My Mother

My mother, Sharon Dwyer Buzard, taught me everything about living a creative life. When I was little, she brought me along to school with her while she worked on her MFA. I would putter on the floor with my own acrylics while she painted. Later, I'd come home from high school and she'd be teaching drawing and painting to adults in her studio in our house. On weekends we'd hit up the local antique shows - I collected antique dishes at a strangely early age.

There are other, more subtle ways of living a creative life that are tough to articulate. My mother has always appreciated the quirkiness of people. She's always had friends who are much older and much younger than she, I think because she finds something to learn from each person. Throughout her life, she's enjoyed the company of people who've emigrated from the world over - Russia, Germany, Persia. There is something creative about this kind of broad social interaction. I remember her telling me, when I was very little, "Smart people never get bored." There's too much to be curious about.

Now she works as an interior designer, and I always enjoy hearing about the cast of artisans she commissions for her projects. The seamstresses, painters, wall-paper hangers, weavers and carpenters come from all walks of life, and all earn my mother's respect. They work together to achieve a creative end - a room, apartment, piece of furniture.

I can see my mom's influence in this place that I've ended up - making things for a living, working with a great team of creative people, enjoying simple interactions with customers and vendors. I treasure every moment. Thanks Mom.

(PS - That's my mom holding my sister, and me in the little red strawberry dress, circa 1975.)