Sunday 7/3/22
On Sundays I reflect.
After years of abstinence from alcohol, I have been drinking occasionally lately. It would be better if I didn’t drink at all, but I am not perfect.
It would also be better if I could keep up with writing this blog every Sunday. Starting this week it looks like I will finally have help, not only with publishing this blog but also with all things social media and marketing content related. I’ll share more about this later.
First I need to catch up on a few very important things that I have been too busy to write about.
Last weekend was the Vail Cup Collectors Club at Bat Country Studios in Minturn. I have a long list of people to thank and I want to do that here. I have already called almost everyone on this list but I think it is important for them to receive public recognition for their support.
To our sponsors:
ABR Imagery specifically Ross and Dave have been sponsoring this event since the beginning. Now they are providing us with color tubing from their color company Boro Batch which has greatly reduced the amount of time needed for prep at my event and allowing more artists to collaborate during our limited time together. Special shoutout to Mary from their print shop for making our shirts look so good!
Taglia Tool has been at most of our shows, and even though they couldn’t attend this one we’re looking forward to bringing them back on the hill next February. Thanks for innovating the industry with tools and always supporting our participating artists with fresh tools and discounts!
Dialed In Gummies are new friends of mine that are completely revolutionizing our scene with their products. Thanks for the samples of gummies and syrup that was the obvious favorite part of everyone who made it to the show. Special shoutout to Tucker for helping connect me with Dialed In and partnering cups with their brand new syrup!
The food was amazing, and even more important was the fact that Marta did not need to cook for 50-100 people. Thank you to my long time supporters and neighbors Mark at Kirby Cosmos and his whole team who brought the best BBQ from Minturn over for dinner. Thank you to my favorite local taco spot Rocky Mountain Taco for the world’s most best tacos at lunch! Chris and Dan have an awesome thing going on here in the valley and I am glad to have been able to share some of my favorite local food with friends last weekend. Lastly, thanks to Chris and Claire at Polar Provisions for the epic freeze dried skittles and snacks that continue to bring smiles to people’s faces every time they try one of your special snacks at our parties!
Roots RX came through with some hash samples, along with Van Grow and the Soiku Bano team and other friends. We all appreciate all of you tremendously!
Shoutout to the artists who put in the time and energy to have work made on a deadline and especially to the ones who made time to come to Minturn before the show to collaborate with me for the show. Boots, Log, Eush, Blitzkriega, Jake C, SALT, Don Chile, AKM, Shen, Matty B, Avant Garde, Bard, OLDGREED, and Hallie Cat! It is an honor to call these people my friends and colleagues, and such a privilege to be working with all of them.
Wigged Out Art and Bebe came the night before to help keep things flowing and set up our shakedown in the parking lot. Thanks to Peace Love Aerial Yoga for performing in the afternoon too!
Thanks to Blade and Yerba Star for the delicious drinks! Thank you Ward for picking up food and being around as an extra set of hands!
Marta is the obvious winner of the MVP for the week, not that it is a competition. Anyone who was involved with the show knows that she worked nonstop to make sure everyone had anything they needed at any time. Thank you so much Marta for going above and beyond to make sure that I could focus on what I needed to, knowing that everything happening in the background was taken care of.
Rusty also gets the campsite MVP for locking down an epic spot at Homestake for the week and for all of our guests. Next year we’re going to provide maps so Rusty doesn’t have to drive everyone out one car at a time as they arrived to show everyone where to camp.
Thank you to Mr. Ghost for trading me a brand new computer (that actually works) in exchange for some additions to your collection. It is hard to believe that I have been running this company for over five years and even harder to believe that I did it without a fully functioning computer.
A special thanks to all of the VIP collectors and everyone who purchased something from the show. Because of you we are able to support an incredible group of artists together, and bring creations into the world which may not have otherwise ever been made.
I am certain that I have forgotten to thank people, but I am really so grateful to everyone who has ever been a part of this company in any way. You are what makes the cup collecting community so special and the reason that I spend every day doing this job.
I spent this week since the show working with Marta and Rusty getting things back to normal. I remember napping one day (maybe Tuesday) and aside from that it has still been non-stop over here. This weekend I paired a bunch of errands and studio visits with a trip to Denver to see some friends and clear my head a bit.
In the last few days I have been to Everdream twice, The Portal, Burtoni’s home studio, and I have driven circles around the front range before returning to the mountains. I need to make more time to connect with people outside of my studio, and I finally feel like I can start making time to do that.
My biggest supporter over the years and his girlfriend have become two of my closest friends. When Destiny contacted me to invite me to celebrate Matt’s birthday in Denver I knew I wouldn’t be missing it for anything. Sure, I had to schedule 48 hours of errands on either side of dinner to make it happen but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
We met at Uchi in Denver, a solid sushi spot Matt and Des discovered on a previous trip. I was a bit surprised as Matt is an even pickier eater than I am, although Des is definitely a foodie! We talked about glass and life, but it wasn’t work. If you know me at all you probably haven’t ever had a conversation with me that wasn’t about work (or maybe snowboarding). I don’t really take time off work because my work is my passion. I do occasionally get burnt out, and on a night like the other night it was a real treat to just be able to hang with friends and not look at my phone (besides posting a few stories from our night out). I brought down the Eusheen x Shen Collab cup from my show for Matt to enjoy on his birthday. After Uchi, we made our way to Matt and Des’ favorite bar in Denver; The Welton Room. I cherish the time I get to spend with my friends, and Matt’s birthday was no exception.
To the person who has single handedly been responsible for the growth and success of my company, the man who has an entire China Cabinet full of borosilicate drinkware, and the person who has personally collected more of my own art than any other person on the planet; Happy Birthday Matt and long live The Little Glass Gallery. I’ll never have the words to thank you for what you have done for my art and my career, but I am full of gratitude.
I am running out of steam here, so this will be the end of the blog for now. I will do my best to keep it coming in the weeks ahead. Now it’s time to run Sunday Specials at the studio and get ready for the week ahead.
Hopefully next week I can share a bit more about the new onboard at the studio and how they will be helping me to make operations flow as smooth as possible.
For now, thanks for tuning in and enjoy your Sunday night!
BB
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