Jack of All Trades: The Puzzle Pieces of My Artistic Life

I wear many hats. I am a true portrait artist, a good photographer, a media artist, actress and voice-over artist and I podcast my own internet radio show – the New York Pod Cafe (http://www.newyorkpodcafe.com). I author blogs about art and photography and do a host of other things that would bore you to death, if I went on and on about, but one of the most relaxing things I do is taking photos.

Not long ago, for a time, I found myself photographing pre-school children. It did not pay well at all. It was hard work, required a high degree of accountability, yet I truly enjoyed it immensely, but I found that despite my talents and skills, my upbeat approach, a high degree of enthusiasm, being creative, being punctual and most of all honest, I was spending too many hours traveling to those jobs.  I would drive two hours in rush hour traffic and the wear and tear began to takes its toll in a short amount of time. I’d get up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready and many times, drive long distances to country church pre-k schools to photograph children. 

Photographing children was such great fun, but there was a problem.  I soon began falling asleep behind the wheel. Getting up at 4:00 am to get to a site at 6:30 am or 7 am, then spend four to five hours doing the sittings and then returning home at close to 7:00 pm at night, was taking its toll on me.   Oh, I probably would do it all over again, who knows, but I realized that I needed to try and work closer to home. The falling asleep behind the wheel was not something I shared with my employers or my husband at the time. I didn’t want to jeopardize doing something that I was enjoying so much, even at just 1/4 of the hourly wage, that I had previously  made working at a Global Information Technology Help Desk for Lazard Freres.  That was  a great paying job I must say.

Also, I had begun to feel too overqualified for this type of photography work.  It wasn’t until I found myself falling asleep behind the wheel, as I was driving on my way to photograph a pre-k school one morning, on the New Jersey Turnpike, that I realized, there must be a better way for me to continue doing what I love and keeping it a little closer to home.  That does not mean I would never drive to another state to do a photography sitting.  I would do it in a heart beat, because I know I would not be having to drive out of state every day.

Well, I realized that I could work as a photographer closer to home, without putting my life on the line. I also knew that I could do this work for myself and earn a better living at it, than what I was being paid by the company that I previously worked for.  Reluctantly, I gave up that photography job, for all of the right reasons — I wanted to know that my hard work would be appreciated. I wanted to feel a degree of safety or personal security, I wanted to be better compensated and I wanted to be able to give a more personal touch to my clients and did not want to be confined to having to follow the rigidity of another company’s modus operendi or format. My reason for that is quite simple, I prefer to treat people like royalty and give them VIP attention.

I did not enjoy knowing that people that I was photographing for (the clients), were feeling like they were being treated like cattle on an assembly line – The “Brand that butt! [Stamp!] Next!” approach.  Having worked in the corporate world for many years, I came to rub elbows with very prominent people. That was God’s purpose and I don’t regret one bit of having worked for these great companies.  Rubbing  elbows with the creme at top companies served as the finest education one can have. I worked for top VIPs, rubbed elbows with correspondents and reporters, when I worked for the Associated Press, top Accountants when I worked for Price Waterhouse Coopers and how could I forget those wonderful Bankers, Asset Management and IT support people at Lazard Freres (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza). I have had quite a fulfilling professional experience and all of it has served to round me out and has served me well.

I continue to retain many of those friendships too.  Through those friendships, I became more educated and refined.  I learned to observe proper protocol around VIPs and how to maintain a degree of decorum around them.  Heck I was blessed enough to have met  David Rockefeller (yes, one of the famous Rockefellers) and be on a first name basis with him.  What a fun guy he is.  I will never forget our chats on our way up to our respective floors at 30 Rock (it’s not just a place on a TV show.  It’s a real address).  Who would ever imagine that this little girl from Brooklyn, New York, could ever go from one wonderful, work experience to another?   My life almost seems fictional, because yes, I have lived through working with all of these companies.  I met Billy Graham at the Associated Press and made frends with Katherine Graham of the Washington Post, who was friends with my then Boss, Thomas F. Pendergast.

I met David Lettermen, Al Roker, Matt Lauer, chatted downstairs at 30 Rock with Katie Couric and Sue Simmons, Stephanie Powers and now my wonderful painting instructor Nelson Shanks and now I even have a friend from my teenage years working as Director of  Urban Affairs in the Whitehouse.  My goodness one has to be very famous and wealthy beyond believe to meet half the people that I have met and yet, God saw to it that my life crossed paths with them.  He was showing me how important He thought I was.  Even if others didn’t think so, but most certainly He proved to me that truly things that I am worth all of it, even when I sometimes forget, and feel that I am not.

Still, I don’t need lectures from people, telling me how much God loves me.  Goodness if after having all of these experiences, I don’t realize this, I must have wood for a brain, but yes, I do acknowledge that my Creator has given these wonderful experiences, the opportunities and the great talents that He has given, because He absolutely unequivocably loves me and has a GREAT purpose for my life.  It may be a momentary purpose, but it’s a purpose.

