Where did all my shows go?

Those of you who know me from local high-end craft shows where I sell my hats might be wondering, Where's Denise and all her hats? Why hasn't she been doing any shows?

Things are really busy here at our house. My husband has managed to get himself involved in the very early first stages of a software start-up. He works a lot, but we're lucky—he often works from home. His office is just down the street, so even when he's there, he's not hard to reach. Still, it's a lot of work. I decided that I'd take it easy on him. He does all the setup for me at the shows—lots of moving heavy things, setting things up, taking them down. I think he needs that time to do his own things, either that or he'll get even less sleep than he does now.

He also let me off the hook. He said, "Don't worry so much about selling hats—why don't you just be creative? Be an artist. Make stuff you want to make." Generous words, indeed. So I'm taking it easy. I decided that I would keep making hats this year, but it will be because I really want to make them, not because I don't have enough of this or that to satisfy the masses. The only exception to the rule is commissions—I'll do a commission because it's a challenge.

I do have one show that I'm doing coming up. I'm doing Paradise City in Northampton on Memorial Day weekend. I haven't done that show since I was pregnant in 2008. We have the bonus of my family living in that area, so we get some extra support. Other than that, I'll do the shows in my studio building in the fall and winter (Open Studios and the Holiday Sale). Tax time next year is going to look a little ugly, but what the hell.

So there you have it. That's where I am. I should number the hats from this year and mark them "limited edition."