super hot water seems to make hair snarly, which negates any conditioning you just did…

Comb it, then do it up
Comb all your hair out when you get out of the shower, then figure out a way to do up all or part of it so it doesn’t affect you sleeping on it. Keeping it up during the night and not fussing with it much on a daily basis is what keeps it from getting prematurely greasy. Milkmaid braids, a side french braid, ponytail by night-hairsticks by day, whatever works to keep it a bit contained will help. (All the photos in this article are ideas for how to put it up and keep it up.)

Get it trimmed regularly
I get my hair trimmed about every 10-12 weeks, and I keep the trim to whatever my hairdresser recommends – usually about half an inch or less. It really cuts down (no pun intended) on the split ends.

TLC
When I’m in a dry or dusty environment, or have been on the road for awhile, I get stressed out, and that begins to stress my hair out. I can tell (and I don’t know that I can explain it well, but I’ll try…) When the last 3-4″ of my hair starts to feel like it’s kind of frizzy, or straw-like, or when I pull a hair elastic out of the bottom of a ponytail and it grabs up a lot of hair with it, rather than sliding nicely out, then it’s time for some hair TLC. Warning: It’s messy, so have an plastic bag or two ready… Mix olive oil and honey together until you get a toothpaste sort of consistency, then microwave it until it’s warm. (Not hot – you should be able to stick your fingers in and keep them there without it burning them…) Mix it again when heated, and it should now be the consistency of thick soup. Dunk all of your hair that you can fit into the honey-oil mixture, up to about 4″ below your natural hairline at the back of your neck. Slip your hair into the plastic bag and hold it on there for about 20 minutes. Then wash your hair out normally and don’t over shampoo it – it will feel super conditioned, and may need an extra wash the next day as the excess olive oil is released.

Good luck and here are some great sites for further information:

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/

http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/

For the Zombies Are A-Comin’

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:00:09 +0000

I’ve been reading Jesse Petersen’s rather fluffy series lately about zombies. (It’s silly enough even I’m enjoying it, and I don’t think I could watch a horror movie all the way through if my life truly depended on it.)

Somehow, reading these books reminded me of a game we used to play in college called “Who’s in your bunker?” (The local version in Ohio seems to be “When the zombies come, who do you want with you?”) The premise is pretty simple – we used to go through all the pros and cons of our group of friends and acquaintances, and figure out who we’d want with us in a crisis situation, if we had a cap of say, 6 people. It brought up a lot of interesting questions and personal feelings (and biases) that usually got talked through without a lot of drama. (I think discussing hypothetical situations always leaves people thinking a little more rationally). One of the more interesting discussions I remember from playing this was “is your post-surgical transgender friend who is an EMT on the list? Or does the fact that they can’t have kids – assuming a repopulation effort is somehow required in the post-apocalypse – weigh as equally as their medical skill set?” Yes, we had too much time on our hands, but my overarching point – what skills make you bunker-worthy? – stands.

This game (which is simply a pared-down gallows version of a bucket list) goes hand-in-hand in my opinion with my belief that a day that passes without learning something new is a wasted day. (My parents were both teachers, so I come by the education soapbox honestly.) So… have you self-inventoried lately? It’s early January – not too late to make a New Year’s resolution about what you want to learn or get better at this year.

What skills or talents do you possess that make you a candidate for the bunker?

Who’s Theodor Geisel Anyway?

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:32:18 +0000

I’m a member of the SCA
to dress up in fine clothes and play
with glass and string and pointy things
that adults are usually told “NAY!”

"Thing 1" by Dr. Suess

I like to draw and paint
(It’s called to “illuminate“)
So I started a scroll
that borrows cloth whole
from two genuises who are late.
(Late means dead, mate.)

"Thing 1" in my scroll-in-progress

It’s not finished yet.
But I hope it will be met
with happiness and wild praise
from the kid whose wall it’ll grace.

Image from the Luttrell Psalter

The little green guy from "The Bippolo Seed"

So who is this Theodor guy?
If you haven’t figured out, please try
to hearken to your childhood
where you heard tales of ill and good
’cause I’m betting that this doctor man
had a book on your bedstand.

My initial sketch of the little green guy from "The Bippolo Seed"

My thanks to Dr. Suess, who is the most modern example of an illuminator that I could think of. The scroll in progress is based on the Luttrell Psalter and Dr. Suess’s The Bippolo Seed and Other Stories

A Lesson in Perspective

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:32:31 +0000

Ever have one of those days where although it’s clear that you’re not being used as the universe’s whipping boy, (otherwise your day would be much, much worse) the day feels like you’re being used as the punchline for somebody’s cosmic joke?

