Shortly after my “Aha” moment with Kelly Cutrone, I found myself sitting in on another Scad Style event.  From Magazine to Monitor – The Rise of the Blog panel discussion featured four of the Design Industry leading professionals.  Jaithan Kochar, Nick Olsen, Rita Konig and Eddie Ross discussed their perceptions, thoughts and ideas of just how E-Magazines and blogs impact not only the magazine industry, but our life and the world that we live in as well.  One of the first questions raised was whether or not the rise of the digital world will see the fall of the current print world as we know it today.  I myself have often wondered this.  Everywhere you turn there are digital versions of your favorite newspaper, most magazines have websites and I can’t remember the last time I went to the mall!  Online shopping allows me to visit my favorite stores from the comfort of my home, while still in my pajamas!

The rapid advancements in technology has had a major impact on how we receive information.  It is almost instantaneous now.  The panelists all were in agreement that this instantaneous delivery of information has a definite impact on trends and the desires of consumers.  Before the advent of blogs and such sites as Twitter, consumers had to wait six months or more at times to see what hot trends that magazines were offering for a current season.  Eddie Ross commented that now he can be at an antique shop, great flea market or anywhere else and snap a photo with his phone, upload it to Twitter and followers who receive “tweets” from him can see the latest hot design trend or fabulous new item within minutes.

The panelists also discussed the instantaneous nature of blogs, as opposed to the often stagnate nature of a website.  Blogs also offer consumers, followers and information seekers an almost instant and constant influx of brand new information.  But how much influx of information is too much?  Rita Konig told the audience that if you are going to write a blog, make sure you are giving your readers pertinent information and not just empty prattle.  Having your own point of view was also something that all four panelists were adamant about.  They said that if you are going to blog…then blog about what you are passionate about!  If you are worried about followers – don’t! When you follow your passion, then others who are also passionate about the same things will find you, and they will follow you!

I loved listening to all four of these professionals, not only on their life and careers, but also about their viewpoints and ideas about the world of blogging.  I had the best time and felt that they each had imparted some very valuable information and tips for my own writing and love of seeking and imparting information!  As I sat in on the discussion, I did have questions pop back into my thoughts that I had often discussed with fellow art teachers and friends alike.  Are we, as a society, falling apart because of not only our dependence on technology, but for our need for instant gratification?  As an art teacher, I see it on almost a daily basis.  While I love my students (there isn’t a day that goes by that one or all of them can’t manage to put a smile on my face, no matter how little sleep I’ve had the night before) they are deeply immersed in an instantaneous culture.  I find that they have very little patience or attention span to projects that when done properly can take multiple class sessions.  They want to see the rewards of their finished project almost from the moment that they begin!  I try to explain to them that the creation of art is something that is meant to be nurtured and cultivated; savored and enjoyed.  The creations should bring as much joy to the creator as the finished piece does to the viewer.  They look at me like I’ve just landed from some distant planet and possess three heads!  Seriously?  They don’t know a world without video games, cell phones, microwaves and drive-thru eateries.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all about my drive through Starbucks!

Have we done a disservice to our younger generations by not instilling in them the same sense of satisfaction in waiting for something that most of us in our 30s, 40s and upwards have learned as an asset?  Have we created a breakdown in not only the ability of people to enjoy the process of something almost as much, if not more than the finished product?  All of these questions I have hashed and rehashed with fellow teachers on many an occasion.  We all say the same thing.  The instant gratification society that we live in has cultivated a generation of fast paced individuals.  Maybe when they are my age, they will realize that there is just as much beauty in slowing down, taking a breath and enjoying the moment!

That having been said…lookout if my internet goes down and I do not have access to the “outside” world! I do not think I could live without my cell phone…I wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t have an entire conversation via text messaging! Yep, I too have become a creature of this instant world we live in!  Now I’m off to the game store to look at all the new releases for the THREE gaming consoles I possess!

Photo: Jaithan Kochar, Theresa Jones and Eddie Ross.

Written by Theresa Jones for Chic Galleria magazine.

