Our next journey together will pay homage to those people and businesses that have helped and supported me these last few years. I am grateful for each opportunity that has been given to me and allowed me to enjoy my humble successes. I can't wait to introduce you to these rad humans!
Akin to “The Silmarillion” placement in the realm of the Lord of the Rings series, today's anecdote is also going to jump back to the prehistoric ages of my young art career. Predating my website, prints, and meager apparel attempts, we will wander all the way back to the era of a lost and confused, curly-haired 26ish year-old Bijou. At the time, my hopes were fixated on landing a brewery job within the little beer haven of a town called Fort Collins. Known for its excellent water quality, Fort Collins was home to 26 other-worldly craft breweries which dotted the corners of the many tree-lined streets and avenues. I, along with much of the population, had arrived in town with high hopes of finding employment slinging the hoppy nectars to its happy customers. Though I had landed a few interviews with different breweries in the area, and even made it to the final three candidates with a brewery called ‘Funkwerks’ that specialized in sour beers and groovy taproom vibes, but I still found myself suiting up each morning in the familiar Krazy Karl’s tie-dyed tee. As it were, being fresh faced in Fort Collins, I had taken the first job I was offered as a bartender/server which happened to be at a tie-dye themed local pizzeria. I found myself hoping to the heavens that I would one day be able to consider this to be a low point of my life. Thankfully, a few months later I was able to proudly retire from pizza toppings and step into the roll of my dreams as a “beer-tending” graphic designer, but more on that leap later.
Though I cannot brag of having the most of merry times slinging ‘Za in my tie-dye, I can say that it happily led me to meeting a couple of cool people that shared an interest in art. Enter self-named ‘MacDaddy’— a gem of a human that became a good friend of mine who I met up a couple of times a month for art nights. Mac’s roommate, Hana Felix (an amazing, now Denver-based, artist who you should absolutely check out), also would join in on these fun and fruitful soirées. Our party was complete with the addition of another Krazy Karl alum named Carly, though she was admittedly coming along to enjoy the company, G&Ts and DJ duties rather than create artwork. These cozy little craft nights solidified my love for creating. The camaraderie and support cultivated a near obsession with drawing and coloring in my sketchbook each evening with a bucket of markers Connor stumbled across and brought back for me.
After one of these happy craft nights, I plucked up the courage to show Mac some of my newer sketchbook works and she was stoked on what I had made. She took a picture of a particular marker piece I was quite proud of and posted it to her Instagram story saying, “help me convince Bijou to start her own art page”. An innocent phrase that impacted me to the very core. I’m sure she does not know how much that meant to me and how much I appreciated seeing and receiving that token of belief. I had never been encouraged to take very much pride in my artwork before this. Not in a mean way, to clarify, but it was not something that people would have thought or attached to who I was. I had always been an athlete, it was who I had been for so many intense years and I hadn’t shown an invested interest in the arts, though I had always enjoyed creating little crafts. Seeing that little message was the seed of my harbored interest in one day selling something I made. It was the beginning of discovering and deciding that art was the new chapter of my life and allowed me to release some of the many sorrows and grief of finding yourself a washed up and retired athlete.
Perhaps I would have found my way into art without these words of encouragement, but I am sure I would have been fumbling about and lost for much longer. It's easy to forget in this modern age how important it is to support and encourage your friends when you believe in them or see something special in what they do. A few words from you could change their lives or give them the confidence to take one more step towards making a reality out of a secret wish or desire. So, thank you Macdaddy for encouraging me to pursue my paint brush!
As always,
Keep encouraging and keep it offbeat!
Comments