It’s fair to say that Lori and I have different attitudes when it comes to outfitting the studio with the necessary supplies or equipment. I forever have my father’s voice in my head asking whether the item(s) in question are a “need or a want”. It is burned into my brain and I can’t escape it no matter how I try. This internal debate takes up a good deal of my time as I have sometimes agonized over a $2 pack of clay. Pick it up, walk away, second guess myself and put it back. Repeat. It’s just sad. Lori, on the other hand, had no such training as a child. She is from the land of “if one if good, five is better.” There may be some other philosophy mixed in of “life is short, why waste it looking for that one thing. Just get more of them, because hey, you never know when might need a whole dozen of them, and boy won’t you be happy when that day comes and you will have more of that thing than you will ever need”. Or something like that. Over the years I have learned to pick my battles, and that is one I usually give up on pretty quick because my reasoning is often irrational. “I don’t know, because…” never won me many debates.
So, it is with great pain that after fifteen years I have admitted out loud, more than once, that boy, I sure do appreciate having a great supply of ______________ (fill in the blank). And then Lori usually acts hard of hearing and she makes me repeat it. But it is true. Couple that with the frequent need for oddly shaped objects – “How will we make those miniature pendant lamps? Good thing we bought the 50 pack of tiny funnels when we were on vacation last year” – and our shopping cart overflow-ith.
These days, I tend to view this stockpiling as a necessary evil. Much of our working life now takes place when the stores are closed. Late nights, early mornings, holidays… you get the picture. And as we have taken on more commercial work, their deadlines are often quite tight and there isn’t extra time to run to the hardware store or order materials on line. Thank goodness we have the well stocked “art pantry”. Whether it is a wide selection of plastic tubing, balsa wood, HO scale figures, or fake fur, I have found it our studio when I needed it most.