I got the dreaded letter.

Dread. Shoulder slumping dread.

I’ve been an adult now for 33 years and could vote for the first time. I’ve lived in 4 states and was called once in LA and now once in Ohio for Jury Duty. The moment you get that summons in the mail, your shoulders sink your head lowers and you close your eyes and say…crap or in my case fu*k!

Canton, Ohio Courthouse

It’s disruptive, throws off plans made months ago or in my case, 6 months ago to see my doctor. When I was a photojournalist I’ve covered national cases, and multiple local cases that were significant and had a grand jury. I’ve even been in this courtroom quite a few times. I’ve sat there to wait for verdicts and outcomes. It was a strange feeling. Flashbacks of photo assignments, cases and trials and when I used to the “waiting” periods during trials I was photographing to hang out in the sheriff’s offices at the courthouse with the Major (my friends dad) or aka my second dad.

When you are a photojournalist, the courthouse was a often frequent assignment.

However this time, sitting on the other side of the box is a vastly different. There was a thought in my head, instead of trying to find a way out, just go with it, if I got chosen, do my part and spend a couple of days; listen to both sides ask the same question (multiple times), look at photos taken, listen to audio and make a determination on innocence or guilt. 

It seems easy. Right? At least they make it seem like that on TV or in movies but there is a heavy weight that comes with making that decision. No it’s not Law and Order. There is no intro music 🎶. There is no entertainment value or drama. 

I will listen to closing arguments, listen to what others say and make a choice. That choice or decision will ultimately change the course of someelse’s life. I was exhausted mentally for a few days.

The wild world of craft fairs!

In outstanding creative news, I attended my first craft fair as a vendor and it went extremely well. The event was packed, and was amazed at the number of people that attended. It’s interesting to see what sells fast, what other people create and the uniqueness of each display. 

I put my years attending events for a company I worked for in LA to good use. However, this was my first craft event as a vendor which is a completely different crowd than I’ve experienced. It did spark ideas and ways to increase revenue, new product and better ways to display the magnets. While the Cookie sheets work, fifty states and cities = a lot.

The couple weeks prior to the show, I put up the table in the living room to see how I wanted to set up the table which allowed me to know exactly what to do once I got to the event. Finding ways to carry, set up, design, what to include, not include, what people are drawn to, what they like, suggested, requested and wished they could see was fun. I love challenges. 

In regards to table layout; I’m not a fan of overcrowding a table to fit more products. Tables that have too many things with no “white space” or empty space are overwhelming and personally I tend to ignore them. While most standard events provide a 6-foot table, if you have big product or alot, you can pay for the space. Since this was my first time and event, I had no idea what to expect.

People began to filter through the room, one moment it’s 10:06 and then it’s noon and it’s packed with those that had spent their morning attending Veterans Day events. At one point I look up and see a familiar face as my friend Kathy showed up and hung out the majority of the morning. 

As people walking by glanced at the table, I would ask them if they had a favorite place they lived or visited? Listening to their story about a memory they made while traveling was wonderful, they smiled, laughed and it brought back that moment they remember. It was fantastic — I talked, smiled and laughed so much, my face went crooked. Over talking tends to make the RHS / Bells issues show up. I’ve now gone back to doing facial exercises for my Ramsay Hunt, just to help.

Now, with this small success, I begin the work to sign up for more….and…create more inventory!

I’ve already booked a show for Jan 7th (my birthday)!

I hope to see as many of you as I can at future shows (and yes, I will be posting a calendar as I get shows booked.