- This is a thread to discuss WHO WE WERE, BEFORE we were ART FAIR INSIDERS.
- Why start this thread? Glad you asked. It is the fault of Dave Hinde. We were discussing Buy/Sell when I used an analogy about Racing Complaints being heard in the middle of the swamp at midnight as a reply to Jacki Bilsborrow. Then, Connie got into the act with a laugh of two and talk about great stories being part of the background of Art Fair Insider members. Then, to top it all off Dave said we should start a thread to share our BEFORE stories of WHO WE WERE. So, here you have it THE WHO WE WERE THREAD.
- WHO is first to share a story?
- Dave, how about it ... will you start us off with some old racer stories and maybe some of your pictures, too?
- In case you would like to see the conversation that started this ... it is pasted below for your reading pleasure.
- Reply by Jacki Bilsborrow Lois, I imagine you had to be pretty shocked with that document. That will certainly stop anyone from saying anything about anybody in any booth anywhere
- Reply by Lois Anderson Jacki, Yes, that is what I thought too. Back in the day ... when I was racing sports cars in SCCA ... the organizers used to say ... for anyone with a complaint ... the complaint committee will hear your complaint at midnight in the middle of the swamp next to the track. LOL This seems to be pretty much the same thing. No one is going to say anything and that is the way it is.
- Reply by Connie Mettler Rosaries? Racing sport cars? Big laugh for me this morning -- the people in this business are amazing with backgrounds we'd never even imagine. What a wonderfully diverse life you have led, Lois. Scratch an artist/entrepreneur and find great stories.
- Reply by Dave Hinde There's probably a ton of different backgrounds. I raced sports cars for most of my life, and took photos of almost every event! It might be interesting to start a string of articles about what people did before Art took over their life.
Replies
My life before Artfair insiders... fairly typical for rural Maine.
Grew up in large Family, Dad had 11 brothers & sisters. We had a family farm- horses, cows, bulls, chickens pigs. Grew our own veggies, etc. Slopped the pigs on the mile walk to the school bus stop...to this day my brothers will NOT eat oatmeal, as looks like what we fed the pigs every morning. My Grandad had a lobster boat, all the uncles and my Dad, did the fishing, clamming, and farm work. So needless to say, VERY PRACTICAL. All the women did the home making...cooking, cleaning, childcare, teaching, hand crafting, you name it we all pitched in. For fun, and practicality... Arts & crafts...knitting, sewing, cross stitching, quilting, jewelry making, wood working, learning the mechanics of the machinery,(I was the only female in a family of many boys, so I had fit in or get buried with avalanche) so I had a well rounded upbringing. Rode a horse on my paper route, went fishing, clamming. Worked in the barn.Went out to the woods for tree harvest time. Put tranny's in the cars... Started my first "job" at 14...Ice cream shoppe. Been in customer service pretty much my whole life. College...I was the first. After college, got married. Had my daughter. Got divorced. Worked as an IPC Certified Electronics Inspector for 10 years...loved it. But that took a tank when the economy started going bad....layoffs, plant closures, etc. Got married again....and moved to southern Maine, and went back to the roots, doing what I love...the jewelry crafting. I don't do many Art Fairs....we don't have many here. I do a LOT of Festivals. And Craft Fairs. My busy season won't start for another month or so, and depends on the weather....much like farm life!!
I have been very fortunate in having 3 careers that I have loved. I started out as an actress in NYC and then LA doing commercials, soap operas, etc During that time, of course, I had many other little jobs to keep the rent paid. I enjoyed acting for 12 years and then moved back to my home town and worked for an urban school district (Pittsburgh Public Schools) teaching acting and theatre history as well as English to middle school students in an arts magnet school. After 25 years, I retired and began making jewelry - supposedly as a hobby - but it soon became a business. Have loved all 3 and wouldn't change anything.
I was a smart a$$ kid right out of high school and had to find a job. So my very first day at my very first full time job I was making nitro glycerin at a dynamite factory in New Jersey.
I decided this wasn't for me when there was an explosion in the gunpowder section at the plant and 4 people were killed. I helped put out the fire and never went back. That was 1967.
