Happy New Year!

I guess I can still say that, right? I would like to report that writing has been going well, that I have made awesome progress and that I will have the book done next week. But I can't . This has been a difficult book to write. I would think I am about 1oo pages into it. I would be going faster, but I have been distracted by work in the studio and a flaring case of ADD that usually hits me this time of year as I think about shows and pottery and all the crazy things that life is. I have tried to make pottery in the mornings and write in the afternoons, but that has not worked well because just as I am getting into the groove, the kids come home. I have also been working through a series of self-doubts. Nothing serious, just the same old thing where I find myself wondering what in the world I am going to be when I grow up. And maybe it doesn't matter. That is a long way off. I guess I just feel like a slacker, which is really weird because I am working my tail off, staying up late, getting up and to work early, but I can never seem to accomplish all that I need to, no matter how hard I try. I have a hard time sleeping during episodes like this because the crazy dreams come, and so I wake up having not really slept and the madness become deeper. The weather has left me gloomy and the pottery has been a distraction--there is always something.

At this time, I am still hoping to have my next book out in May, though this is subject to change depending on how the next few weeks go. Most days are over before I can turn around and take notice and it is always depressing for me to realize that it takes me a month to write what you can read in an afternoon. Maybe I need to narrow down my distractions. Maybe I need to get some noise canceling headphones. Maybe I need to lock the door to my studio and forget that I just bought two tons of fresh clay that is begging to be turned into something amazing. Maybe I should run away to a cabin somewhere where I can concentrate and stop being distracted by emails and kiln firings and kids making ramen noodles. Maybe I won't be done with the book by May, and if I'm not, maybe I'll have come up with a really original excuse for my lack of accomplishment. Wish me luck. This is going to be a good year, I can feel it.

Cheers to 2012