I suppose that having worked for a few CEOs and Upper Management in these corporations gave me a sense of how people should really be treated.  I respect the photography studio that I worked for (and I won’t mention its name here out of wanting to maintain proper professional descretion), but I did not like how people were being treated on both sides of the exchange process – neither the clients, who were receiving photography services, nor the photographers who were providing these services.  I won’t go on and on about that company, out of respect for them, but what they do, I guess, suits their purpose just fine.  

As for me, I felt that I wanted to stick to my principles and thought it best for me to do good by anyone who wants their portrait taken. I never want clients to feel rushed during a photo session and have me running out of there in a rush (unless they ask for a specific time limitation).  It isn’t fair to the client.  Also, photographers need to be appreciated for what they do and Management should take care to observe the overseers as well.

Well, I have moved on. I still have my wonderful Nikon camera and I continue to take photographs for a living. Recently I did corporate portrait sitting with a professional woman, the CEO of several companies and she was completely thrilled with my work. The image that you see here is her portrait. I am glad that despite little pitfalls here and there, I am a Successful Thinker and my ambition and my desire to press on and keep my eyes on the prize, is truly beginning to catapult me to the stratosphere on so many levels. I am grateful to God first of all, for giving me the talent, the vision, the drive, the tenacity, the stamina and the desire to do all of the things that I do, but I am thankful for His teaching me to treat everyone that I encounter with dignity and utmost respect in my interactions with them.

People often tell me that I should stick to doing just one thing. I just can’t. To do that to me is foolishness. My feeling is, I have many talents, so why not use them all. God gave them and so it is in fact my responsibility to use everything that I have,  to the best of my ability. I do my jobs well. I take pride in doing all that I do with professionalism and a good attitude and I have the desire to make sure that people feel delighted with my work.

It’s a rather odd example to use, but I’ll use it anyway – It’s like this, when one makes love, one does it well in order for both persons to feel the full intensity and satisfaction that love making brings. When one truly loves someone, it is important to give the maximum to that person all the time, yes ALL of the TIME and not just when one has the urge. In business one must treat professional client with that same dedication and focus. The client must be kept happy and wanting to do repeat business with the photographer or artist. This is why I apply dedication and artful intensity to my art and my photography work.

My CEO client attested in her review of my work on “LinkedIn.Com” that she was totally happy with my performance and my artistry. I felt like I had reached a perpetual high when I read her recommendation. That was the climax!!! I never expected to receive a review like that one, but well somebody saw that I pour myself completely into one of the things that I love to do and that I do it well and well, that felt fantastic.

I never expected others to tell me how much passion there is in everything that I do. I know that what I do, I do well and nobody should ever feel that they are boasting about themselves if they know they do something well.  You see, most people (except parents) are not very quick to pay a compliment to another person.  That is how it is.   Those that do are a rarity. Still, I am often told that people cannot get enough of the stories that I share on my blogs, or my podcasts.

I have even been asked to write a book conglamerating all of my stories into one publication. I chuckled at first, thinking, “Me an author?,” but I am contemplating the idea of authoring a book. Since I started writing about my work, my ability to see the future has become far stronger, keener and I feel that the possibilities are endless.  I urge person’s who are reading this, to never make light of what they do and just throw themselves into their work and start doing it. Get a business coach and take his or her advice. It is what I have done and I have never felt more encouraged and I am seen the momentum that I am seeing in my work.

I encourage people to quietly go about writing down their goals and putting them into action. I encourage them NEVER to seek approval from people they know are not Successful Thinkers.  I advise them to tap into their faith first and their inner strength and then surround themselves with likeminded people. Not everyone in life is ever going to totally agree, that you can carry out all that you dream of doing.  Last year around Christmas time, someone close to me gave me a bit of a shocker, which completely humiliated and embarassed me.  Worse, it hurt so much because it is someone that I deeply trust and admire.   They said “Why are you bothering with doing what you are doing on that internet radio program. That including the name of the show seem like such a stupid idea.”   Because I love that person, I responded with, “You are supposed to be someone that I love and who loves me.  How can you say such a hurtful thing to me?” 

Being the kind of person that I am, nobody can ever tell me that something that I am doing is stupid and nobody can ever say to me, “You Cannot do this or that.”  I always set out to prove to myself more than to anyone else, that I CAN DO just about anything that I put my mind to.  I urge you to do this also.  NEVER let anyone discourage you from doing what you dream of doing.   Always assess where the statement is coming from and determine what motivates that person to say what they are saying and then back away from them, if it’s necessary to do so.    Never give anyone license to put you, or anything that you dream of doing down.  Never let anyone’s pushy demeanor, demean you as a person, or as a visionary.  If there weren’t any visionaries, life would not be as advanced in everyway as it is in modern times.  

One needs to believe in the gifts that God has given. If someone ever says to you, “Oh you can’t do this or that, oryou have to consult with a leadership in some church body,”  run the other way.   We are to use all of our talents according to what is written. 