I went to school and became a QC director at a steel company until my wife dragged me to a craft show in 1980. We made 20 bucks and I was hooked. I found that I can make money doing something I actually liked doing! We dove into it and by the late 80s my wife left her corporate insurance job to do this full time. In 1994 I was making more at craft shows than I was making in my job and so I left.
I never looked back. There have been good times, and very good times. And lean times as well. I'm 65 now and I can honestly say I love what I do for a living. I wouldn't trade it for a "real job" any time.
My previously life 1995-2009 was as a Commercial Aircraft mechanic first as line mechanic the guys who fix your plane when you really have to be somewhere.I personally had a pat answer when gate agents were interrupting me to see when it would be done as I worked "half hour " was my answer LOL. The last 4 years worked as a flight mechanic which was flying with a commercial aircraft transporting military troops either to other bases stateside or around the world or sports teams or private charters . It took me to 49 countries an experience I wouldn't trade for anything it was my dream job then 9/11 happened and the enjoyment went away pretty quickly .Photography was always a passion but never thought of it as a career now into my third year exhibiting and tip toeing through the economic minefield which is the art festival world I do see some light .One of goals this year is to try to get into more galleries and make some headway in online shops .I knew when I started my next adventure this wouldn't be easy but I started in 09 at the bottom of a bad economy I've had nowhere to go but up.The photos are number 1 my last trip in aviation 2nd photo is an aircraft I worked on at a previous airline ATA they went out of business and the next airline I worked for leased it .I got to work on the same plane for 2 different airlines.I've been blessed to work my dream job (aviation)and my passion Photography in the same life
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10 years ago my husband and I were stressed out working in the Healthcare advertising agency world in Philadelphia. I was a art director and he was a production print buyer. After 25 years in the field we were both burned out. We went to Florida on vacation to see the Philadelphia Phillies play at spring training and wandered over to Clearwater Beach. We talked to some of the artists at the Pier 60, year round, nightly sunset festival. We then decided that we could do that and we made our plan to relocate to Florida. It took 2 years for the plan to fall into place, but we have been happily living the artist life, doing beach festivals and traveling to weekend festivals all over the East coast with my photography. Besides my wall photography I have a complete "Beachy" All Occasion line of 300 greeting cards, yearly calendars of Sarasota and Venice and designs for scrapbook papers. There is one thing to be an artist for sake of self expression or to be a artist and live your dream in paradise.
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When customers ask us what we did before doing art shows, my husband always says: "We were porn stars before our bodies went south." Don't worry, I'm not posting any photos! LOL
This has been so enjoyable and interesting to hear about everybody's past.
Robert, you are right, Home Ec wasn't a push over course of study. Microbiology and Chemistry almost killed me off.
I don't talk alot about my previous occupation. I guess i am afraid that people will make assumptions about me, the kind of person I am. From 1981 until last December I was primarily involved in ministry. Masters degree in Divinity and all that stuff. That all came to an end just about one year ago to the day and I found myself thrust into doing what I have wanted to do for a few years- work full time as a woodturner. One other thing. In 2000 I was diagnosed with a rare disease. Treatment, surgery blah blah blah-pronounced cured. However one peculiar lingering side effect. My short term memory is shot, but the creative part of my brain is as sharp as it ever has been.
I began woodturning in 2005 almost by accident. After building our home I set up my workshop to build case work as a hobby. Quite by chance I met a guy who turned my interest toward lathe work. I bought my first lathe in November 2005 and was accepted into my first show in February 2006.
My "thing"- what I enjoy doing that is kinda particular to me, is working with tree knots. I turn forms then dry them harshly to force them to warp, wrinkle and sometimes split down the old scar lines. This coming year I plan to take that to the next level by adding embellisment to emphasize and compliment the features in the wood.
This first year has been tough but an incredible learning experience. Once again I feel like I didn't hear the starting gun and am trying to catch up, but still glad just to be in the race.
It's amazing how our lives work out, Ray, isn't it? The woodworking came to you at the right time. I heard Barbra Streisand on NPR today and she said she had plenty of money and was basically lazy, but the creative urge kept her going and made her life meaningful. Nice to have the choice, of course, but if you look around you at the shows plenty of people are old enough to be staying home. Sure, the economics of the situation make a difference. Few of us have 401k's, but how great it is that we have gifts that make you want to get up in the morning.
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