Just kidding. Of course I’m sharing photos! 🤪

Mannn...Listennn....This school year has been a whirlwind! Can I tell you how a fresh batch of kindergarteners can keep you on your toes?!

But, at the end of the school year, when all the t’s get crossed and the i’s get dotted, the number of activities tends to escalate in a mad race to the finish line. At our school, all the way up to the end, staff plays musical chairs on the hot seat in hosting activities.

This past week, my arts colleague and I had our turn up at bat during the Spring Arts Festival. This past year, like any other, we stressed until the day of the show when we transformed the building into a walkthrough gallery and stage for student performances. Here are some shots of a few student works this year.

On the home front, I kept up with a few on-site engagements at Nordstrom and Cartier.

While I can’t show all the photos of these events, here are a few from the Nordstrom event…

And some samples I engraved for Cartier…One engraving on the side and the other on the back corner…

Can you tell how much I love the panther bottle? 🥰 It is designed after Jeanne Toussaint, a stylish woman with no initial drawing capability that became a creative director at Cartier in 1933. She was known to have loved the panther so much she wore a floor-length coat made of panther fur!

Now, y’all know I’m a sharer. Ordinarily, I’d show photos from the event at Cartier. But I can’t share everything, at times, per the brand...which brings me to a pretty hot topic in the calligraphy community...

A Few Reasons Why a Brand Says No Photos

I’ve brainstormed a few good reasons that may help get over the initial sting of finding out you can’t share all of your wins:

It’s highly likely the brand is opposed to any aspect of the layout of their place of business being posted. If it were to happen, they could become an easier target for would-be burglars. I once saw a video of burglars entering and robbing a home, even going all the way upstairs to bedrooms to find jewelry in seconds. How much faster could they be with a photographic map? (Check out this story…)
Some clients of the brand may prefer privacy. While most calligraphers typically only take photos of their work, the brand may not always be able to verify how discreet each artist/photographer may be.
A brand may withhold photo releases to protect their brand and reputation. While photos don’t signify a brand aligns themselves with the view of any individual, to some, it could look that way. Adidas and Kanye...need I say more?
Safety should always be first. I often post photos after an event. But, many content creators post live with geotagging, etc., which has been known to end in violence on occasion for some unsuspecting social media users.

To thwart any confusion in these areas, some brands just demand privacy for the entire event. Admittedly, it doesn’t make for the most diverse portfolio. But, it can make a lot of sense for all parties in the long run.

Goodness knows, I wouldn’t want to be suspected of helping criminals case a luxury facility. 😳

I don’t know that these are the actual reasons. But, if I were to put myself in the brand’s shoes, this would be my reasoning.

Still, I think if brands provided just as strict a guideline of what kinds of photos were allowed and/or disallowed during events, it could still protect them while helping calligraphers working in luxury communities to keep their portfolios current. A win for all parties.

A Different Kind of Event

Finally, this week, I also have one more opportunity to stress about—the eighth grade formal. I volunteered for, gasp, a mirror seating chart, place cards and table numbers. 😱

Part of it was to see just how well I could juggle school and the calligraphy for a small event. I must admit, it seemed like it wouldn’t get done when day after day, I came in utterly exhausted...Or there was something on my schedule in the evening preventing me from getting to it. I only have so many hours before I need to be in bed for the next school day.

But, I did it! And I have the scars to show for it too!

This particular kind of real-world project is a first for me. I figured it would take me awhile since I’m a newb, but would still be in the realm of doable...Because fortunately, at this time, our school only has forty or so eighth graders. 😏

Well, ‘doable’ quickly morphed into ‘maybe’ when I got the list about two or three weeks ago. With only weekends to work with, it was a no-go for a while because of prep for those events and the regular teaching schedule. First wound…

After the Mother’s Day event last Saturday, I decided to jump into the project with the chart first. I figured it would take the longest...I got my next battle scar when five names were added to the list after I had already drafted the grid. 😱

It took me twelve hours to do the entire seating chart. I was a sleepy, but satisfied teacher on Monday morning.

Student names are omitted for obvious reasons.

I got a list with five tables. Since I wanted the fifth table that was without a pair to be at the top for better balance to my eye, and it seated staff, I chose to label it ‘Staff Table’ instead. I could have still put it at the bottom with illustrations on either side and it may have been just as balanced. But, for this first mirror, I kept it simple.

There are some things I’d do differently if I had to do it again, of course. For example, ‘Staff’ would be ‘Head’ to avoid descenders, again for balance. But, I’m okay with this first try just being what it is.

I decided to capitalize on my momentum by doing the place cards next. While I’m waiting for a day I can do something more complex, the cards had to get done and I kept it simple with hand torn cards. Here’s a snippet of the staff names.

These were also rushed a bit last night. But, I still liked them…and I made the deadline!!

Lastly, I created the table numbers to be inserted in the table setting too.

Y’all, I’m a tired teacher...

But, this project gave me the opportunity to see how much lead time I’d likely require and an inkling of what I might charge for a more sizable project should I decide I’d want to juggle it along with my typical school schedule.

Jury’s out on that one!

But, it also gave me a way to wave a beautiful goodbye to students that I will sincerely miss being in our building next year. Many of them, have stopped by my desk to see me practice over the last couple years...asking me to write their names in calligraphy. I’ve had a hand in ‘raising them’ so to speak. I’ve been part of their village. And, many of them, I had as students when I first started my tenure at our school. ❤️

The past few months I’ve gotten more hugs from them than I ever did when they were just babies. A few have given me projects to remember them. Some of the tougher cases stop by my table in the morning for just a few moments these days. They don’t have much to say. I just think they are saying goodbye in their own way. 🥲

Yes, I’m a Tired, very Satisfied Teacher....No photos, please. 😌