Finding people who need and appreciate pearls

I have been incredibly fortunate to have discovered custom framing, an occupation that lets me create wow products for extremely appreciative audiences.

I get to work with customers and help them choose a framing system that complements and enhances their cherished works of art. The end result is far more meaningful than I ever expected. The final product is esthetically pleasing and emotionally satisfying for all concerned.

We all take a win on the final result.

The dynamics of this process are unlike any client relationship I have encountered before. I find it to be personally challenging as it calls upon every bit of design skill that I have learned. It is also mutually enjoyable for both the client and myself because each custom framing job involves working out an optimum solution to a complex problem with hundreds of alternative choices.

Occasionally a client will give me a work of art and ask me to frame it using my own judgment, but I prefer working with them so they can experience the creative thrill that comes from discovering the exact effects they are trying to achieve.

Combining colors and textures of mats and matching them to one of hundreds of moulding choices produces continuing surprises. When customers see what is available, they almost never adopt a cookie cutter approach of saying, "I’ll take a white mat in a black frame."

Instead, we go at the challenge by finding a mat combination that brings out what they want in a work of art. Then we find a moulding that encloses the whole in a way that creates a sense of balance and completeness.

But, it doesn’t end there! This is an iterative activity as most design processes are. We will reach a combination that pleases, then one of us will pick up another mat or moulding and say, "What if…" and we are off on a new path of discovery.

The process invariably ends when we all say, "Wow! Look at that!". This happens when the combination of art and framing elements coalesce into a harmonious whole that produces an emotional effect.

In essence, I act as a facilitator and make it possible for clients to achieve as much creative freedom as they desire.

This works whether the art is created by a professional or by a child. When it all comes together, we experience an emotional surge. We have created something together and the experience  becomes a bright spot in our memory.

As in all things, making it happen requires skills that I have been acquiring for many years. I am really happy to be in this place and time with so many people who love and appreciate art and are willing to preserve it.

This is work that I truly enjoy and I work with clients for whom I have a great deal of affinity.
It is for me the best of all possible career choices at this point in my life.

I am here because I finally learned the lessons I discussed in my previous article.