Inspiration
Every designer gets asked, often, what their inspiration is. The appropriate
question should really be "What inspires you today?" because it changes all
the time, at least for me. One season it is strictly about the gems; another
season may be a movie; another about a far away culture. But for a lot of us
creative types, we have been designing things all of our lives not knowing
where it would take us or that it could take us anywhere. So, while there
may be many different answers to the question of inspiration, there is one
story that I always go back to.
When I was around 10 years old, my older sister and I went to stay at the home of my mother’s best high school friend for a weekend. She had a daughter whose age was right between my sister and I and it was fun to go all the way to "The Valley." I remember the house well because they were the only family we knew that had 2 pet tortoises in their backyard and they ate matzo and I liked matzo but for some reason my mom never bought it.
Anyway, to keep us busy, we were given a bunch of beads and jewelry findings and, apparently, a quick course in making earrings. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but we mounted our creations on a felt covered board and went door-to-door trying to sell them in the neighborhood as though we were the Avon Lady.
Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about that fateful day was a lady asking us if the ear wires "were surgical steel?" Can you imagine? A trio of little girls coming to your door with handmade earrings and all you can do is ask them about surgical steel ear wires? Being honest, we had to say "I don’t know" and we did not make the sale.
At this point, one’s hopes and dreams may have been squashed, but apparently I had no ambition to be an actual jewelry designer so it mattered not. Who would have thought that 20 years later I would start Wasabi? I suppose this is where I say "and the rest is history!"
The point is that I have always been around creativity. That weekend, it was with my mom’s dear friend Sandy, her daughter Jackie and my sister Karen. But usually it was with my mom. We were always doing something creative. We made magnets out of pom-poms cut off of shower curtains; we made decoupage with old wrapping paper and fashioned little easels for our works of art out of drapery hooks; we made macramé key chains with handmade beads and learned how to crochet blankets for ungrateful boyfriends. Mom also made sure we knew how to cook a meal and bake a cake and even decorate gingerbread men to look like the high school football team.
So to my Mom: thanks for inspiring me.
When I was around 10 years old, my older sister and I went to stay at the home of my mother’s best high school friend for a weekend. She had a daughter whose age was right between my sister and I and it was fun to go all the way to "The Valley." I remember the house well because they were the only family we knew that had 2 pet tortoises in their backyard and they ate matzo and I liked matzo but for some reason my mom never bought it.
Anyway, to keep us busy, we were given a bunch of beads and jewelry findings and, apparently, a quick course in making earrings. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but we mounted our creations on a felt covered board and went door-to-door trying to sell them in the neighborhood as though we were the Avon Lady.
Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about that fateful day was a lady asking us if the ear wires "were surgical steel?" Can you imagine? A trio of little girls coming to your door with handmade earrings and all you can do is ask them about surgical steel ear wires? Being honest, we had to say "I don’t know" and we did not make the sale.
At this point, one’s hopes and dreams may have been squashed, but apparently I had no ambition to be an actual jewelry designer so it mattered not. Who would have thought that 20 years later I would start Wasabi? I suppose this is where I say "and the rest is history!"
The point is that I have always been around creativity. That weekend, it was with my mom’s dear friend Sandy, her daughter Jackie and my sister Karen. But usually it was with my mom. We were always doing something creative. We made magnets out of pom-poms cut off of shower curtains; we made decoupage with old wrapping paper and fashioned little easels for our works of art out of drapery hooks; we made macramé key chains with handmade beads and learned how to crochet blankets for ungrateful boyfriends. Mom also made sure we knew how to cook a meal and bake a cake and even decorate gingerbread men to look like the high school football team.
So to my Mom: thanks for inspiring me.