I must dust the cobwebs out my brain and see if I can recall what I have done since 1976! LOL!!
After graduating from TZ I started my college life at RCC. I started the first Art Club at RCC and created guided tour bus loads of artistic folks (including art teachers) to various cities to visit museums and have a creative fun time. I am so pleased to see the Art Club is still active! I met my future husband Tom at RCC and we have been together ever since.
I transferred to S.U.N.Y. Purchase to study art. At that point, they only had art programs for fine art, not commercial art, which was my interest. So, I decided to leave Purchase. To support myself, I decided to go to work full time and worked as a credit correspondent at Prentice Hall Publishing Co. My goal was to join the commercial art staff at Prentice Hall. I heard that they hired people who went to The Ridgewood School of Art. So, I worked full time during the day and went to The Ridgewood School of Art at night.
The teacher of that course was the Art Director at his Advertising Agency in Midland Park, NJ., and hired me to work there. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I started out as a paste up & mechanical artist, typesetter, illustrator, managing all supplies and various equipment. After some time, I landed a commercial design position. After years of doing that, I found I needed a break from the commercial art field. Around this time, I married my sweetheart Tom, who is an artist too. Sunrisewoodwork.com is his business name. His woodwork is amazing.
Around this time, I walked into a lovely shop called “The Silverman Gallery” in Saddle River NJ. They specialized in Native American Jewelry and artwork. I love NA art. Upon looking around and chatting with the people there, I found out that they needed somebody to work at their shop. So, I decided to go into retail/wholesale and become their manager. I learned a lot from the owner about Native American Arts. He would go out West to the reservations and purchase for the shop. It was a unique, educational and fun experience.
After a few years, Tom and I were expecting a baby. I got to a point where it was hard to be on my feet 8+ hours a day, so I had to leave The Silverman Gallery. I decided to become a Montessori trained Home Family Daycare Provider, so I could stay at home, raise my daughter, and earn an income. Once my daughter started Kindergarden, I decided to go back to what I loved doing most. The crafting of beadwork.
I have been creating beadwork since I was a kid and refined my skills as time progressed. I have visited a ton of museums in NYC to study beaded pieces on display to help me learn my craft. There was no such thing as the internet or books to learn easily, so I had to figure out how to learn on my own…the old-fashioned way. I started my business called BEADED PHOENIX, and sold my jewelry online and shows, specializing in beaded embroidery, and restoration work. I also taught bead classes and loved teaching.
From teaching I saw that students as well as advanced bead artists needed a reference chart to understand supplies. I decided to design a valuable reference tool I called BEADED PHOENIX BEAD & STRING REFERENCE CHART POSTER SET. It was very cool to walk into bead shops and see my poster hanging on walls to help customers choose supplies and/or purchase the poster for their own studio spaces. I had customers throughout the USA and wholesale accounts too. The Jewelry Network sold as well. I gotta kick out of seeing my Poster on TV!!!!
Along this way I had my work published in major Bead Magazines and became the “Dear Abby” of bead crafting and did that for many years.
I moved on from doing beadwork and have rediscovered my love of sewing. I have started a new business creating custom handbags. Instead of beads being my painter’s pallet, fabric is now. My business is CLARITY DESIGNS at claritybagshop.com. I create bags that are attractive easy to use bags. No going dumpster diving to find needed things. I am working on adding more designs. There never seems to be enough time in a day.
Tom and have a wonderful life in NY, knock wood. We love old houses and have restored 2 so far. We are currently on our second one.
I am very grateful that we have been blessed with a wonderful daughter and SIL, and two Grandsons. They are the most precious and valuable things in my life. I am grateful.
It’s amazing that 50 years have gone by, and we are the age we are. Knock wood!!!
I look forward to seeing everyone and hearing about your lives too!
Rosanne Goldman Andreas