Today was kind of like that.

I started off the day by a) getting my period and b) filing end of year sales tax forms for 4 different states (one of the hazards of my chosen profession.) I’m not great with numbers, for, as I’ve said in my blog before, there are days when 6′s and 9′s seem to be the same damn thing. And this was one of those days. I took so long to do the math on one of the states’ web pages that the ever helpful security protocol logged me off the site when I was half way through the process because the page had sat idle too long. So I sighed, started it over, and ended up leaving the house a lot later than I wanted to as a result.

In my haste to get out the door, I left my lunch on the kitchen table, which I didn’t realize until I got wickedly hungry a few hours later. Now, I’m really trying to be good. I’m watching my diet, and let me tell you, with it being day 1 of my period, with no appreciable weight loss yet, and being on day 5 of “eating more healthy”, all the shiny feelings about how great I’m going to look and feel are a distant second to the overwhelming feeling of “I want a goddamn ice cream sundae now, thank you very farkin’ much!”

Sigh.

My first stop after leaving the house was the trailer place. I’ve been saving up for a cargo trailer for several months now, because I’ll need one to haul all my glass stuff to Florida in February. Once there I realized in short order that I had screwed up the door measurement. 5’5″ is not the same thing as 55″. Most days I know this. The day I took the initial measurements would be one of the days where my math skills took a temporary vacation to Siberia without my permission. The consequence is that the only trailer that will work for me is about $600 more than I had budgeted for. I can make it work, but it’s going to leave me exceedingly tight financially until the Tampa show takes off. Given my line of work, I get paid about 5 months of the year, usually in high volume over a short period of time, so budgeting properly is a necessity, not a nicety. Ergo, nothing moves me from zero to pissed in six seconds like a stupid math error on my part.

I then headed to the studio to get some work done… and realized that I had left my phone next to my forgotten lunch on the kitchen table at home. (My phone contains all my audiobooks and tunes.) And on days like this, my phone is a necessity.

By the time I dashed by the library to grab an audiobook (’cause it’s closer than going back to the house) Guinness and I were due to be at the local nursing home. They have a TBI (traumatic brain injury) unit there, and today, he and I got introduced to the patients in that wing. People with TBI’s don’t always move or react like uninjured humans… sometimes their motions are jerky, and for many of them, fine motor control is non-existent, which means “petting” a puppy can sometimes be on par with how a young child “pets” an animal. But Guinness handled it all like a champ.

The highlight of the day for me, though, was meeting Robin. Robin is about my age, and he’s in a hospital bed for life. I followed our usual routine, and asked Robin if he wanted to meet Guinness. The answer was an enthusiastic and heartfelt, “YES!”, so I maneuvered us to his better side, and Robin greeted Guinness as if they were buddies from way back. Robin’s fine motor control is pretty non-existent, and his pets were more like good natured whomps on top of Guinness’ head, but Guinness didn’t care. He served up his usual charm, and handled the matter with good grace. When we left the nursing home today, his tail was flying higher than I’ve seen it on previous visits, like perhaps he knows “he done good.”

I’m not going to lie and say that stuff stopped going wrong after we left Robin’s bedside, but I think I understand a little better now what a wonderful gift today was…even despite its lack of ice cream.

On Being Predictable

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:07:57 +0000

I yielded to superstition today, (it of course being January 1st), and, figuring that what I did or worked on today will be repeated ad nauseum throughout the year, I went to the studio and got some work done, ate healthily, played with my dog, touched base with some friends, and snuggled with my other half.

In addition to my entrenched and presumptive superstitions about today, I’m also following a well-trod path of predictability: I made some New Year’s resolutions. Every year I make a list of them, and every year I manage to keep most of them. I wanted to try something a little different this year though, and somehow (yes, this would be where that whole “moment of insanity” thing stepped in for just a second) I thought that if I posted them publicly that that would automatically make me more accountable for them.

So here goes.

1) Winter always manages to sneak a few pounds on my frame, and, seeing as how I’ll be heading to Florida in February (thereby missing my usual three months to work the extra pounds off my frame) I’m going to try and eat more healthily – watch my sugar intake, eat less junk food, etc. I have a nasty habit of falling into easy to eat things ’cause I often forget to eat until I’ve got a wicked headache, so I’m trying to plan better by keeping snacks that incorporate success on hand. (Can you say “Yay!” for homemade hummus?)

