I was so excited to read SFGate today and see there was an article about one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid called “Foul Play”. They used to re-play it on late night TV and my Mom being a huge Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn fan introduced me to the film. She even bought it for me on DVD when it was still available…
Anyway, how is it related to the birth of ezme designs? Well, if you watch the movie, there is a snake in a scene named Esme (I changed the “s” to a “z”). That is who my business is named for and the reason why is the serendipity of the movie for me.
It was late at night and I was watching TV at 2 am being sad and depressed about my life and specifically my job which at the time was working as a Library Assistant at the Art History/Classics Library at UC Berkeley. I know, I know it sounds like an awesome job, but for me it was soul crushing. I couldn’t manage getting up at 6:30am every morning (the 2am movie watching should clue you into my night owlishness). I dreaded sitting behind a computer screen all day long. My heart was crushed by looking at amazing Art History books showing artists living their dreams and actually making art. Besides, the UC Berkeley pay for me was horrendously crappy and wasn’t even remotely a living wage for being in the Bay Area. I mean if you are gonna be poor, what’s the point of not being an artist. At least, you can be happier getting up for work every day at 8:30 to 9am.
So, depressed laying on the couch, Foul Play came on the screen. Goldie Hawn was a fun blonde San Francisco Librarian. She thought Chevy Chase was hot (in the 70s). Hey, this is sort of relatable. Okay so I didn’t have a next door neighbor with a snake named Esme, but that night watching that movie, I realized I could no longer hide my passion of being an artist. I couldn’t let my kid self down. That kid who watched Foul Play as a re-run when she was little and dreamed of being an artist someday. (I never knew I would do ceramics per se but that’s a whole ‘nother history tale…) I couldn’t just look at people in books doing art. I needed to be doing the art. So, the next morning I decided to quit my job and go to art school for a second degree, a BFA in Ceramics.
This is a decision I have never regretted once and like Barry Manilow sang in the opening credits “I’m Ready to Take the Chance Again” (“you get what you want when you go for it”).
Oh and pictured here is me working in the studio in my happy place!