I wish I had a name to put with this picture, but I suck at names, so I don’t even try anymore. I can never keep up with the sheets of papers or notebooks I write on or in, so I figure why even bother digging through my purse to find a pen?
I was mesmerized by this woman. I watched her as she made her jewelry for a good while before I got the courage to go up ask her if I could take her picture. She couldn’t have been more friendly. I admired how brave she was to sit and work in front of the tourists as they gawked (like me) at the beauty of Niagara Falls.
When I told her my husband and I owned a production ceramic studio she talked about her love of clay. She said she had taken a class in college and really enjoyed doing slab work, but that her professor had fussed at her for making thick clunky pieces. He said that wasn’t her style, and that she should be doing thinner and lighter pieces. She told me she’d do the thinner pieces like the teacher insisted on when he was in the classroom, but as soon as he left she’d go back to doing the kind of work that made her feel good. She said some of the students told her she inspired them to do better art. And then she said something that made my heart melt. She said “You know, I knew I had that in me. I never knew I could inspire people like that before then”.
After I handed her a $5 bill for a pair of earrings made in the shape of hummingbirds, I gave her a rattle and told her she inspired me, and to never ever let someone tell her how to do her art if it didn’t feel right.
I really regret not getting this woman’s name, but I know for sure I will never forget her face. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but somehow her story changed me… for the better I just know.