2) I have several outstanding commissions and custom orders. We got swamped this year, which, although that’s a really really good thing, it does mean that in addition to finishing stock for all of my up and coming shows, I have stuff to get out of the door in a timely fashion. And there are some I’ve been dragging my feet on because, well, they’ve been giving me artist’s block. But as the saying goes, the work ain’t gonna finish itself, so I’d best get my butt in gear.

3) I’m going to try and maintain my average of reading 100 or more books a year. I include unabridged audiobooks in this number, and hey, feel free to disagree with my inclusion of them if you wish, but it’s my resolution, my blog, and my time involved. I don’t plan to be sitting on my ass long enough to devour 100+ books in a paper format.

So – now it’s public. Now I’m accountable. And hey, should you wish to poke at me about any of these goals, feel free. That’s all part of my plan.

Dante’s Seventh Circle of He**

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:58:24 +0000

So, um, I’ve been sandblasting. A lot. Which is roughly equivalent in my mind to Dante’s seventh circle of Hell. Okay, okay, not really, but let’s just say I have a cognitive if not working understanding of how lots of sandblasting could lead one to want to commit acts of violence. (Yes, that was a pun, as the seventh circle of hell is all about, well, violence.)

Anyhow, in order to make it through the latest crop of sandblasting, I’ve been immersing myself in audiobooks. (And having many neck kinks worked out, ice cream for lunch, and other various and sundry rewards to keep me at the infernal, confounded, wrackin-frackin demon device, aka my sandblaster.)

I love audiobooks. I’ve discovered that I have a penchant for young adult fiction to listen to if given a choice. The voice talent is usually better quality than some of the rather blasé choices made for grown-up audiobook vocalizations, and the plot is simple enough that I can be engaged with half a brain elsewhere and catch what is going in the book without sacrificing the necessary portion of brain that makes sure I neither hurt myself nor screw up the glass.

Since I have been trying to pare down my life, I don’t own a cassette tape or CD style walkman anymore. (We recently moved, and I cleaned out.) So I’ve been downloading audiobooks through my phone. And it is so cool! I can borrow them from the library (from the comfort of my couch, mind you), download them while I work on other things in the cheery wi-fi enabled apartment I live in, and listen to them over the 14 day period that they are mine. At the end of said period, they expire, and… this is the best part… they return themselves, so I have no late fees. I just have to delete the folder with the touch of a button when I wander back into the program.

I’m allowed 20 treasures from the electronic library at once, (a number which is in no way related to your limit of actual physical items checked out from a library, mind you). I typically have out about 3 audiobooks at a time, as a 14 day loan period is actually very brief when listening to a book. (Gone with the Wind was a week long listening affair at the studio, as the audiobook form is over 50 hours in length.)

There are only two complications on the horizon of this neat scenario. One, most electronic audiobooks (called e-audiobooks in geek speak) only come in WMA format.

Damn you, Windows. Damn you to… well… Dante’s seventh level of… oh never mind.

Anyhow, for those who don’t speak computer, it’s a Windows only format that does not work with a Mac computer or an Iphone whose home tether is a Mac…and I’m strictly a Mac kinda girl. That sucks royally ’cause I really really want to read the Percy Jackson series, as well as about 200 other e-audiobooks that only come in a WMA format. Two, I’m running out of Mac friendly e-audiobooks in the Cleveland library system. I’m very seriously thinking of hitting up family members who live in other parts of the country and asking them if I may borrow their account numbers for their local libraries, since it can’t accrue late fees on their accounts, and it shouldn’t impact their borrowing limitations.

So… anybody out there feel like entrusting me with their library information?

Swimming In February

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:04:41 +0000

Well, it looks pretty official.

I will be heading to Florida for the Tampa Renaissance Festival in mid-February, with sales booth, glass products, and a small dog in tow. I’ve never been so far away from my studio for so long, and while it scares me, I imagine I’ll learn a lot about myself there.

I will miss home and my studio dreadfully.

I will not miss the snow.

I will likely spend hours more than usual on the phone with people.

I am hoping to get mad amounts of garb made.

I will be swimming in February. In an outdoor pool. (Much to the amazement of my Florida friends who already think I”m nuts because I went in the pool in late October while I was down there scoping out the lay of the land.)

Scary or not, far away from home or not, I suppose life could be worse than Florida in February.

A Starving Artist’s Restaurant Guide

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:26:31 +0000

As a continuation on the blog post back in October, titled “The Care and Feeding of a Starving Artist“, I’d like to take this opportunity to dish up a list of cheap eats for starving artists. (I can only compare my eating habits to those of my friends, and I would say that based on that, most of these recommendations will work for light to medium eaters. People who eat more in one sitting will obviously spend more money on food on average.)

