A Day in the Life of.....Lidia Anderson

I am a native of Sydney, Australia, and it was here that I began my formal education in art. In my second year of college I moved to the United States and received my B.F.A. from B.G.S.U. in Ohio. I spent the next 10 years as art director in the field of television. Recognizing the stresses of the advertising world, I took the opportunity to find other forms of artistic expression. My love of glass was born and I allowed this creative energy to guide me. What evolved were works of art that integrated into our more common understanding of functional living.

My larger body of work is represented by some of the finest art galleries in the nation. I had the privilege to exhibit with the world renowned artist, Dale Chihuly and also completed a restoration of 18 stained glass windows at a chapel in Ohio.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF Lidia:

4:59 AM – I hear my son’s alarm on the other side of my bedroom trying to decide if I should get up, I roll over, not yet.
5:14 AM – I hear the first bird singing outside my window, he invites his friends to join in the chorus, I decide to begin my day.
5:15 AM – I lay in bed and begin my morning meditation to prepare for my day.
5:30 AM – I get up and begin my morning yoga exercises.
5:50 AM – I get dressed in my ragged work clothes and go to the kitchen and put on a pot of green tea.
6:00 AM – While my tea is brewing I get on the computer to check for orders, Face Book, emails, etc.
6:30 AM – I make a list of my goals for the day and head to my studio with my pot of tea to begin work.
6:40 AM – I go to my studio and listen to Mozart. I decide in which order I want to make my glass, all this time making sure that I am as quiet as possible and not do any grinding until my daughter and 13 month old granddaughter, who live with me, are awake for the day. I begin on the drawing board and spend some time designing for custom windows or other orders.
6:45 – 9:45 AM – I accomplish all my cutting in these 3 hours.
9:45 AM – The girls are awake and I go and spend a few minutes with them.
10 AM - I grind and wash and dry everything I had cut and prepare to do the foiling. A family interruption, “Hey, mom” I stop. 11 AM - Foiling is complete and I decide which of my orders I need to complete next.
11:15 AM – I decide to take a short break, shower, dress, and run some errands.
12:30 PM – I am back, check all business on the computer and have lunch, usually vegan cheese with lettuce and tomato sandwich on 12 grain bread and some strawberries. “hey mom”,I stop again to help with the baby.
1:00 PM - Back to the studio, listen to audio books while I work and begin soldering all my foiled work.
3:00 PM – Short break, back on the computer to check emails, set up new listings on Etsy, etc., gathering inspiration, and 15 minutes on the treadmill.
3:30 PM – Bring my finished pieces to the kitchen sink for washing. “Hey, mom”, ugh!!, I need to help again.
3:50 PM – Back to the studio for drying and polishing my completed work.
5:00 PM – Thinking about a menu for dinner, a meat dish for my carnivorous boys and a vegan meal for us girls. Decide to still work till 6 PM.
6:00 PM – Spend time with making dinner and eating with my family and feeding the cats. Short walk after dinner.
7:30 PM – Gathering inspiration for new designs for the next project and helping with the baby. “Hey, mom”, again I decide this should be the title of my new book.
8:00 PM - Maybe get some T.V time but find not too much worth while to watch, think about getting another hour of work in the studio and catch up from “Hey, mom” times and 15 more minutes on the treadmill.
9:00 PM - Great time in the evening for setting up some new product shots.
10:00 PM – Eyes are closing, must go to bed. Write for several minutes in my journal, listen to relaxing music, and read a book in bed.
11:00 PM – Close my eyes and practice my evening meditation until I fall asleep.