What ever happened to A Puppet A Week?

At the end of 2008 I had an idea to create a simple puppet a week to kick start some creative energy for myself.  I got 3 posts completed and then the posts stopped.  Sorry about that (to you and to me).  Here's a brief overview:

I had a day job that covered the bills allowing me to explore puppetry.  That day job ended over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2008.  Since then I have not found a full time permanent day job to cover the bills.  Thank goodness we have been frugal and had saved up a cushion.  Thank goodness also that my wife has continued to work.  

Somehow with all that going on, devoting the time to make a puppet a week became an afterthought.  Not that I could not have banged something out, but it would not have been worthwhile.  I like making good stuff.  I do have some puppets that need to be photographed and documented so there's a short pipeline coming.

What I did instead was to look for some puppetry work.  I auditioned for and got a 9 week job (11 weeks counting the rehearsal time) to do a South Florida tour with Michelee Puppets "Extreme Health Challenge" show.  My third week is coming up with a 5:00 AM call on Monday.  

What a change from a sedentary office job.  It's only this week that I can think about coming home and doing something other than napping, shopping for food and cooking dinner!

I've also been working under my Simply Puppets company, performing my shadow puppet show, working a make-it / take-it table at Sugar Sand Park's Puppet Fest and a upcoming week with the education department at MOCA in Miami.

So while I'm still working in the RED compared to what I was earning in my old life as a VP of Information Technology,  I've also lost weight, gained muscle, smiled and laughed a whole lot more than I did in my old job.  I have new friends (hi, Tracey, Christine & Will!).  My old friends have been great!  I still get job leads, the occasional free lunch and encouragement from them.  And my wife, Deb, who has felt the total impact the most of everyone, has been nothing but supportive of any new direction that I cast the 'earnings net' trying to make ends meet.

Will it get better?  Will it become worse first?  Who can know it?

I have to get up and do some stuff now, but watch the Blog for those puppet projects in the pipeline and for future posts on how the tour is going.  

dg