puppetmaker | LJ Idol 5 Week 16 Coloring outside the lines

When I was a child one of the activities that I did with my mother that I enjoyed a lot was coloring. We would get a coloring book like the Beatles or Daktari or a random set of pictures. I would work on one page and my mother would work on the other. My mother could color within the lines very well. I was in awe of her ability. I, being young, was not that good at being able to go right to the line but not go over. I worked hard on it but never quite mastered the ability that my mother had for getting it just so. Eventually I outgrew coloring in coloring book or so I thought at the time.

When I reflect on what I have done in my life, I see that I have spend most of my time outside the lines. When I was in high school, with the full support of my parents, I took shop rather than Home Ec. That was rather unheard of at the time at my high school. So three other girls and I decided that we wanted to learn power tools more than ovens. There was some resistance but I did shop, graphic arts and two years of photography that has served me well over the years.

I went to the Yale School of Drama for a masters in stage management which for a woman to do it not that unusual. There are more female than male stage managers. My background was different from most of my fellow students. I didn't have a degree in theater but in history. My puppetry experience put me ahead of the curve when it came to anything that had to do with puppets. I was consulted by many of my fellow students about what could and couldn't be done with puppets. My knowledge of stage blood was such that I ended up teaching props a couple of my "secret" formulas which would also come out of most forms of cloth with relative ease. I had worked with a couple of magicians so I had a background in stage magic along with the piece of paper that stated that I agreed not to discuss how we did the tricks. I was an odd duck and I was informed by word and deed that I was such and therefore outside the lines.

When I started to work at Del Rey, I was a little older than most editorial assistants. I had a heck of a lot more life experience than many of the editors that worked at Random House. My background was diverse and I had connections both on my own and through Peter that gave me access to information and people that was useful in doing my job. I was quick to learn my job along with the jobs of the other people in Ballantine. I had to learn the hard way about the chain of command and stepping on political toes because I could do so much. So I had to pull back to working within the lines which was hard to do because I knew that I could do so much more.

Now I have a daughter. The other day we were sitting next to each other with a coloring book that had Disney Princesses in it. We had a box of crayons and were each coloring our own pictures. Caroline commented on how well I could color within the lines and expressed that she wanted to be able to do that. I looked at what I had done. It wasn't perfect but it was pretty good. I had become my mother and had learned, somewhere a long the way, how to color within the lines. Caroline leaned into me and continued to color her picture. I watched as she carefully tried to stay within the lines but didn't quite make it. I know in my heart of hearts that by the time she needs to know how to color within the lines, she'll figure it out because I did without known that I had.

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jenandbronze.livejournal.com

I don't remember the last time I've had to colour within the lines, it is not an easy task for a VI person to do. I was not the greatest, but over time improved, but now I can't do it unless I am up very close to do it.

Great job, and I am sure your daughter will soon follow your foot steps.

baxaphobia.livejournal.com

Nice entry. You are an artist and doesn't an artist learn to go outside the lines just a bit...or at least move them aside! Smile

geekgrl64.livejournal.com

What a nice read. Thanks!

wherdafux-d-cat.livejournal.com

I love how cleanly you bring this full-circle. Doesn't feel the least bit contrived or forced. The whole piece is well done but the frame, as it were, sets it off beautifully.