Someone who tries to control and limite your potential as a person, is not a friend, they are not taking your best interests into consideration.  The person in the position to decide what we do or don’t do is God and you. If something is not meant to be then it’s not in God’s plan, chuck it and move on to the next thing, but if you have talents or gifts, take them and run with them, like the wind, don’t let anyone keep you from using them.  If your gifts are not being used in the circle where you are, move on and stretch your wings and fly.  Be your best motivator and friend.

It took years for me to start putting all of the things that I do into action and converging them into one complete, fulfilling and joyful experience. My only regret is that I did not start doing what I am doing now, sooner. My friend, whoever you are, if you are reading this and you have dreams. Don’t live somebody elses dream, being it a group that tries to control your mind and life, an institution, a church. Don’t be afraid to pull away from any environment that limits your capacity to live the complete and fulfulling life that God intended you to live. Live out your own dream. Do what you dream of doing and seize every opportunity to bring your dreams to fruition.

Here is a quote that I shared on my Facebook profile:

the Facebook question that precedes my response is “What is on your Mind?  My response:  “That I can look back and be thankful for all that I have accomplished outside of four walls, because I took time to smell the roses. Life is not about letting one’s self getting stuck in the clutches of another person’s dream, but rather acknowledging ones own dreams and as only God would have it, making them a reality and giving Him the thanks for giving to us, our own unique place under the sun.”    Friend, this is true to me.  Make it your reality. 

Photography is only one thing that I do. Doing more than one thing is the spice of life. I bore easily if I do only one thing alone. I am always busy and I am amused and entertained by the people that I work with – even people who are stearn and rigid – people that others may be fearful of.  I see them as human beings too and they have hearts that beat within them. They are people who need to be shown how much they are appreciated.  They are fully attune to the fact that others avoid them. 

Every human being has the sensitivity to pick up when they are being slighted.   Don’t take the office grump for granted.  He or she may have a certain spark inside of them, that you may be privileged to hear first hand and you never what role a person like that person may play in your life.  You may be pleasantly surprised.   I also enjoy being around light hearted people.  I want to be around anybody who enjoys receving the attention that they get from me.  Everyone deserves to be made to feel happy.  Nobody, even the unlikable should be left out of your list of people to share your love, your sense of humor and your fun personality with. You can spark something special in another person’s life by virtue of sharing your talents or the simplicity of a smile, with them. No matter how eccentric someone may be, inside that head of theirs may be a brilliant mind that is worth getting to know and appreciated and something that may very well enrich the experience of knowing them.   Theirs may be a very good story to shared with you.

I cannot get enough out of life. I don’t wish to toot my horn, but my husband often tells me that I am a wonderland to him. He loves watching me work and gets so much out watching me do what I do.  He is my greatest supporter. What’s interesting is that I have chosen never to get so caught up in what I do, that I don’t take notice of the great things that others do. I even enjoy teaching others to do what I do. I am teaching a friend of mine how to draw and I want her to be the best artist that she can be. I love watching my husband when he sits at the piano and plays Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ while I draw, crosstich or photograph him without his being aware of it.

I take pleasure in watching others create and listening to them share their experiences.  I admit sometimes I have to shut up about what I do and let someone else shine.  Something I am learning to do more than ever.   My advise to others is to do the same. Appreciate not just what you do, but appreciate what your mate does as well. Take delight in that person and be thankful for that person being in your life.  Compliment them for what they do.  Appreciate them for who they are.  Even if they drive a truck for a living.  Don’t let one day go by without cherishing them.  Life is short and people need to know they are loved and appreciated just for being themselves.

I try not to keep my life one tracked. Yes, I still do my devotions in the morning, I read the scripture and I pray and meditate. I give thanks to the Artist of my Soul, for without Him I could do nothing. I would be nothing. Yes, I love attending church and being part of something greater than myself. It is good to do everything in good measure and not indulge in just one thing and one thing alone. Experience all of the beauty and all of the great opportunities that surround you. Above all never stop loving people and remember to always use the resources that God gives you to help those less fortunate than yourself.

There is so much in this great big planet that we live in to enjoy and to share. If God did not give it for us to enjoy, then why would He have wasted His precious power and time creating all of it?    Creation, life and people were not meant to sit their and wither away.   Now, he wants you to do more with what He has given.

Enjoy your life, your devotions, your church, your mate, your colleagues, your art, your photography, your podcasting, your writing, you social networks, your friends, your children and anything that you can do well. You may not have talents, but you may have the gift of speaking, or praying or motivational speaking, or just touching others with your radiant smile. Enjoy your personal gifts and all the gifts that surround you, the artistry of the sunsets, the moon at night. The biggest gift to the smallest and most personal one. Enjoy them all.

My life is just like this. I live each day taking everything in like a sponge. I refuse to apologize for it. I cannot get enough out of it. It’s taken time to learn the reasons for leading a happy and fulfilling life, but I am finally at that place, where I am happy being a lover of life and yes, being a Jack of all trades too and yes, even happier that I am able to share all of the Puzzle Pieces in my Artistic life with you.

Once you decide to begin to enjoy your world - and everything in it and not just one thing  - your camera, your paintbrush or your lips will always have a beautiful and interesting story to tell.

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