clarity and certainty

Today was one of those rare days where suddenly I can clearly see the direction I want to be headed in. I feel like I've been spinning lately, but can now see a path out of the chaos. I'm not quite ready to expand on the details, but I wanted to document how I was feeling. Because right now I am feeling sure and certain. And excited. And tired. (Ok, that last one is only because I'm coming off a long day of teaching, so its time to say goodnight.)

orange coat

I'm all about finding bright, visible clothes to wear while riding bike that don't look like, well, neon cycling clothes. I think this orange coat would be adorable to wear while I'm biking as the weather gets cooler. And its waterproof, which would have come in really handy yesterday when I was biking home from cross country practice and got caught in a sudden rain storm!

i heart teaching

I apologize for the sporadic posting of late. I've been so busy lately, and my brain has been so scattered, that its been a challenge to marshal my thoughts into a cohesive blog post. And I apologize if this comes off a little rambling.

One of the reason that I've been so busy lately is that I'm teaching A LOT this fall. I'm actually teaching 3 classes in the Metals + Jewelry and Interdisciplinary Object Design programs at Towson University. I'm also helping coach cross country at the local middle school/high school again. Plus, I recently completed my LCI training through the League of American Bicyclists, and I'll be attempting to teach a few bike classes this fall as well.

All of this is a long way of saying that I've come to the following conclusion - I love teaching!

I know I said a while back (I can't find the exact post) that I was done with teaching, but I was wrong. I think I've grown a lot in the past year, and I've come to understand just how important teaching is to me and my own creativity. I think I've also learned a lot about myself as a teacher - things that are helping with my stress levels so that I don't reach the burn out that led me to take last fall off.

I've frequently joked that if I could, I would be a lifetime student if only I could afford it. I've now come to realize that teaching is learning (and I get paid for it). I feel like I have freedom to learn, and play, and experiment, and hopefully get to pass that new information on to my students.

I'm also understanding how much the environment I'm teaching in has a lot to do with my happiness level. I'm lucky to teach with some truly amazing people at Towson, and I'm grateful I keep getting asked back to teach.

Something else I've realized is that I can actually be a rather competitive (and dare I say, jealous) person. When I see someone with a successful business, its hard to quash the voices in my head saying, "why her, not me?" I'm not proud of that, but its true. With my students and the kids I coach, I'm the complete opposite. I want only amazing things for them. I want them to be more successful than me. Its an amazing feeling to see the accomplishments my students make, and know that I helped them (even if it was just a little) a long the way.

I'm also starting to understand (with a little help from Seth Godin) that teaching is an incredibly effective, personal form of advocacy. Instead of screaming from the rooftops in the hope that someone hears me, I have a slightly smaller audience that is actually listening. Teaching can be a powerful tool in the pay it forward method of advocacy. If I can reach 3 people, and each of them reaches 3 people, and so on, suddenly so many people are impacted.

At this point, I still can't honestly say that I want a full time teaching job at a university. Even after all the growing, I still don't think I'm ready for the all the bureaucracy. But I am happy to continue teaching and coaching and learning along the way, because I can now honestly say, even on the hard days, that I love it.

Thanks for reading.

glorious

I know, I still have plenty of catching up posts to do.  But that doesn't mean I can't post about what's going on right now, right?

The weather today was absolutely glorious.  I can't think of any other way to describe it.  I biked the long way to cross country practice this afternoon.  (I turned my normal 2.5 mile trip into a 12 miler.)  It felt so good to be out in the sunshine.

I plan on being outside biking, running, hiking, etc. as much as possible this fall, to make up for the awfulness which was last fall.  And luckily, the weather forecast for the next week seems to back up my plan.  Hopefully you'll have a chance to enjoy some sunshine this weekend too.

(catching) up

Its been more than a few days since I've blogged last, and I feel like my life has been a whirlwind.  The gift fair, a trip to the bamboo bike studio, and then cross country camp for 3 days.  I'm wiped and the next few weeks aren't going to be much better.

I promise I'll be blogging about the gift fair and the bamboo bike studio, but for now I thought I'd share this picture from cross country camp.  (In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, I was one of 3 chaperones for a group of 15 high school and middle school cross country runners.)  It was an incredibly stressful 3 days (for a number of reasons), but one of the coolest things we did was climb to the top of this mountain!  Straight up the cleared section!

I'm actually scared of heights, but I was fine the whole way up and down.  My focus was completely on the kids and making sure they made it up (and down) safely.  It was pretty cool to realize I can move beyond my fears when helping others.

the last minute

Seriously, when did I become so last minute?  I'm leaving for the gift fair tonight, and I've still got a million things to do!

No time for proper blogging, so I thought I'd share a peak of little project I'm working on for my booth.  Wish me luck!

colors

As is always the case it seems, I'm back from our annual week camping at the lake and am suddenly panicking that New York Gift is less than a week away!  How does it always sneak up on me?  I'll be spending the next few days scrambling around - choosing colors for my booth, updating line sheets, getting together promo materials, and all the other miscellaneous pre-show tasks!

