When my best friend was thirteen, his father passed away and left him his 1966 Ford Galaxie. As long as I've known my friend, I've also known how special that car is to him. One day, I decided to paint a picture of the Galaxie to show Kevin how much it meant to me too. Every since then I've been painting pictures for others, rather than for myself. I'm inspired by stories of the simplest things that mean the most to people.
I've been acting on stage since I was in the fifth grade. During my senior year, my class went through a tragic loss that left the entire school emotionally wrecked. The accident occurred on the opening night of our drama club's spring show. That night our drama director, Paul, sat us down and said very simply this is why we do theatre. He told us that we were to go out in front of that audience and help them forget, just for a few hours, what they'd gone through that day. Moments later, we all went on stage together and gave the best performance we ever had. Ever since that day, I've been performing for the audience, rather than for myself. I'm interested in stories that reveal rather than pretend.
I was walking in the park a few months ago and saw an old woman sitting alone on a park bench. Then, I realized she wasn't alone, she was holding a small scruffy dog in her arms; they were nose to nose, just staring at one another. No one else seemed to notice this tiny friend peaking out of her coat; I snapped a picture and grinned the whole way home. I'm motivated less by big stories and more so by those daily spontaneous moments that could easily be missed but when witnessed, stick with you forever.
