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| From the Editor
There’s a strange phenomenon that pervades magazine publishing; we always think it’s two months ahead of the actual date. My brain has been in the new year since last November; as I write this, it is February; by the time you read it, it will be April. But by then my head will be in June, thinking not only about the June/July/August issue, but which summer workshop I’ll be attending. See our annual listing starting on page 47 of the print issue, or click here to find your education/vacation opportunity.
So, while there is potential for this mental time-leaping to become annoying, there’s a nice optimism to the perpetually forward-looking pattern in which we find ourselves. Sure, trying to always stay two months ahead can make us feel like we’re always behind, but it forces us to have good plans and efficient procedures so we can be ready for what is coming around the corner.
It’s a lot like filling studio orders; staying ahead of that next shipment deadline; preparing for that next show; making sure we pull our heads out of the studio long enough to get the paperwork done.
And when the magazine comes off press, it’s a bit like opening a kiln. Hopefully there are not too many unwanted surprises, and sometimes there are nuances we didn’t see before all the pieces and parts actually came together to be a physical magazine. And, just like a kiln opening, once in a while there is a gem you just didn’t see coming. It stops you and you can’t help telling yourself, “I have to do this more often. I have to fill a kiln with stuff like this.” Sure, it’s easier said than done—isn’t everything—but it’s what keeps us going.
When I worked in the studio far more often than I do now, I was always chasing those kinds of pots. Actually, I still do that, and I suppose we all do. Otherwise what is the point? We study our tests and determine what worked. What ran a little too much? What stuck to the shelf? And I find we do that here at the magazine, except we look at what printed too dark, what typo we missed, what alignment was a bit off, and we plan for improvement next time.
This can involve some very difficult decisions and uncomfortable situations (see my last letter for an example), but in the long run it makes what we do better all the time. An enormous part of this decision making is talking to all of you and learning about what you think we did right and wrong. To push my metaphor a little further; it’s like showing a respected colleague your latest, greatest piece, and having them come back with an astute assessment of its merits and shortcomings, rather than the effusive praise you were just giving yourself a moment before. But your momentary disappointment is quickly replaced by the knowledge that you now have something far more valuable than praise—you have reliable information.
We like to think that you, as readers, rely on us for good information (and we like to think we deliver that), but we also understand that we rely on you for that very same thing. So, what do you think of this latest piece we made?
Sherman Hall
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