Sunday 11/29/20
On Sundays I reflect.
I didn’t drink alcohol this week.
My brother and I celebrated Thanksgiving together and Rob @logglass joined us for turkey dinner thanks to Chef Marta @martajoyy
It was different not spending the holiday with our family in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, as I have done every year since I was a young child. We took a few laps at Vail in the morning before it got crowded, we also got a few morning runs at Beaver Creek earlier this week.The snow isn’t great yet, but it felt great to ride with my brother despite the conditions.
Most of this week was spent getting ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We’ve had huge sales all week and I will be slashing more prices on the website today through tomorrow night. You can use code EWGG40 for 40% off @edwolfesgotglass and LOG40 for 40% off @logglass (if you click those links, the discount will be automatically added to your account) until midnight tomorrow and lots of other stuff is on sale too. We appreciate the overwhelming support this week and have probably shipped more cups than any other week of operation so far.
Back to the Beginning
Five years ago my brother and I had a conversation at Thanksgiving dinner that shaped what Drinking Vessels has become. I had made less than 20 cups at the time, and I had come up with this brand but didn’t know what it would be. It was at this dinner that my brother and I decided to incorporate our philanthropy project of color coded giving to different organizations we support. For all of my color coded collaborations green cups plant trees, pink cups fight breast cancer, blue cups feed the hungry and orange cups fight MS. We have donated over $10,000 over the last five years and I have another round of checks going out soon.
We have built a studio here in Minturn that is expanding both in size as well as the team of support that occupies the space. This is the most important space in the world to me, a place I go almost every day. It is a resource to artists and the community, in addition to being the headquarters for our business. It also serves as my creative space when I can make the time to be artistic.
What I'm Working On
I have continued making prep this week for a few projects I will be wrapping up before the end of the year. There are some collaborations on deck, as well as a few solo pieces before 2020 wraps up. I will be making as many twisty cups as I can before the end of the year for friends and family. Making twisty cups on the lathe is a nice zen practice for me. Each one requires my full attention, and the process becomes very relaxing for me.
Tonight my buddy Willie will arrive from Chicago with a box of cups that he picked up from Tim Drier @driertim in Michigan for me. Some of these have pre-sold but a handful will be available shortly. Willie has volunteered to come help build our kitchen at the studio along with our friend Jake and Chef Marta’s fiance, Drew. We currently have an operational kitchen coming together but this week we will add a counter, shelving and maybe even cabinets. Marta primed and painted the walls so that our kitchen can double as a set for content creation. I chose Deep River Blue for the walls and we will see how that looks once the rest is built out. I’ll say it is a bold color, but you’ll see soon enough.
Some of you might know Matt Giashreddi from our Reel Deals on Instagram. G and his friends have created a new local news outlet @vaildudenews where they keep our local community updated on what is happening here. In between projects G has been learning to blow glass at the studio, working on the torch almost every day. We were first introduced when Skinny brought G on board to assist with the Trashterpiece. He has been heavily involved with our company since that project, and we have some big things cooking in the near future!
Sometimes I really get in the flow with these reflections but today is not one of those days. My mind is wandering and I would much rather be spending time with my brother during his day off (my brother works a full time job in addition to helping me with this company). I cannot express my gratitude for your support enough this week and always. I joke about not taking days off, and we are already in holiday planning mode. Please keep us in mind for holiday gifts this year. By shopping with us you will be supporting our team, and the artists we represent. While we appreciate any and all support, please don’t wait until the last minute. Most artists do not have guaranteed paychecks and the holidays can be especially challenging. If you are specifically interested in supporting an artist who is struggling this holiday season please do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will do my best to facilitate that without broadcasting and avoid creating any kind of shame for the artists. I am committed to supporting artists in any way that I can through this company, and the holidays are an especially important time to do so for me.
I will work on a better reflection next week. Thanks for tuning in!
BB
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