Sunday, May 6, 2012

Chapter 4, How I flunked out of Economics 101...


CHAPTER 4
My business degree, NOT
How I flunked out of economics 101 and ended up in the theatre…

My father and 2 brothers are business men- I am NOT!  While at the art school at the University of Michigan, my father encouraged me to take a few basic business classes. After a month of economics 101, my professor encouraged me to drop the course before I failed.  So now I had some extra time, so my mom, the artist, encouraged me to volunteer in the theatre.  I remember that day clearly, wandering into the costume shop for the first time.  The head of the Theatre Dept. greeted me with delight; I could draw, I could sew and I could use power tools- it was a perfect match!  It didn’t take me long to be the STAR student.  Not only was I encouraged to go to Grad. School in Theatre but the head of the Theatre Dept. made sure all the doors opened for me.  I got a few scholarships, but my heart was set on NYC- so I went to NYU.

My work is a product of all those years in the theatre.  My shrines are reflections of the model sets I would spend hours building, focusing on the smallest detail.  My dress series are direct responses from those years of studying the history of costume and then using that knowledge to tell stories.  My Italian series reflect my knowledge of historical places in different periods of time.

TIP: don’t always follow in your father’s footsteps, sometimes your mom’s prints will fit better

Anectdote:  even though your father appears smarter- your MOM might be right!



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