First of all I would like to apologize to my readers for such a delayed entry. I know that I have probably lost most of you, but will do my best to resurrect my fellow crafters, artists, non profit peeps, Portlanders, Chicagoins, and all those just wondering the blogosphere aimlessly.
I will return to my Do’s and Don’ts on yarn spinning but today I thought I would just add a fun little story that happend to me this weekend, and made me realize that I am not only lucky to know such wonderful people, but that my city is made for us quirky artsy folks.
I recently visited the facebook page of an organization called Supportland which grants rewards to those wonderful people that shop local. These points can be accumulated and then cashed in for free local goods including massages and gift certificates. On their facebook page they were announcing an event being put on by We Make in PDX. I have never heard of this organization but the title alone peeked my interest.
I later learned that We Make is dedicated to the progressive use of your imagination. We Make has found a way to gather local artists (whether in the graphic design industry or just those who like to make things) to learn from one another and become inspired by other artists through real live interaction. That’s right folks… you get to talk to other people who actually sell their art… get this… for a living! They host a monthly event called SketchXChange where a limited number of artists RSVP to exchange sketchbooks and draw with one another. Even though I have not pushed pencil to paper in over 2 years I HAD to be part of this, so I signed up.
This events host was none other than Meg Hunt, a local illustrator that has done projects for big names such as Disney and Cartoon Network.
She helped us starving artists understand how to find an agent, how to separate yourself from your rejection letters, and how to always do what you love. As a special thanks for attending and asking questions, she gave away a few prints, which yours truly was able to walk away with. I was so stoked, that in a laps of memory and awareness I had walked out of a building I have never visited before and borded a bus without my wallet!
For those of you who have never experienced the Portland Tri Met, there are a few things that differ from the bus system in Chicago from that of PDX. Number one is that EVERYONE thanks their bus driver when they disembark, and number two, if you lose your wallet they will take you where you need to go on their route and wish you luck on finding your wallet. So there I was about 2 miles away from where my wallet was. I was also attending a bike Tune up class the next day and had to leave my bike at the shop since I had just taken it apart to clean all the moving parts. I knew no one in attendance and had no way of calling the already shut building, so before I broke the nearest object in a fit of rage, I called my next line of defense, my wonderful, understanding, mode of transportation owning new boyfriend.
Lady luck was shinning on me that evening because he informed me that he was on his bike passing the building that hosted the sketchExchange. Like my knight in heat locking rain-gear he waited outside of the building until someone left, climbed the stairs and found someone who was holding onto my wallet. Mounting his just tuned up stead he met me 2 miles away on the corner where the bus had left me with wallet in tow.
As I proceeded to walk home the thought occurred to me… “Better open your wallet and check the contents.” For those of you that do not know me I will help you understand that I lose EVERYTHING at one point or another. Because of this I never carry cash. It is way easier to replace cards that I lose (and with the replacement fees I swear I have put someones child through college) than it is to replace hard earned cash. As I opened my wallet I found all of my cards where I had left them as well as this note…
“Claudia, How often do you find your wallet with MORE money in it?! All the best :)”
Not only did that make my night so much brighter, it made me love my city more because I really would have never expected this type of behavior in any other place then the city full of weirdos. Love you PDX!
Stuff From Venus 