My Studio Buddy, Bogey — A Saturday Morning in the Studio

My studio buddy, Bogey. He may technically be my son's dog, but somewhere along the way, this 87-pound Old English Bulldog became part of my creative life. ❤️🐾

My Studio Buddy, Bogey

Saturday Morning in the Studio

Saturday mornings have a way of slowing things down.

The coffee is still hot, the studio is quiet, and before I get too far into the day, I sometimes find myself looking around at this little creative space I've built and thinking about how life gets us where we are.

And these days, I have a studio buddy.

His name is Bogey. ⛳🐾

Technically, he's my son's dog.

But when my son travels, I take care of his home and Bogey. Since my studio is here too, Bogey has become a pretty regular part of my creative life.

And somewhere along the way, I've kind of adopted him.

Bogey is an Old English Bulldog, weighs a very respectable 87 pounds, and according to Brad, his birthday is around September 10th, so Bogey is almost 1 year old.

I recently had to ask Brad exactly what kind of bulldog he was because, honestly, I couldn't remember.

The conversation went something like this:

“I'm pretty sure he's a Traditional English Bulldog.”

“Old English Bulldog.”

“Lol... Old.”

“Different.”

😂

The Stew That Takes Care of Me

A big pot of vegetable beef stew, made ahead for the busy creative days waiting at my wax bench.

There are days when I know I'm going to be spending six hours at my bench, sculpting wax.

Six hours of looking closely.

Six hours of shaping tiny pieces of wax with my hands, making adjustments, adding texture, taking something away, and watching a little piece of art slowly become what I saw in my mind.

I love those days.

But I've learned something over the years.

When I know I'm going to be completely absorbed in my work, I like to take care of tomorrow's me today.

And for me, that means making a big pot of stew.

Not because I don't have time to cook.

Quite the opposite.

I don't want to finish a long day of creating a tiny piece of art and open a can of soup.

I want to walk into my kitchen and already know that something wonderful is waiting for me.

After a long day of sculpting, this is how I like to finish the day—a hearty bowl of stew, fresh herbs and a glass of wine.

I think that's one of the things I've learned about creativity.

It doesn't always happen at the jewelry bench.

Sometimes creativity is choosing the ingredients.

Sometimes it's growing herbs in a sunny kitchen window.

Sometimes it's putting together a meal that makes an ordinary evening feel special.

And sometimes it's simply knowing that tomorrow is going to be busy...

and doing something today that will make tomorrow a little sweeter.

I don't just create jewelry.

I create moments.

And this stew is one of them. 

❤️