Spring in my Step x2!

Well ladies and gents! I am an international superstar! Ok, only kidding, but you can find my Salvatore Ferragamo shoe inspired papercut on his art gallery website! (link) Click on Ferragamo Artist Gallery down on the left and scroll through the gallery. You may recognize my piece from a post back in March – I happen to think it’s one of the best... jk! 

I encourage everyone to create some fantastic shoe art and send it in, too! Maybe your shoe can join my shoe in this virtual gallery. :) 

Pink Door!

New identity design for the Pink Door Thrift Shop in McHenry!

What a Hoot!

Happy Wednesday Friends! I promised I’d post the photo of my owl once she came out of the kiln, so here she is. And Ted’s sharp dressed owl accompanies her!  

Girl of All Trades

In the midst of my unemployment struggles, my sixteen-year-old sister has been bringing home the bread, literally! I get laid off and she get’s hired. She’s working at our neighborhood bakery and let me just tell you, the benefits are superb! Every morning I’ve had a treat to go with my coffee. This got me thinking about what job I was doing at 16… I realized that of all of my odd jobs, not one of them involved food more than making coffee in the morning. Check out my list:

1. Babysitter of Devil Children

2. Massage Spa Receptionist and Laundry Girl

3. Golf Course Learning Center Receptionist

4. Montini Catholic School 5^th Grade Spirit Squad Coach

5. Guitar Lesson Instructor

6. Transcriber of a Religious Manuscript for a Professor

7. Receptionist and Graphics Production Assistant at MODO Exhibits

8. Instructional Technology Resource Center Team Leader & Student Consultant

9. Event Manager for Saint Mary’s College

10. Art Class Teacher at The Studio

11. Bridal Consultant, Invitations Consultant, and Designer at Kathryn’s Bridal

12. Model for Ball Horticultural Photographer (Ok, it was only once)

13. Photo Professor’s Teaching Assistant

14. Worked as Part of the Design Team at an Engineering Firm 

15. Freelance Graphic Designer

Lately I have been filling out applications, attaching my resume, and talking about work experience almost daily as a part of my new job search. I’m 23 years old and I’ve held about 15 jobs and never been fired, I think that’s an accomplishment! Not a single one of these jobs involved food, which may or may not attribute to my severe lack of cooking skills. It’s fun to look back and think about these jobs, the people I met, and the things I learned. I’m sure that each contributed to getting where I am today. Now it’s time to sit back and wonder what could possibly come next…

Home Alone Four

Although I was not at work this week, I did work quite hard! Mom went to the sunny west coast to vacation in California and left me to tend to her studio. (Isn't she lucky that I wasn't busy...) I was doing really well; keeping up with phone calls, scheduling her helpers, teaching classes, until I completely forgot about Wednesday night class! The poor painters were waiting outside the studio for me to let them in but I never showed up! I felt horrible!! And all I had to do was unlock the door... Darn! So sorry painters.

On the bright side, I did finally get to glaze my handmade clay owl. :) I can't wait for him to come out of the kiln! He's so fly... Ok, that was a bad joke... 

I also taught two classes this week. The first was Clay Class for pre-teens, my assignment for them? Letters! Folks, that is what happens when you leave a graphic designer in charge of Clay Class. Guess what letter I made? That's correct, a t! I'll post it when it comes out of the kiln. My students were great and really had fun with the assignment too!

The other class was After School Art, grades K-2. Woah. An hour and a half with six little people is enough for me. High fives to the elementary education teachers! I knew class was not going well when one little boy asked, "what time is art class over?" with a big grin on his face, within the first 15 minutes of class... Not soon enough, kid. Ok I'm kidding, I had more fun than he did - they are just so darn cute! But let's just say, I'm glad mom is coming home tomorrow to relieve me of that duty. My kid quota is good for a while...

It's Time for Me to Fly

"I know it hurts to say goodbye, but it’s time for me to fly.” A little bit of wisdom from the big hair and skin-tight pants clad REO Speedwagon band members. How do those rockers know just how to tell it like it is?  (listen to it here)

Today is my first real day of unemployment. I was laid off from my stuffy corporate job and now I am realizing that being laid off is a lot like being dumped. There is a bit of wallowing in self-pity, but once you get over that, you realize that what you had wasn’t that great anyway. Everything happens for a reason and I am going to move on to a much better job! (Ahem, potential employers, please note my optimism and confidence!)

Although I am not excited about losing my job (and the paycheck that came with it,) I am excited to have some time to myself.  My portfolio is shaping up and I made new business cards! Look forward to more posts and a new paper cut currently in the works....