I spent my night, last night, scurrying through airports trying to get to Savannah, Georgia. I arrived in Atlanta at 2:30 a.m. due to a variety of plane reasons and was able to get to my hotel, and fall asleep around 3:30. I set my alarm to 6:30 and set off for Savannah.
Despite just getting three hours of sleep, I felt refreshed and ready to go. Why? Because I was going to SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, to act as a mentor in a project where their furniture design students were going to present their best ideas for me to critique.
Now, I grew up on a turkey farm and have no formal design training, except experience. And yet, Antonio Larosa, a renowned furniture designer and chair of the department, asked me to share my ideas with his students.
He told me he cancelled a project with Natuzzi, the great Italian leather company to work with me. An honor? I’m pinching myself.
But, this isn’t about me; it’s about the students. And, he wanted me to give his students the unvarnished truth.
What a day! These students modeled and graphed and researched and contemplated and presented. Smart doesn’t begin to describe the quality and talent of these kids.
I felt so proud to be in this room, with this much passion and talent all around me.
Was it worth it? Youbetcha.
Woo-Hoo! Go TOOOOOM. It was their extreme pleasure just as much as it was your's. One kind of creative mind meeting another. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteIt is always encouraging to hear GOOD things about our young people! So often it is the negative comments that get our attention. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS Tom!
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I am a bit late on this post but this is awesome. Glad you were able to get to SCAD and mentor. I lived in Savannah two years ago and it was amazing. I think it was more of SCAD and the historic nature of Savannah that made it great...and my hair dresser (yes I went there - good ones are hard to find). There are a lot of talented kids at SCAD. I am just hoping that with all the talent there the kids coming out of SCAD can take Savannah to new heights!
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