Embrace Water
Water is boring, and trust me, if you know me well at all, you know I despise drinking water. But it’s cheap, and adding a little lemon to it can make it more palatable. Besides, soda (being full of sugar and nothing else) has a tendency to make me hungrier again sooner than if I had skipped it altogether.

Fast Food Joints
Think McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc. I try not to indulge in fast food often because, well, it keeps you upright and filled with calories, but defining it as “food” seems a bit of a stretch. That being said, items from the Value Menus at fast food joints can fill most tummies for $5 or less, especially if you’re willing to go with a small drink or a water to drink.

Chinese Food
Most Chinese places are reasonably priced. If you’re totally on the cheap though, a bowl of egg drop soup can be had for less than $3.00, and adding an egg roll to that usually won’t take you above $5 or $6 total. Hot stuff – tea, soup, broth, etc. are a great way to trick an empty stomach into believing that it’s consumed more food and calories than it actually has.

Costco
Yes, you’ve either got to have a membership or a friend that will let you tag along, but at the food kiosk a piece of pizza (they’re huge – one piece fills me for 6 hours or so) and a drink will run you about $2.75.

Chipotle
A friend of mine (thanks, Richard!) introduced me to this on the road to the TN Renaissance Festival this year. Most of their meals run between $5-7 plus tax. Assuming you have a fridge within a reasonable driving distance, a regular burrito loaded up with everything that they will let you have on it can feed a light to medium eater for two meals.

Subway
Cheapskate alert: All of Subway’s footlong sandwiches are a better deal in terms of amount for price, and if you’re not feeling like you could eat the entire town in one sitting, take the other half of the sandwich home – it will give you a second meal at some point.

We’re closing in 10 minutes and…
This tactic relies on luck and knowing your local places’ habits more than anything, but over the years I’ve been able to make out like a bandit when kismet presents an opportunity. Both our local grocery store and a Cici’s Pizza we used to frequent offer special discounts just before they close, because store policy is to throw anything out that’s left at the night’s end. So I’ve gotten entire pizzas for free from the CiCi’s pizza buffet, and about a 50% discount on a bucket of fried chicken from the grocery store deli all because of timing.

God bless my great grandmother
She raised two kids during the Depression, and while I can unequivocally state that I have never been this ballsy, my great grandmother used to take an overlarge purse and a couple of ziploc baggies to any wedding reception or party she was attending, and sneak whatever caught her eye and could fit in a ziploc into her purse for a later meal.

So happy cheap eating. And to all my starving artist kin out there, I very much remember the day (August 12th, 2011 to be exact) when I could afford a meal out at a “real restaurant”… which I define as one of those places where the waitress actually takes your money instead of paying at a cash register. I hope that day finds you soon.

Embracing Shameless Commercialism

M. Sotherden Art Glass — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:11:17 +0000

Tis the season etc.

Seriously though, may you have a peaceful and happy holiday season, no matter which holiday(s) you celebrate in your household. (We’re fairly eclectic around here, what with a Buddhist, a Pagan, and assorted family members who embrace many different beliefs, traditions and what-have-you.) The common denominator though, is that we all embrace at least a modicum of gift giving. (Don’t get me wrong – I’d rather see the whole materialistic idea of the holiday season get dialed back a few notches and have people focus on helping others instead… but I’m a realist, and just because I’m wishin’ for it and workin’ towards it doesn’t make it happen globally.)

So if I had to wager a guess, your holiday tradition probably involves gift giving of some kind too. Lest I bore you with another of my ever-present soapboxes that’s dying to come out of the wings for an extended turn in the spotlight, I will try to be succinct and say that small businesses and independent artisans are really wonderful places to spread a little (or a lot) of your gift budget this year.

‘Cause hey, Wal-Mart does not need your money. (Damn, there’s a whole mess of soapboxes peeking out of the wings today! Sorry ’bout that.)

On finding local businesses: I can’t really help you there, except to say try strolling the main street of your local town, borough, or city block, and stopping into places you’ve never frequented before.

On finding cool gifts and stuff online: Try these places – etsy, artfire, and shopping for a change.

If you fancy glass stuff (yes, I’m shameless. I know…) try my online store! In fact, this article was specifically published today as it should give you a few days to order from my online store and receive it in time for the holidays, including Christmas. Use this coupon code Yule2011 through December 18th for free shipping on any earrings, pendant, hair barrette or hair stick in my shop.

Last but not least, here are some wonderful links for people I’ve met on the road or know personally, and their stuff rocks.

Hughes Pottery
Standing Stone Pottery
Fantasia’s Garden Soaps
Starcraft’s Paper Mobiles

Have a great holiday!