And thanks so much for your comments on my last post - lots of great things to think about!

how much? (and what colors?)

Last week I picked up a big batch of the new ornaments in white from my powder coater.  I'm planning on doing a whole wall of them for my booth at NY Gift.

I've got an idea of where I want to go with the pricing, but I though I'd throw it out to you?  How much would you be willing to pay for one of these (retail)?  (Each is 3" in diameter from laser cut and powder coated steel.)  What would you be willing to pay for a set of 3?  Or a set of 6? 

And while you're suggesting, how about colors?  What other colors would you like to see them in (besides white)?

Thanks!

the $10 book sale

If you know me at all, you may know that I have a slight addiction to book buying.  (Ok, that's a lie - I have a huge addiction to book buying.)  Well, its time to purge some of my collection to make room for new books. 

I've decided to make some of my books available for sale - all are just $10 (including shipping in the US only).  They are all used, but in very, very good condition.  If you're interested, just email me at meauman(at)yahoo(dot)com and I'll send you a PayPal invoice for your book (or books).

Here's what I have available:

Cutting Your Car Use by Randall Ghent

Creatively Self-Employed by Kristen Fischer

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The Weblog Handbook by Rebecca Blood

Chi Running by Danny Dreyer

Fast Track by Suzy Favor Hamilton and Jose Antonio

Asphalt Nation by Jane Holtz Kay

Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running by Dagny Scott

Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky

Guidelines for Online Success by Rob Ford

The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler

Buying In by Rob Walker

Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt

If you'd like any of these, or need more info, please email me at meauman(at)yahoo(dot)com.

moomah

I've been thinking a lot lately about how amazing it would be to run a little space where I could teach classes of all sorts - bicycling, jewelry and metals, or whatever my little heart desires.  Moomah, a creative arts cafe in Manhattan, is a stunning example of what I'd love to have someday.  I'm planning on stopping in when I'm in the city next.  We'll call it "research."  Yummy tasting, visually stunning research.

via Design*Sponge

where the wild things are

Last night, I went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with my little brother.  I'm sure we annoyed everyone in the theatre with our best Statler and Waldorf impressions, but we've both read the HP books so many times that was hard not to be a little critical.  I'd recommend going to see it though, if for nothing else than to see this trailer on the big screen:

It was amazing to see it in the theatre, and I can only imagine its going to be the best film of the year.  I can't wait until October 16th!

my little bike bag

Tonight I embarked on a quick craft project - a little bag that mounts on my top tube to hold food or necessities when I'm on a long ride.  I've wanted something like this for a while, but decided I would attempt to make one first instead of buying one.

As is usually the case, my first attempt didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I think its servicable for now.  Plus, I used fabric and velcro that I had on hand, so all it cost me was $1.50 for the zipper and an hour of my time.

and the free FREE goes to...

Thanks to random.org, the winner of my extra copy of Free is...

Kathleen Stoltzfus!  

Congrats, Kathleen - email me at meauman(at)yahoo(dot)com with your address so I can send you your book.  (And may I say, Stoltzfus - quite the PA Dutch last name!)

heidi lowe gallery

On the way home from the beach, I stopped by Heidi Lowe Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, DE to check out the Earring Show.  Heidi runs such an adorable gallery that carries really innovative art jewelry.  I've been lucky enough to be represented by her for the last few years.  (Heidi and I also teach together in the Metals + Jewelry and Interdisciplinary Object Design department at Towson Univeristy - but we almost never see each other, because we're always there on different days!)

Heidi changes the displays for every show - and the results are always fresh and fun.  If you're heading towards the beach in Delaware or Maryland this summer, I highly recommend stopping by.  The Earring Show just came down, but I'm guessing Jim Charles solo show will be worth checking out too.  (And be sure to browse the drawers for all Heidi's represented artists, including yours truly.)

free FREE

I've been anxiously awaiting the release of Chris Anderson's Free: The Future of a Radical Price for months.  Since it came out on Tuesday, while we were still at the beach, I reserved a copy at the local bookstore so I could be sure to have it right away.

Imagine my surprise when I got home from the beach to find a Free copy waiting for me.  (Ok, I shouldn't have been too surprised, since I did request it.)  The good news for you, my wonderful readers, is that I've now got an extra copy and I'm giving it away!  (Sorry though, I'm keeping the copy signed by the author - blogger's privilege.) 

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and on Monday afternoon, I'll pick a winner.  

And in case you're wondering, I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book, and so far, its excellent.  It's really got me thinking about new ways to approach my business.  (I'll post a full review here once I'm done reading.)

Good luck!

what I'm reading: the pine island paradox

After seeing The Pine Island Paradox mentioned on Laura's blog, I promptly added it to my "on the beach" reading list. In the book, author Kathleen Dean Moore writes about her connection to nature, and most importantly what it means to love a place.

For most of my adult life, I've felt more connected to the beach than anywhere else. I worked there for 4 summers during college, and inevitably at some point during the summer, I find myself wishing I was there. But as I sat on the beach reading Moore's description of what it means to love a place, I found myself wishing I was somewhere else - home.

