I want validation and reassurance, remember? Still not getting any. A friend with a strong artistic bent stopped by my house for a few minutes and saw my current eggs. His most significant comment is that I should be making great big paintings on canvas and selling them for a lot of money. (Sigh.) It's nice that he likes all my squiggles, don't get me wrong, but it would have been nicer if he could have bought into my vision.

Most days I'm happy being a maverick. I'm OK creating things no one else has thought of, making eggs like no one else's, not gaining any recognition or making a cent off my art. It's about creation, it's about color, it's about the alchemical magic caused by combining dye and wax and time. It's about being different, and being true to those differences.

Usually I'm OK with that. But right now I want to hear someone say "This is cool."