It isn’t often that I get to spend time with others in the creative world who really understand the passion I have for my art. The Sign Invitational is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with others who are equally passionate about their craft. And the bonus is that we get to share our love of this fun business with hundreds of others at the ISA EXPO who were attracted to our creations on display. We answered countless questions about the pieces on display and how we incorporate this magic into our daily jobs. We hoped to inspire others to join in the fun. This year’s Sign Invitational was a wonderful success with nine imaginative pieces on display. About eight hundred visitors to the booth took the time to vote for their personal favourite. Jim Dawson (Ohio) garnered the most votes, with Rusty and Amanda Gibbs (Washington) in second place. Dave Nolan (Alberta) came a close third. Thanks to our sponsors, Specialty Machinery Inc. X-Edge Tools Ibex Software and Coastal Enterprises Company for helping to make this fun event possible!
Next year's challenge
The primary purpose of the Sign Invitational is to encourage and inspire other sign makers to do more creative projects in their work. The small display signs they create for the contest will hang in their studios and hopefully sell creative projects in years to come. I know this to be true because we have about 135 such samples on the walls of our shop and studio, and it is the reason we sell much of our work. The Sign Invitational pieces on display attract a huge following at the show. Each time I hear someone wish they could sell work like this, I throw them a challenge to enter next year’s contest and, in the process, take a positive step towards their stated wish. It works!
This year’s show is still in progress, but we have begun planning for next year's event. The first step was for the creative group to pick a theme, which yesterday was decided to be ‘dinosaurs’. And being that this is a sign invitational, I had to throw down a gauntlet to my fellow competitors. I stayed up a teeny bit last night and worked up a quick sketch. Today, in a quiet moment, I went over to a printer with a booth on the EXPO floor, and they quickly printed me a t-shirt with my next year’s sign design featuring a T-rex playing an accordion. When I got back to the booth, no words needed to be spoken about next year’s challenge. The contest is on!
Talent
I’ve never really figured out for sure if we are born with talent or just pick it up along the way. I like to believe we all have a unique talent inside of us - just waiting to be developed and nurtured. Some people draw, some sing, some excel at sports - others are good at doing math type stuff. I know lots of people who are just very good at dealing with people. Which ones are learned skills and which come naturally we may never know for sure. Knowing how it happens isn’t the important thing in my view.
I believe how much talent we are born with does not determine how far we can take our skills. That is determined by something else I like to call passion. That too may be a genetic trait for all I know. But I do know folks who have a true passion for something will take what ever raw talent they may possess and develop it much further than those who lack passion. Talent for something is only the starting point - not the finish line.
I started drawing pretty young. My parents encouraged it. One of my first drawings is shown here. Little did we know at that time that drawing and art would become my life’s passion, although by the first grade it was already fairly apparent. I knew I wanted to be an artist as long as I can remember - without even knowing really what that might involve back then.
Now, many, many decades later this dream, this passion has not faded in the least. I still wake up each morning with ideas in my head and spend each day making these dreams a reality. Even after all these years I devour every scrap of information I can find in the hopes of becoming better at my craft.
While I may or may not have been born an artist I have certainly lived my life as one. For me it is a purposeful choice each day. It is my sincere wish that everyone can discover their passion and also do at least a little each day making that passion a reality.