Other than the 7 years I was in college and grad school, I've lived my whole life in a small town in Pennsylvania. And I was never really happy there. Until I started bicycling last year. Suddenly, I was exposed to all the natural beauty that comes with living in a rural place. As I've ridden my bike along the base of the mountains, through rolling farmland, and into sun-drenched valleys, I've realized how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.

Today while riding, another rider came up behind me and asked for directions. As we talked, he told me he lived in San Francisco, but had grown up in the area and was thinking of moving back because it was "just so beautiful here." It made me laugh, because on our trips to San Francisco (especially when we were north of the bridge in Marin County), Joe and I marveled at how beautiful it is there, and how we'd like to move. But as I've put more miles on my bike here at home, I've grown so attached to the natural world around me.

Reading The Pine Island Paradox really reminded me of our human need to be connected to nature. It also strengthened my desire to help more people get on bikes. I've lived in this area for 20 years, but I only felt connected to it when I started experiencing it by bike. If more people felt that connection to the natural world around them, imagine what a better world we'd live in.

lace in translation

Lace in Translation, which opens at the Design Center at Philadelphia University in September, will feature works by Cal Lane (those are her oil drums pictured above), Tord Boontje, and the Dutch design firm Demakersvan.  Looks like this is going to be a fantastic show!

what I'm reading: business and the buddha

Since I'm thinking more about the kind of business I want to have, and the importance of creating value (and not just making money), I pulled Business and the Buddha from my stack of "to be read" books.  

I didn't really find most of the ideas in the book earth shattering (though perhaps they would be if I was the CEO of GM or some other company like that).  Instead, they reinforced what I've already been thinking about.  Author Lloyd Field stresses that the primary goal of any business should be to "Cause No Harm," whether it be to the environment, employees, or customers.  Field then goes through Buddhist principals to help clarify how a business can "Cause No Harm" and "Create a Better Society."

One of the most important ideas I took from the book was my need to create a value statement.  Its clear to me that in my business, my goal isn't just to create profit, but I really need to clarify my values and communicate those to my customers as well.  

create (value) every day

As some of you may have noticed, I did not attend this year's SNAG conference.  But I did have one of my friends pick up some information from the Professional Development Seminar for me.  I was curious to know how the information was similar or different from what I had presented the previous year.

One of the handouts was basically an advertisement for services the speaker's company provided.  One of the those services was a kind of social media set-up - basically the company would build you a Facebook or MySpace page and then spend 2-3 hours teaching you "best practices."  The cost for this service - $750!

My first reaction was, "I've got to get in on that. I could make bank!"  And in fact, I've toyed with the idea of doing web and social media consulting before, particularly after I presented at the PDS in Savannah.  But, at this point in my life, I can't decide if its something that I would want to do.  

You see, I've become increasingly concerned about what I do providing value to the world around me.  Its taken me a while to get there, but I think I've come to appreciate that the things I make and design do add value to people's lives.  (At least I hope they do.)  And I certainly believe that all my bike advocacy and education activities help improve the community around me.  (If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing them.)  But setting up someone's Facebook page?  I just don't see the value in that.  As a friend recently pointed out to me, apparently this makes me "an entrepreneur, but not a capitalist."  

I couldn't agree more that I'm an entrepreneur.  I come up with a new business idea practically every week.  (And I swear I'm going to do a better job of writing them down.)  But most of them have a greater purpose than just to make as much money as humanly possible.  I just don't believe that is the be all, end all in life.

On Thursday, I went to Ignite Baltimore and one of the speakers was Jim Kucher, who heads the Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Baltimore.  Jim spoke about businesses that fall under the rough banner of Social Entrepreneurship.  For-profit companies that are using their profits to generate real change.  These businesses are the future of activism in America.  In fact, Jim went so far as to say that "charity cannot fund systemic change".  I was truly inspired by his talk.

So, where am I going with all of this?  Well, while riding my bike today, I was thinking about the best ways to help encourage more people to bike.  In the past, I've always thought about starting a non-profit of my own.  But today I wondered, why does it have to be a non-profit?  Why can't I create programs or services that help fund other programs and services?  What if I became a bicycle consultant?  (For lack of a better term - and I seriously need to come up with a better term.)  Perhaps I couldn't charge $750.  But for certain things (say, services to other businesses) maybe I could.  The point is that I'd be doing something I believe in.  I'm not quite sure what any of this would look like yet, but I think its an idea worth pursuing further.  Any suggestions?

Oh, and if you're still reading at this point in the post, the little journal (which I'm planning on using to write down more of my business ideas) is from Compendium Incorporated.  They were giving them away at the National Stationary Show.  Which, in my mind, is a pretty good way to create a fan for life.

5 bowls

My summer class is over - but I think I managed to make some good progress.  Here are the 5 bowls I completed.  

But I'm still not done with my raising exploration - I'm planning on spending some more time in the studio at school this summer.  After we get back from the beach, that is!