April 28, 2019

On Sundays I Reflect.

I did not drink alcohol this week. I spoke with a few friends who did. For some of them it caused serious problems. I don't feel right telling anyone not to drink, so I just remind myself how grateful I am to not be dealing with the consequences of alcohol consumption I used to deal with.

Another Vail Snowboarding Season Complete

Last Sunday was closing day snowboarding at Vail, which concludes the best winter I've ever had. I spent about 30 days on my snowboard, at least 25 of which were powder days. I fine tuned some equipment this year with the help of Weston Backcountry Snowboards along with the Vail Ski and Snowboard Swap that happens every year.

Before this year I was riding ten year old gear that didn't fit me, which makes it a lot harder to navigate the hill. I also kept my boards waxed thanks to my buddy Jensen Schipper this year, which is essential while traversing Vail's catwalks. I still need a new pair of boots (coming soon) and a helmet/goggle combo that doesn't make me the worlds biggest Gaper. Overall I was finally able to learn how to snowboard well this year and the equipment makes all the difference.

I've never had more fun on the hill, which is also helped by my stronger familiarity with the runs. My brother even got half a dozen days on the hill with me this year, which I deem pretty good for a guy living in Miami.

Family Time in the Mountains

So, my folks came in this week to visit, and my brother joined us mid-week. I'm glad we all enjoyed some hikes, card games and good meals together.

In addition to a large project I'm working on for my mom, I received a 32-piece order a few days ago. All of that on top of my regular workload to keep the Drinking Vessels Studio running, and a few other custom orders, managing my time has been challenging. 

Factor in trying to spend quality time with my family, and there is no way there is enough time in the week, but I'm trying my best. I did as much as I could this week, and yesterday spent the entire day with my family.

It's hard for me to take my mind off of work, which is okay because I love it, but it's often stressful. I do a lot of fun things, like snowboarding, but it's a rare day that I don't end up at the studio. My entire life is my studio and building Drinking Vessels into a sustainable business, and it's very difficult for me to detach for even a single day.

Coming Next...Voorhees Glass & California

By now, a handful of you are aware that I'm making the trip to work with Voorhees in California soon. Nick will be releasing his first drinkware drop through Drinking Vessels next month. We are also hoping to get a few things made together while I'm there picking up his work. Fortunately I've already started prepping for that, because I'll be buried until I leave filling my current list of orders.

There are a few other artists I'm hoping to connect with while I'm out there but I'll keep them under wraps for now. My last day in LA, my friend from college, Josh (@callmefag), is helping me produce our next photoshoot. We will be creating some content unlike anything you've seen here before, stay tuned.

Thank You

I'm heading to the studio to spend a few hours on the torch, followed by an afternoon meeting with the new Mountain Art Collective in Vail. Hopefully tonight I can spend a few more hours on the torch.

It feels like crunch mode, and I'm definitely prepared. My brother is here helping me with a handful of non glass blowing projects so we'll have fresh content coming your way soon.

I have a lot more on my mind that I want to share, but I think I should let the ideas percolate for a bit. I'll leave you with this:

I'm grateful for the support I have from friends and family around the world; believing in my vision and helping me bring it to life. Thank you.

Now I need to head upstairs and make my daily smoothie. You may have heard they call me the smoothie king.

Thanks for tuning in,
Ben

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