2015 was a great year for me, and I can't help but be filled with gratitude. I have amazing friends and family, I married my best friend, got into a great post bacc program, and have found unbelievably awesome networks of people who are willing to help me along this journey. The Christmas season always remind me how blessed I am; that plus all the quality fam and friends time make it my favorite time of year! 

I know there's a host of people who don't believe in making New Years Resolutions or reinvention just because of a date change....but I'm not one of them! I love using the energy of a new year to motivate me. I've been noticing the trend of picking a word as a mantra instead of setting a goal, so I figure I give it a go:


BLOOM.

That's my word! Bloom. I've been building and learning and all together too hesitant to just let my pottery flourish. I think 2016 will be the year it blooms like a beautiful ranunculus. That's what I'm going to push for. Of course I have other more tangible goals to get me there, but that will be the word I say to myself when I try to talk myself out of sending in that application, or signing up for a business account, or when I'm too tired to take photos of my work, or signing a lease on a studio rental. bloom bloom blossom bloom boom.

​Happy 2016!

The semester is nearly over, and I couldn't be more ready for a break. I'm currently waiting for a kiln to reach temp *fingers crossed*. The electric kilns around here haven't been doing too well, which means I'll be super familiar with the alpine gas kilns by the end of next semester--a goal of mine nonetheless.

ANYWHO for those of you who've been following my artistic career for a while know I've made several different renditions of the emoticups. I made my first set in pottery one and my professor (and dear mentor) loved them. I've toyed with the idea a few times but as I was concentrating more on sculpture academically I didn't devote much time to really developing it.

Fast forward four years and here I am in a post baccalaureate putting a face on nearly every form I make. I thought I would get sick of it, but the more time I spend on the wheel and sculpting faces, the more I grow to love it. I've been working on defining my aesthetic, refining my process, and exploring where can I go with this. So far I'm pretty happy with the results. I've taken away unnecessary elements and added more color. I've also made the switch to porcelain; I never expected to like it as much as I do this time around. I've developed a process that makes nearly every step so much more enjoyable.

It's pretty cool to see the different stages my emoticups have gone through, but the first set might always be my favorite.