Blown Away?

Blown Away Season 2. I will not binge watch the entire thing today. I will not binge watch the entire thing today. I will NOT binge watch the entire thing today. (I can totally hold the finale for tomorrow.) Blown Away is the competitive reality series on Netflix about glassblowers creating works of art in the hot shop, with the ultimate goal of winning a prize package that includes a residency at the Corning Museum of Glass. Living just a few hours’ drive from this magnificent collection of artistry, I have had the honor of getting lost inside the walls there for a day (and need to do so again soon). Glass converted into thousands and thousands of forms. Some practical, some abstract, all amazing. What I do hope most people gain from any museum trip is an appreciation for what can be accomplished with experience, practice, and a willingness to be creative. Those moments are tremendously inspirational to a novice, which is where I am in my glassblowing journey. Pure novice. I’m at the very beginning (a very good place to start).

When you read, you begin with ABC. When you blow glass, you begin with goggles, heat, and sand. Learning the basics is vital. And you can learn from those with more (or different) experience from you. Since there are some limitations for me to do that in person right now…HELLO INSTAGRAM! My Instagram feed is pleasantly polluted with glassblowers. I enjoy ending my day with a finger stroll down the hallways of my feed just to see what everyone has been up to. What did they work on today?

So, in “normal” years (yes, that term annoys me too), this would be the week that the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions holds their annual conference. They are doing a virtual conference this year, of course, so we are all missing Orlando. I know, boo hoo. I dislike Orlando as much as the rest of the professional world, especially when I’m clustered at a somewhat-remote resort that you can’t easily escape from without dropping $50 on an Uber.