The gifts of my clients

Whether they intend to or not, every single one of my clients who visits Birdsong Studio has something to offer in terms of insight.  Alan came over to pick up his canvas print of my portrait of Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor of many things including alternating current.

"Do you know Tesla's story?" asked Alan.

"Not at all," I said.

Alan's face lit up and he proceeded to fill me in on the extraordinary achievements of this Serbian-American science phenom.  Alan said a lot of things in the next few minutes that left me with a longing to know more.  I'm going to find myself a Tesla biography and dive into it.

Aside from how we get our electricity, something that we use every day is thanks to Tesla.  Any idea what that might be?

Yup.  Your remote control.

Later in the day, I had another visitor to Birdsong Studio picking up a commission.  This gentlemen, originally from The Rock, asked a simple question after checking out all the paintings on the feature wall.

"Have you ever done Joey Smallwood?" he asked.

The moment he asked the question, my creative instincts kicked in.  There is a subject that would probably be super interesting and would appeal to a broad spectrum of people originally from Newfoundland.

I must have done some research on Smallwood previously, as the moment I saw this photo, I knew I had considered it in the past.  It is perfect.

"What is your favourite?" I often ask the children who tag along with their parents to the studio.  Their answers always provide insights about personal preference.  Ask that question of 10 different people and I get 10 very different answers. 

Over the last three and a half years, hundreds of people have gifted me with their presence in Birdsong Studio.  It is true that I spend hours isolated within these four walls.  For that reason Heather thinks that having a dog to keep me company would be a great idea.  But, it is also true that I have visitors almost every day.  They come for paintings, prints, greeting cards, and workshops. 

The list of people who have hung with with me, painting or playing music, continues to grow.  Birdsong Studio feels less like my creative sanctuary and more of a community.