The 9-5 Routine
I am not going to tell you about my work in the conventional way. I started working part-time at a drug store in Versailles Kentucky in 1963. From there it is a long winded list of skills and experience that would best be told in a raunchy novel to keep the attention of the reader. It even puts me to sleep thinking about it. Never-the-less, I will touch on some of the highlights from over the past 53 years and hopfully not put you in a trance.
Wonderful World of Maps
This is a listing of companies and goverment agencies where I worked andI have helped me gain the knowledge of the printing and graphic industry. I had on-the-job traiing with these companiest. I started working full time in 1966 and stayed with the mapping, graphics and printing field until the early 1990's.
Rand McNally Cartographic Tech
GRW Aerial Survey Cartographic Tech USGS !:24,000 Quads
USGS Cartographic Tech Various maps sizes and styles
ADC Mapping Art Dept, Special Maps, Pre-press
GeoMaps Defense Mapping Desert Storm Quads
Education
High School 1966 Graduated
Graphic Art Vocational 1971 Dipolma
Computer Tech School 1984 1500hrs
Cosmetology 1994 1800 hours License
Cosmetology Instructor 2008 800 hours License
David does the two step
I swithced things up in the mid 1990's and at the ripe old age of 44, I changed careers. Now most would not see how these two fields of work could possibly be related in skill sets or work routine. Here is my view. Working with hair and hair desigin is taking a two dimensional image and making it 3 dimensional. Angles and degree lines of cutting to formulation of hair colors helped me visualize objects in three dimensions. Coloring hair is a science and an art.
It takes years to develope the skill and to fully understand the complexities of using chemicals on the human body. I not only worked behind a chair in retail, but I stood in front of a classroom to teach new stylests the profession.
Taking a break
I took a 8 year break from cosmetology in 2000 when I was offered a position at the recently renovated Historic Canton Theatre. I worked in the box office and then became the General Manager. The theartre was a live stage performance venue and I did everything from stage design to wigs and costumes. I sold concessions, tickets, organized the season and dealt with rentals of the space. In 2008 the new city mayor did not want to invest in the arts and the theatre was for all intents and purposes, closed. This is when I became a cosmetology instructor.
Back in the Saddle
I started my instructors training in 2008; graduated in December of that year and by late 2009 I accepted the position of Program Director of a trade school cosmetology program in one of the colleges that have campuses throughout the southern states. I left this job because of the stress and long commute (160 miles round trip daily) and took a job at a small beauty college close to my residence.
I retired in October 2012. I had issues with my heart tjat a pacemaker solved along with retirement.
2013 found me back at my art table after a seven year absence. I have been a full time artist since then. My work "Bread of LIfe" the Parkette sign was the work I had stopped to take care of my partner, who had cancer, in 2006. I had part of the background color in the top part of the sign and rest of it penciled in. This was a "prove it" or "loose it" point in my life. I went slowly and as my muscle memory came back, I gained conifidence and was able to finish the work and then move forward.
That is my story and I am sticking to it.
Dave