Shelter, Vernacular Architecture, and New Careers
Bear with me here. First thing and Second thing, seemingly unrelated, come together in Distant Ideas Collide. I'll all make sense, you'll see.
Here’s the first thing. I’ve always loved buildings, spaces, places. Love the crooks of trees, attics, though no fondness for basements. The cellar I did not mind so much, though it imparted a sense of trepidation. The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard pretty much explains why we generally regard basements as creepy, not to mention the horror movies whose directors probably had to read this book in art school too, thank you very much. Actually, not.
The bulk of my work is about place. Built or natural, architectural or landscape, it’s about place. Nothing makes me happier than nesting—including re-decorating, scrounging garage sales for stuff for the new place, settling in, planting my own stuff out in the yard, making a space mine, and making it better than it ever was. I had a landlady--even though the lease said "no painting" --she told me to do whatever I wanted to. I rented 3 different places from her and I painted them all!
We humans are still as territorial as most of our animal cousins, we’ve just developed massively complicated rules and approaches to the problem of territory and shelter.
Here’s the second thing. We, as a gallery, purchased an incredibly expensive ad in a publication to come out next year. I weighed the options and it seems like a worthwhile investment. These folks called me up recently and asked if I knew about their calendar. Ha. Of course I want to do that! But it’s the same price as a page ($1300, yes, thirteen hundred). Whoa! Want to do it, but double the incredibly expensive price? When we’ve made all of $190 since we’ve been here? I asked my husband. He left the decision to me. Arguuuuh.
So I contemplated. It was really more me wanting to be in a calendar than it’s going to get us any more publicity.....so I decided it was pride, and not a sound decision. I said no.
And-- here’s where these two seemingly distant ideas collide.....
My husband suggested to me, and has been encouraging me to look into.....getting certified to sell real estate here. I love places and spaces. I love the potential of fixer-uppers, and would be happy dealing with that difficult market. Plus, I could probably work at it part-time. And it costs somewhat less than a calendar page to go through all the classes and the tests that it takes to become certified in this state. I can complete everything in less than a year and faster yet if I am truly motivated. It’s 3 years less time and hella cheaper to become certified in selling real estate than it does to become an interior decorator.
I know. That gave me pause as well. You can be certified to sell real estate--no price limit--in the millions even, after one year of school. But you can't decorate a damn thing, or pick out lights and paint without a four-year degree. Go figure. Me? I think there's more money in flipping. And I know all, all about paint. That was my first $40,000 educational experience.
So here I am, thinking about going back to school. I believe my sister accused me, maybe 20 years ago, of being a “professional student.” That may be the only thing she’s ever been right about! (Now if that does not get her to call me she’s clearly not reading this!)
One Tough Cookie (2007-07-29)
I say if you really want to do it go for it! You only live once right?
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