What I Love About Live Events
You never know what to expect...
You meet so many different people from various backgrounds at a live event…And while I am an introvert, short interactions with those who stop by my table have the potential to become the most interesting conversations…Like the one I had with a fellow artist, contemplating returning to school.
She was intrigued with the drill I was using and wondered if it were a Dremel. That’s definitely not a typical question!
I told her that a Dremel was different, but also used to engrave, and she should try it to see if she liked it. Since I could tell she had an interest in creativity, our discussion covered the schools we attended, the comparison game, being too critical of yourself (killing your creativity), and the fact that she kept creating. Somewhere in there, I shared that I was a painting major in school and I had all the same issues. Once I began pursuing a formal degree, I never shook the tendency to listen to the negative talking in my head about whatever it was I was painting.
And I believe that experience contrasts sharply with my experience with calligraphy.
I am always looking at my heroes in calligraphy, wishing to be able to move a pen like them…And, I am critical of my calligraphy from time to time. But, the fact that I did not attend formal school for calligraphy only allows me to go so far with my self-critique. So, in the end, it gets to still be fun!
This event was Nordstrom’s most recent Beauty Week at the King of Prussia Mall. But, this particular time I was hired to engrave on anything from the Beauty Department.
That meant, lipsticks, candles, jars of body butters, compact mirrors, fragrances…you name it! And I got to engrave on everything LIVE…except the candles. I got no candles. But, it was so much fun!
And not everything was glass or metal either. I recall watching a video by Telissa of Roessein Art once where she showed that with plastics, one should engrave on a lower RPM setting than what would be used with glass…and to consider engraving plastics with a dull bur. I used a setting of 6 RPM for the plastics that I engraved and I loved how it felt like butter! I wish I had photos of the lipstick and another compact I engraved with Roman Capitals by special request! But, like always, most customers want their items back right away and it was difficult to get photos of everything.
Still, most of the engravings that day were fragrance bottles. One had ridges and I had a tough time deciding where to engrave until I found a spot on the top that was just smooth enough for the name the customer wanted engraved. It was a tight fit. But, I figured, if I could draw it, I could engrave it. 👍🏾
And therein lie the beauty of live event engraving! The challenge of composing and executing on the spot! It’s kind of nerve-wracking and exhilarating, all at the same time!
At any rate, there’s no moral to this story other than to accept the invitation to get out of your own way, sometimes. That’s when the fun stuff really happens!
