Well, the summer is winding down, unfortunately.
Summer School is in full swing at USM – actually, only a few more weeks to go! Not to brag, but so far I have an A in every class. This is something I’ve really been working for over the past year. I only wish I had had this mindset when I first started school. Oh, well, no use wasting time and thought on things we can’t change. If I hadn’t done things the way I did, I really don’t think that the wonderful things I have in my life and the lessons I’ve learned would have materialized.
Johnkelly and I are packing our stuff in preparation for our August move to Gulfport, MS. We’ve been working on gathering utility information so all of that will be up and operational by the time we move in. I’m very excited about this upcoming move and the opportunities I feel it will bring for both of us. JK is thrilled about starting Film School and about being “on his own”.
Jason and I have been spending a lot of time together this summer. He’s moved back to Utica for good and has been working rather diligently on building up his portfolio in an effort to submit an application and jury for the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. If he is accepted, then he’ll have a standing invitation to large-scale, Guild sanctioned crafts festivals – like Chimneyville and the Canton Flea Market. As soon as he gets the eight pieces he wants to submit, we’ll start working on photographing him and submitting all the needed information to the Guild. I think he has an excellent shot – if he can just keep his confidence up. He made us rings the other day that are really, really neat. They’re made of a single piece of wire, coiled like the early versions of the tree roots. I think that if he can come up with some kind of sealant, they could be a nice addition to his other work. He really wants to do some mixed media work, but hasn’t gotten around to getting the much-needed blow torch in order to fire the flecks.
This Guild is apparently a big deal. If you stay within the Guild for 9 years, then you “graduate” to being a Fellow. It’s amazing that the old ways of Guilds, Journeymen, Fellows, and the like are still in existence. Even though the media and the techniques used are different – nothing ever really changes. The old ways are still alive.
