Art & Soul

Mazza Summer Institute

I took a break from work and all the stresses of daily life and attended the Mazza Summer Institute in Ohio last week.

Fabulous.

Imagine hearing some of your all-time heroes giving you the low-down on how they work and how they got where they are. When I say all-time heroes, I mean it - Rosemary Wells, Eric Rohmann, Susan Jeffers, Clare Beaton, Chris Soentpiet, Eric Velasquez, Deborah Kogen Ray, Diane deGroat, Alexandra Day, David Katz & Judy Cohen, Marcus Leonard, and Anita Silvey.

They spoke, they signed autographs, they dined with the conference attendees. Way cool.

And if that wasn't enough, I went with my buddy, Patrice, and we had a week of pajama parties and brainstorming sessions. We toured the Mazza Picture Book Museum, we had our own workshops at night, and we ate like college kids.

Heaven.

Stay tuned for more Mazza Notes.

Suddenly Shifting Priorities

There I was happily tripping down my self-absorbed career path, when suddenly, something very big and ugly jumped in front of me.

My long-time friend, who had been having what seemed like some minor health concerns, went in for surgery.

The news just could not have been worse.

She is facing some really huge decisions. Decisions that no one her age should have to face.

We've been friends since we were three years old. Needless to say, I want to be there for her whatever she decides.

My priorities suddenly shifted within a matter of moments. The coolness of having a laptop and being able to work at Starbucks has changed to gratefulness at being able to work and still be by her side.

My joy at being in a job where I can set my own hours and choose my own projects has multiplied many fold.

My blog will take a back seat for a while (what, you already noticed?).

I thank my lucky stars to be in a position where I can so easily shift priorities when needed.