Its 2015 .. and in the past 5 years I've ....

Recently I've learned that an adventurer, and thats what we're SUPPOSED to be in life among other things, should start with the end in mind. A vision. A goal, but a detailed one .. in focus. It doesnt mean it cant and wont change, but you are more likely perhaps to stay on course if working towards a detailed picture. So here goes

Its 2015 - and in the past five years I've ....

become somewhat of a well kept secret in the Nashville area among school and scouting groups. I began in late 2010 with a standing ad in the local paper which at first attracted only a few random calls of interest, but once word of mouth took hold I get a couple calls a month for show appointments. This I had to keep flexible due to my shifting retail schedule, and at first I underdid it, with only 1 per month or so. The following summer I tried an advertising blitz and found I overdid it, I couldnt run this as anything more than a hobby and I've since found I have to be comfortable for it to be enjoyable, and found about 1-3 shows a week to be optimal for me.

At first I had grandios plans for workshops, planetarium kits, souvenirs, cd sales etc but found after about a year of failed experiments that I was basically in the EXPERIECE business - give visitors an experience they could only get in my barn. It was all about something different, and that wasnt hard if I followed my own heart, played to my own strengths, and had no expectations. After some time trying to emulate commercial shows I'd seen, shows Id watched, I finally settled on just being me

I found I needed some prerecorded things I could 'play' for visitors - some times I was too tired to talk, some times I imagined people viewed this more as an event or 'show' since I billed myself as a theater with stars just as much as planetarium. I also found I needed to talk and improvise every time too to keep it fresh and unique. I found I really couldnt know what to expect, some times questions were everywhere and sometimes the silence was deafening, with the adults obviously waiting for it to be over.

I ran it year round the past five years, most people could sit in an unheated place for 30 minutes without too much discomfort. I ran into things I hadnt bargained for - people needing to use the house bathroom .. people parking all over the yard .. kids running round the property in the dark ... I had to safety proof as much as possible I never charged admission, being fearful of 'business' liabilities and taxes etc ..

I continually developed new shows, going against my first impulse to develop a couple elaborate shows and 'run them into the ground' .. this got boring quickly and it was essential over the years to keep ME interested, this couldnt be a job. I was much happier when I completely divorced money from all my thoughts.

I found the public side of this weird hobby to be hard to balance with my previous, private 'HPA' side, building, writing about planetariums etc .. but over the years I thought both were worthy of attention and so kept them both as valued things in my life and hopefully the life of some others.

I didnt build what I thought I'd build .. I got lazy in that regard .. I built one other projector and was sortof happy with that .. never say never though

Over the past five years I've tried to remain philsophical about it all - Ive never rekindled the amateur astronomy thing, I never developed an interest in a portable planetarium traveling around, and I never really pursued my publishing dreams. Perhaps I am saving them .. its 2015, Im only 63, theres time yet (I hope)

Ive currently no plans to escalate this into a fulltime 'retirement' job, but I plan right now to keep it going indefinitely, as long as I can 'see' stars the thrill is still there, and I think right now it always will be


written Sept 30, 2010

Institutionalize!

(From HPA Newsletter Issue 20)

We've all heard the old saying.. whether its a million dollar shortstop, the orchestra conductor of 30 years, or the guy who mops the floor for time immemorial... they're an institution. But how the word has changed.. museums are on thing, but its not the Smithsonian Museum, its the Smithsonian Institution. Colleges, Universities, they are ongoing institutions of higher learning, not fixed in a point of time, but preserving and growing at the same time. But theres a dark side..we placed him in an institution... A dead end.

So which is it?

What do you want to be with your planetarium? A hobby maybe, thats just you and invited guests - private. A shrine? Thats a static display with no living parts. A business? That invokes endless repetition of a formula designed to milk dollars. No I say, be the good kin of institution! Be the kind that has both ivy on the walls and children running in the doors. The kind that has generated lasting memories, and is planning future ones as well. One that has annual records on the shelf going back decades and also exciting visions to come. One that shares a legacy of joy, learning, and great times will go a long way towards your own satisfaction when you're hopefully rocking on that porch some day. Knowing you were involved. Knowing you were there.

Knowing you were an institution.

Stories and Myths and Facts, oh MY! Stories and ..

It occurs to me, now that I have three places I can give 'shows' to the public, that there are roughly three categories of 'show' to give ..

Stories .. fictional or science fictional voyages concerning the stars
Myths .. the stories handed down from those cave paintings and Chaldean shepards and greek/roman dudes
Facts ... as Elton sang, and all the science I dont understand, its just my job five days a week (from Rocket Man)

Most planetarium shows I suppose mix and match these elements. Little of this, little of that .. Heres Cygnus the Swan of antiquity, Deneb is a blue supergiant, and kids, imagine the swan getting its tailfeathers wet in the milky way!

Im almost leaning towards using my 'childrens' dome for the stories - my own stories, I once wrote my own starmyth concerning the bears .. myths and history in another .. pyramids, castles, dragons, sinking ships in another .. with the stars as background and inspiration .. and facts, science etc in the third ..

a tripod if you will of interests, creative outlets, educational opportunities, inspirational venues ..

stories and myths and facts, oh my! stories and myths and facts, oh my!