Old Artsy me

Me, Age 22 the "brooding Art student" lol

Artsy picture I took in my bug infested first apartment. I still love this pic

From 1999- 2003 I was an art student, free happy go lucky and talented (so I thought) with a secret ego the size of Texas. I enjoyed my college years, and it wasn't until recently, when I had to contact the school for some new recruits for a project, that I realized just how much i miss it, and the people who took care of me there. By day I would work at a coffee shop, running around high on caffeine (before my stomach decided to go by the way side and never allow me to drink coffee again without putting me in sheer acid reflux agony) by night i went to art school , happily soaking up art history 1-3 and figure drawing, I spent my weekends either camped out at the Art museum, studying or in my room sitting at my drawing table listening to Moby and Esthero working on my next great "masterpiece" I went to professional Graphic Designer events, and dreamed of the day that I would work for that awesome firm who would pay me lots of cash. or the fashion magazine who loved my work so much they would let me work from home. Music , coffee and Art were the three mainstays in my life, I could "fall" into working on a piece for hours,the "Art Coma" as I liked to call it, was my out for the trouble my heart was going through in those rough times.

After college and before i even graduated, I was pegged by ICI Paints (now Akzo Nobel) for my color aptitude, I was hired to work at their headquarters in a big building in downtown Cleveland as a Color Studio designer int thier Architectural unit, I was thrilled! And felt like such a "big girl" in my dress clothes, taking the train to work, and walking with the big suits each morning, I was sure I was going to get some where in that company. But after 3 years, reality set in and 9/11 had finally taken it's toll on ICI Paints, I got laid off...and that was the end of the honeymoon and the begging of a painful 4 year search for a job that i could stick with, I got laid off three more times, the economy sucked, and companies that i worked for could barley keep the lights on , let alone pay my salary. I was lost.

I finally found the job that I have now, wich isn't exactly in my field, directly, I work for PPG Automotive Refinish, and I work in the color library ,helping people with auto colors, I do still work with color at least and I am striving to move elsewhere with the same "I am going to make it in this company or die trying" work ethic, I had at ICI. Except now I am more realistic, I know the pitfalls, I know the possibility of losing my job in this economy, but I work with great people, and for the most part the job mildly satisfies me, but just recently as I talked to some of my old college mates and a few professors, I realized that I still have that drive in me, I still have the "artist" I don't draw really anymore like I used to. but I still come up with stuff in my head all the time and make a point to be creative, always try to work on something. And I still have the uncanny ability to walk through the Art museum with my hubby and give him a walking tour, telling him everything I know about the paintings, he loves to learn and I love the fact that I remembered enough to teach!

Still nothing can or ever will match those free wheeling, wild girl college days. Back when I swore I would be vegan, never marry a republican and never let a man hold me down.

.....my how things change! And yes....most for the better.......but still art and music are a huge part of me, and they always will be.