Last week I told you all how honored I felt to win the 2012 Niche Award, which was started by Wendy Rosen over 30 years ago, but what I didn’t tell you is how impressed I am with Wendy’s role in the awards.
Wendy has turned the idea of a “starving artist” (a thought that started back in the early 60s) around by showing everyone that the 21st Century is all about the “surviving artist”. Through her love and devotion of handmade crafts—crafts made in the United States and Canada, she has helped others see handmade as a viable occupation. She has literally shown the world that craftsmen still have their place in the world, and we are not going anywhere!
Today, Wendy is running for Senator of Maryland, and continuing to fight for “Made In America”! I think we can all agree that she’s been a huge blessing to so many lives and I am very appreciative of the chance to win an award she worked hard to establish.
But my gratitude doesn’t stop there.
I couldn’t work on my handmade pieces if I didn’t have the help from my studio staff. Tony, Jake, and Monica have been a great asset to J. Davis Studio. Their enthusiasm and insights into what it takes to keep things running efficiently and smoothly have been invaluable. I am especially appreciative of the fact that after working together for so many years, we seem to have a quiet understanding of how to ease the stress level… even if it’s no more than an unglazed honeybun to scratch off a lottery ticket, or putting in a Pheobe Snow CD while we work.
And last, but definitely not least, I would like to thank my wife, Robin, for keeping everything together. For keeping up with deadlines, for handling all the preparations necessary to enter the Niche Awards, and for helping the company move forward.
As I said before, it was truly a memorable experience, and one I wish every artist or craftsman could experience at least once in their lifetime.
