Mostly talking to Will I feel like the world is about to end. He’s an over thinker by nature, and bad news – of which there’s been plenty of lately – gets woven into a web of really bad, potentially catastrophic scenarios, of which I have no control over, and which can almost dampen my eternal optimism.
Now, as we come to the end of another year though, I can safely say there have been plenty of really good bits. So I will spread the cheer and share with you some of the good times from Shakspeare HQ in 2022.
In January the dream team really ramped up their lighting offering. They noticed that people were going wild for their gorgeous shades and so they focused their efforts on new colours and as such, they’ve been going from strength to strength.
February’s Storm Eunice gave Will an opportunity to knuckle down and improve the website and in March the boys had a visit to London and they came back full of beans having been inspired by glass and all the sights in the Big Smoke.
They were enthused once again at the prospect of hosting Somerset Art Weeks exhibition in September, together with fellow artists Jenny Graham and Ashar, which focused on the Quantocks, and proved the catalyst for some truly creative pieces.
In June we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming back Helen Millard to the workshop space. I have to say she’s a breath of fresh air – as well as being a phenomenally talented glassblower, she brings a bit of light relief to SG HQ and I loved having her around. We look forward to having Helen return whenever she likes!
Both Somerset Art Weeks and Bath Christmas Market were hugely successful, and over the year Will was photographed for the Telegraph, and appeared on the local news talking about the challenges that the cost of living crisis has bought to him and others in the industry.
We’ve got a thriving little community again in the Shakspeare hub, with Steve Overthrow, sievemaker extraordinaire returning to the fold, ceramics restorer Beky Davies, contemporary artist, Jennifer Mole, accountant Helen Sparks, editor Andrew Lee, and little old me up in the office spaces, though it’s with sadness that we said goodbye to artist Ashar as she moves on to new and exciting projects of her own.
This little bunch by the river, we’re all doing alright. We have a lot of laughs, and together we have plenty of great – and not so great – ideas. Will continues to be a tempestuous creative, and that’s what makes him produce the best glass.
All in all, it’s been a challenging year, but we’ve got through it together – thanks to the support of all of you.
Happy Christmas everyone. May I be eternally optimistic for you all!