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Jun 3, 2024

Magic, Luck or Persistence? Yes!

As a kid in the 50’s, I played a game called 7-Up. All you needed was a Spalding ball and a wall. Our garage was the perfect arena for mastering the seven different challenges of throwing the pink sphere against a flat surface: allowing it to bounce, catch it without a bounce, and ultimately spinning 360° and then catching it before it bounced. After trying hundreds of times, I mastered all seven parts of the game. No magic, no luck, simply persistence.

When I got a phone call in the early 80’s from the White House asking if I would consider contributing one of my eggs to the annual Easter egg roll, that felt like magic. I didn’t do anything specifically to create that opportunity. It just arrived. I’d been regularly exhibiting my work before the call. Someone must’ve picked up my card somewhere. But how it became a White House connection is still a mystery.

Luck is harder to explain. I got lucky as a new professional speaker in the early 90’s. A small company hired me to travel the US and give marketing talks to Staples’ customers, mostly self-employed small business owners. I’d been in Toastmasters for years. I had a good-looking promo kit, and they provided the topics I needed to cover.

It fit into my favorite definition of good fortune according to Earl Nightingale. “Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity.”

Recently, in these mid-‘20s, I was invited to participate in a trade show which was a blending of all three.

If you’ve been following me, you’ve witnessed my persistence. I’ve also had some great luck. What I most want to talk about is the magic.

With little more than three weeks’ notice, I was invited to exhibit my pillows and wall hangings in front of an audience of interior designers – my target market. The request came unexpectedly from the editor of Where Women Create, the magazine that did a 14-page spread on me a year ago.

When I heard that this trade show would be in Brooklyn, I got nervous. I wasn’t sure how I would get there and back, what I would need to bring for display, and what kind of handout I should have to represent my inventory and pricing for prospective buyers.

I don’t have a car and Ubers can be costly, not to mention challenging with all that I needed to schlep in and out of my apartment and into the showroom.

For some reason, (I say this with my tongue firmly in my cheek, because I know this idea came from beyond) my friend Kaitlin Campbell came to mind. I know she has a car, loves textiles, and me.

“Kaitlin, I want to offer you a package deal. Could you pick me up in Washington Heights with all my gear, drive me to Brooklyn, help me set up my display, then return at the end of the day to assist me in breaking it down and drive me home for $xxx?”

Kaitlin’s response triggered a severe outbreak of goosebumps.

“The only day I have available that week is the 23rd, so I’d love to help. The amount you’re offering is exactly what I need to fill in my earnings for the week. Plus…” Kaitlin and I are both believers in signs from the Universe, “…I’ve been asking for guidance and receiving a clear, concise message which I could not understand until just now. I kept hearing, ‘Park and drive! Park and drive!’”

I call that magic.

I am confident that I create beautiful two-dimensional designs with ease and delight. How to display my work three-dimensionally is difficult for me. Luckily, when I was looking for a photographer for new headshots in 2022, I made the wise choice to hire Shirin Tinati. Not only did she provide me with exceptional portraits, she also took time to photograph my art. I had unpacked every pillow I’d made, every piece in process, and a framed piece for her to ‘play’ with.

I went into my bedroom to change out of my posing outfit. When I returned to the living room, I gasped. Shirin transformed my space as well as my perception of my work. She elevated my pieces beyond my own belief.

This image became the opening photo in the Where Women Create magazine article and gave me a new strategy for how to exhibit.

This was my set-up in Brooklyn.

More luck came by reaching out to other supportive friends. Shayna, my action partner, is young and tech-savvy. I wanted to create a QR code to send designers directly to my body of work, but got stuck trying to learn via YouTube on my own. With her phone help and step-by-step videos she created for me, I was able to generate this image. As a result, I didn’t have to print multiple color copies for attendees.

Please try it!

I was also unsure of pricing until I spoke with my friend, Mary Davis, an interior designer.

“Mary, how do I price my work for designers?” I asked in a near panic.

“Jane,” she said reassuringly, “you know your prices. In this business, you can – but aren’t required to offer a trade discount of 10, 15, 20% or more. Designers will mark up the cost to their clients, but you don’t have to factor that in.”

I was relieved hearing this nugget of industry-speak. Lucky!

What were the outcomes of the trade show? I’ll save those for another month, but offer you a memorable summation from my son-in-law, Jon.

“I got an email from my boss,” he told me, “about the persistence you’re talking about. It was the subject line that I just loved. It said: Momentum, Momentum, Money.”

I love the work I’m doing. Persistence is the easy part. I am lucky to have acquired a large community of support and friendship although persistence plays a role here as well.

I love people. I love to keep in touch with my chosen community. I reach out regularly. I pay attention to what’s happening in their lives, and I maintain connections. I show up for events, remember birthdays, send messages in between and deeply care if they’re ailing, mourning, or celebrating.

The magic reveals itself when I look for it. Wayne Dyer said, “When you believe it, you’ll see it.”

And I do.

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