Eastern Papermaking Internship

I'm pleased to say that I have been chosen for an Eastern papermaking internship at the Morgan Conservatory. I've been involved with the Morgan for years, taking workshops, going to shows, and donating work for their annual open house, but to actually get to intern there is a dream come true for me. I was so excited that I almost started jumping up and down when I got the news. Not only do I get to learn from the best, I also get to give back by working as hard as I can for them.

Starting in February and running through July, I'll be working with Aimee Lee, Fulbright scholar and hanji (Korean handmade paper) expert, in the Morgan's Eastern papermaking studio. Basically, I will be learning how to make paper from scratch, starting with scraping bark, which sounds pretty exciting to me. I don't have much papermaking experience to date but I can't wait to dive in and really immerse myself in every aspect of it.  

There are some challenges involved, though. For one, I have to cut my hours at work in half, which also means cutting my paycheck in half, and the internship is unpaid. I'm currently in the process of writing a grant proposal to secure some funding through school, but it's going to be a struggle no matter what. Even if I don't get the grant, though, I'll make it work (even if I have to eat Ramen noodles for the next six months) and I guess this is a great chance to finally learn how to do the grant writing thing. I know all the hard work will be worth it. This is an amazing opportunity and it's so completely in line with all of the art I've been making. This is exactly where I need to be right now. I couldn't think of a better way to start out the new year and I know there are so many good things ahead.