An Ode to Corris Wales

I’m going to miss Corris.

I’m sitting at Idris Stores, having my last morning latte. While I know I can return to Corris, I’m still shattered to leave.

I was talking with Veronica Calarco this morning. She runs Stiwdio Maelor, the residency where I  spent the past six weeks. We’ve both had significant health problems since we last saw one another, and we were talking about stress and busyness and the crazy.

Corris is an escape from my crazy.

People regularly ask me how I can be away from MTM for weeks when I’m on the road so much. He and I both understand one thing.

Residencies clear the cement from my brain.

When I’m home, I’m assaulted with how to keep my books alive every second of the day. I must track sales, do my own accounting, and constantly worry about money. Changes in the online landscape usually decimate my already meager sales. They’re never good for me.

On top of that, I’m speaking all over the country and trying to dig out of a financial hole. I’ve met thousands of new people in 2018 at no small cost to myself, both physically and financially. Despite the work, I made a very minor dent.

I associate home with everything stressful about life. During this residency, I’ve had numerous talks with myself about my attitude. I can’t change a lot about my personal and professional demands. They are what they are.

We can all change the way we process life’s crazy.

Corris always teaches me to relax. I hope I can carry this Welsh zen for a few weeks, at least.

Meet a few of the people I’ve been spending my days with.

Vittoria is Italian. She came to Wales on a pilgrimage to climb a road nearby. At the top, Led Zeppelin wrote Stairway to Heaven. Lots of people visit this area to ‘buy the stairway to heaven,’ but Vittoria stayed for five years, had a gorgeous little boy, and became an indispensable part of this community. She’s going back to Italy in August, and I hope I’ll see her there.

My last meal at the Slaters Arms. I only ate one meal a day on residency, but if I needed an evening snack, I went next door to the pub. Mike and company always filled me up with chips and pints.

Damasque is an artist from Adelaide, Australia. She came to Maelor with no idea what she’d make during her two week residency. From a random conversation, she ended up in a wool felting class. She gave us a fascinating workshop on this ancient technique yesterday.

I’m super sad to leave Sharon and Hazel at Idris Stores. Along with Rob, they kept me fully caffeinated during my stay. Plus, they let me sit right here where I’m typing and use their wifi. An artist in her own right, I’m taking home an original Hazel Lyons hummingbird print. Because I’ve always said I’d be a hummingbird if I weren’t human. They can eat all day and never run out of energy.

I’m going to miss Corris. It’s become home to me.