rough patch

rough (rf)
adj. rough·er, rough·est
1. Having a surface marked by irregularities, protuberances, or ridges; not smooth.
2. Coarse or shaggy to the touch
3.a. Difficult to travel over or through
b. Characterized by violent motion; turbulent: rough waters.
c. Difficult to endure or live through
d. Unpleasant or difficult

Well, that’s what he called it when we talked. An understatement to say the least. I’ll be taking a bit of a break here to spend some time with him over the next week. For starters.

I haven’t posted much info yet on my next show which begins on January 15 (through the 18th) in Ontario CA at the Road to California show. This is taking the wind out of my sails at the moment.

I am teaching a Friday night class (go here to register online) that runs from 7-10 PM. We will have all three hours for making various silk shibori ribbon flowers and wired jewelry. The class kit (fee $40) includes 3 yards of the ribbon ($45 value) plus a variety of other supplies we will be using. The class itself is $35- not bad for three hours and is limited to 20. I’m not sure how many spots are still open (will post as soon as I hear back from them) but this was a late addition to the class listings which are mainly sold out.

I have also committed to a new Joggles class for the Winter schedule due to be released today. I will be teaching a wired shibori ribbon jewelry class. The last Joggles class which just finished up (forums are still open if you were part of it) and was a lot of fun. I added a new video on making the shibori ribbon leaf which helped a couple of the students who were having difficulty with the written instructions. As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. Part of the challenge of teaching is finding what works for each student, whether online or in person. That’s why it is important to get feedback in the forums in an online class. I would never know that a student is struggling unless they are willing to post to the forum. Someone else in the class jumped in to give encouragement and support as well and by posting the video we got her through her “rough patch”. (Were it so easy with my dad.)
For me, a big part of teaching others to engage their creativity and learn a process is discovering each student’s mode of learning. This is more difficult online of course and also difficult in a short 3 hour workshop. But I still enjoy the challenge. 2009 promises to be full of challenges and I hope you’ll be there with me.