From Eric: Weaving = Paperwork = Stress

Today's post is from my very own basket maker Eric!

If you had told me about how much paperwork there was involved in being a basket maker, maybe I would have taken extra time in choosing this path. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do. The thing is I just didn’t think there would be all this extra stuff that would keep me away from the baskets. Spending days going through convention contracts, invoicing, scheduling hotels, prioritizing orders and emailing never entered my mind when I began making baskets.  

After getting home from a trip, it starts all over again. You have to keep an eye on the next gig (like I’m a rock star) and look down the road to the future.  It can all get a little crazy trying to match dates and which baskets and my schedule. 

Many conventions and workshops have to be planned almost a year in advance. Overlapping submissions and other commitments can bring on a flurry of stress. I’m already anxious about next year's new baskets. I think that I will just email Lynne with the new workshop dates so that she can update them to the website and the other items I have not completed. Then maybe I can weave now.

Eric’s correct about paperwork. It’s almost mid-February and I myself have not done any invoicing for my freelance work completed in January. But one thing that is worse than doing my paperwork, is doing Eric’s paperwork! a.k.a. the stuff he dumps on my desk because he doesn’t want to do it!

It’s so apparent that Eric does not like paperwork when we go to Workshops. Almost always at least one person comes up to him and asks if he was able to send an order out or something or other. In Georgia, three people needed things that I thought he dealt with. (Sorry Gail, Trisha and Sharon). And, if I can really embarrass him — yesterday he found a $50 check he folded inside his name tag holder from 9 months ago!

I think Eric should've married someone with more money. (or learn to not misplace checks). Then he could hire a secretary. Instead he's stuck with me and all my whining. Last week, one of his students piped up “Lynne, you need to train him!” Well, my answer to that is you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.