Standards of Excellence

It occurs to me it might be helpful and illuminating to my readers (both of you) if i set forth the criteria I use to determine if a project is a success (by my terms and definitions) or not. So:

1. I actually move the project from a vague idea to a physical reality (meaning, I actually DO it.)
2. When done, it doesn't suck really bad.
3. There is engagement/participation with and by the viewers.

There you have it in a nutshell: The Just Making Stuff Secret to Project Satisfaction

Feel free to apply these measurements to your exercises/events/projects.

Psychiatric Help

We all need it, whether we know it or not, and whether we want it or not. So we offered it up outside the umbrella of our health plan, and underneath the porch during lunch- Impromptu Mental Health Care:






Thank you Margaret and Beth (is that not the BEST BOOTH EVER???), and most of all Dr. Dan (who dispensed pithy prescriptions resulting in the healing of many troubled souls!) for making it all happen.

(btw, if you're inclined, hie on over to Margaret's blog and wish her a happy birthday!)

Next up: The Missoula Oblongata

People ask: "what is it EXACTLY that you do???"

I have vague ideas then spend a lot of time scratching my beard and wondering how to make sense of them...



Then I spend quality time contemplating the irony of being an artist (of sorts) without any appreciable talent or aesthetic sensibilities...



But I'm lucky to have awesome friends who make beautiful and fun things. You should look at their sites:

Beth & Margaret

Stay tuned for further developments on the latest project. Updates tomorrow evening.

I have been remiss in steady posting...

but i think i might be embarrassed back into it. My excuse of course is overwork and no time. However, the teacher I worked with last session managed to teach a kick-ass class, make some great stuff himself, participate in a number of social interactions, march in the parade AND blog (quite well and in a current manner) his whole experience, or at least the highlights. You can see Dan's work here, and reading the blog gives you an example of what I do day to day (as in supporting all that as well as I can) and the environment I work in (multiply his musings by the 15 other studios running at similar speeds, though I have to say ours was by far the most fun and vibrant) and you can have some idea of the extreme nature of my summer days.

Dan is on the road now, heading for a slower pace and decompression. I suspect his blog will still be kept current, and I'll try to do the same...

We did the 4th on the 1st (which added together equals a fifth...)

first there was this...



then there were these...






then there was this: