Lunch with Friends

Today I had lunch at the Big Kitchen with my friends, Ingrid Helton and Shirley Pierson. Ingrid was my supervisor at the Old Globe Theatre for many years where I worked on her construction team. She taught me everything I know about mens tailoring, and has since gone on to start her own line of children's clothing and had a toy store for a while. Shirley just graduated with her MFA in Costume Design from SDSU, and is now working as a professional costume designer. I met her at the university I used to work at, where she was a non-traditional student as her husband taught there.

Ingrid and Shirley and I had a wonderful conversation about a lot of different things, and we're working out a lot of different kinds of plans and ideas for the future. But at one point in the conversation, I shared with them my fears regarding the development of this business and my first tenuous steps into this new industry.

I think I am one that likes to plan... It is part of my theatrical training to know where I should be ending up, and working toward that goal/reality step by step by step. Theatre is very much a process, and I spent a lot of money getting taught that process over several years, and earned two degrees as I learned it. As a theatre person, it's my instinct to need to plan things out--without a plan, one gets hurt. The old adage goes, "Cheap. On time. Looks good. Pick two." Well, the art of theatrical planning is to make sure that adage doesn't apply, or at least work well within their parameters.

But this Relished Artistry endeavor is a bit different... I realized I know where I want to go, but I'm taking this baby step by baby step because I am unsure of how to get there. I feel very much like a toddler. I know I want to go from point A to point B, but actually getting the muscles to obey my commands is another story... And knowing that my brain is just learning to send the right signals to the right pathways to get what I want is going to take practice...

It was an incredibly reassuring lunch being with these two ladies. They both have experience in different ends of what I am doing. And it's heartening to hear their words of encouragement and validation that I am indeed on the right path. I can't do anything until I get a "line" or a "collection" established. Worrying about the next steps that I don't know is pointless. It will come. One thing at a time. The end goal is clear, but like that toddler I need to concentrate on one leg moving at a time. It is also good to know that they are there for whatever advice I may need. First things first: establish a body of work.

So. To that end, I am sharing with you a "sneak preview" of one of my next projects. Club wear. I'm calling it the "Hot Relish" series. : ) Here's a pic! Until next time, live life with relish!