A First Time for Everything: Doritios, Groundhogs, and Websites.

Toward the end of January, Scott and I were invited to do a caricature event at an assisted living facility for senior citizens north of the city. I felt much more confident in this opportunity with having the Halloween party under our belts already. I was also aware that this would be a different type of crowd from the costumed creatives from a corporate advertising agency. We went from an evening with loud music and alcohol surrounded by tropical plants in Phipps, to a quiet activities hall flooded with the midday January light from floor to ceiling windows.

Scott in the main activities room mid-drawing

We had a bit of a slow start; Scott began by drawing some old Hollywood icons (Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne) to get the attention of some residents in the room. Eventually one woman took the dive and offered to be our first model. As soon as hers was completed, all the other ladies suddenly HAD to have their own. One woman whose birthday was coming up on February 2nd requested that we include a groundhog in her picture to honor Punxsutawney Phil and her birthday. This was a first time request for Scott. I actually had to pull up an image of a groundhog for him to be certain he was drawing it accurately enough.

While Scott was drawing, I was trying to work the crowd a bit. Things began to get much livelier when a spit-fire 90 something lady joined the crowd. She had nothing but praise for our work and was equally enthused with the snack being served: Doritos. She apparently had never had them before and could not stop raving about how wonderful they were.

Caricature featuring a Groundhog to honor an upcoming Feb 2 Birthday

Staff were able to get their caricature done between passing out Doritos

Our one brave gentleman who was the only man to participate

Throughout this event I couldn't help but smile looking over these old women having a wonderful time trying something new (none of them had ever had a caricature before). From a woman thinking outside the box and getting a critter included in her drawing, to another woman snacking on Doritos for the first time; it was a wonderful day of excitement.

Afterwards when reflecting on the event I recognized a lot of similarities between myself and these women. I had never built a website prior to BryteArt. I've had to endlessly think outside of the box to find creative solutions to a litany of issues small businesses face when they are starting. In July when Scott brought me on to do this with him, I didn't have a clear idea of how we would make BryteArt happen but I was confident we could.

All these months later, I couldn't be more delighted to see how BryteArt is taking shape and taking off. Through many firsts for me and for Scott, we are blazing our own trail into the art scene in Pittsburgh. And truth be told, I'm having a blast doing it.

I should've just kept this info open in a separate page; I needed it so often

I can't predict the future for BryteArt. That said, if we maintain this trajectory and continue to navigate the learning curves of small business successfully, I imagine we have great things ahead. Regardless of what the coming months and years bring however, I am more convinced than ever that curiosity is a lifestyle I want to lean into. Trying hard things (cough cough building the website you are reading this on) and doing it with determination is a method to living that I want in every area of my life. I hope that I continue to be courageous and goofy and savoring of the life I've been given for the rest of the time I have it. For now BryteArt is the biggest part of that for me. Maybe when I'm in my 90s I'll try some new kind of potato chips or will make odd ball requests involving celebrity rodents. I can't be certain but I hope so.