When I received a Facebook message that there was a fashion event going on at my Alma Mater SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) I couldn’t resist the chance to go! I have to admit that the entire time I was working on my degree I pretty much kept my nose in some form of an Art History book and didn’t venture out much.  I had no idea until I left what I was missing out on! SCAD is known for having some pretty amazing events and guest lecturers. While I was excited about the event, I had no idea what I was in store for.  I also had no clue who the person was that I was going to hear speak.  I know I should hide in shame for my lack of current cultural references, but I couldn’t have told you who on Earth Kelly Cutrone was! Little did I know I was in for what would become one of 2010’s AHA moments!  I freely admit (with a mild embarrassment) to “Googling” Ms. Cutrone before leaving for the event.  I had no idea I had been missing out on so much!

Kelly Cutrone is a renowned fashion publicist and recently published author with a book on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.  If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You After hearing her speak to an above capacity, standing room only crowd at SCAD’s Student Center I can understand why.  I was lucky enough to snag a front row, floor seat…literally on the floor.  I didn’t mind however, it allowed me to fully feel as though this lecture had been brought to SCAD for me specifically.  It was after all, the exact message I had been needing to hear for some time.  I had been hearing it from several people for quite a while, but for some reason or another I obviously had not been ready for it until now!

Ms. Cutrone is one of those women that the rest of us wish we could be like, or at least I wish I could be like.  She is strong, driven, no-nonsense and says what she means!  Despite the chaos going on in the rest of the world, she has found her purpose in life and lives it. Her life is her own, not a preconceived notion of what someone else thinks it should be.  It isn’t what the media thinks a woman at that particular time and age should be doing.  It isn’t her mother’s life, nor her father’s.  It is HERS!  She made it perfectly clear (to me at least) that we (I) need to find our authentic self, our true self and be it.  We need to “own it!” We are our own brand and we need to sell that brand!  Every other successful company out there markets and sells their brand and the items associated with it.  Why shouldn’t we do the same thing?  If we are an aspiring singer, actress or sales person (or whatever our current life ambition is) we should be marketing ourselves as such and “branding” ourselves to make sure we are seen and heard!  She made it perfectly clear that we should strive to be authentic.  “Whatever named celebrity” has already been done.  Demi Moore?  Done! Brooke Shields?  Done!  Don’t strive to be like “so and so.”  They have already done it and it would be boring to see a copy of something!  Be authentic, be original, but most of all…be yourself!  Know what you want to accomplish and set out to do exactly that.  If you fall down or stumble…get back up! Even if it takes just ONE MORE TIME!  Ms. Cutrone related success to physics.  It really is a very simple idea.  She said to show up every day and do your very best!  If you slack off and miss a step though, you run the serious risk of getting lost in the pack or worse…left behind!

I am about to set out on a move (that was supposed to happen last summer) that will take me back home to somewhat familiar territory with family and friends.  The uncertainty comes from my “fly by the seat of my pants” nature and going back to Texas with no job and no real concrete plans.  For most people this would be terrifying (it is a little scary), but for me I see it as my opportunity to take that ultimate leap of faith and “find myself.” For too long I felt like I have stumbled through this life doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but never really finding my niche.  I have no regrets of what I have done, but I do feel like I have not quite found my “place” yet.  I know I need to find my true passion and just do it!  Another point to Ms. Cutrone’s message that day was to surround ourselves with like people.  If you want to be in a specific industry…surround yourself with people in that industry.  Humans really are pack animals.  We like being around others that are like us.  The big point that I took away from this was to figure out someone who was where or what I wanted to be and go work with this person!  Put yourself in that environment and learn it!  It really is like learning a foreign language.  Emersion in a new language or endeavor is the best way to learn it!

This was exactly the message that Ms. Cutrone delivered to her audience.  She certainly didn’t look at me personally and tell me to quit my teaching career, move back to Texas and lay out by the lake until I “find myself.” Though I do plan to do a quite a bit of soul searching on the water! Her message was such a heartfelt and personal one that I felt as though I needed to be in that audience that day.  Funny how life works out like that.

Written by Theresa Jones for Chic Galleria magazine.

Photo of Kelly Cutrone courtesy of Amazon.com.

Several months ago, I found myself making daily trips to the Savannah Chatham County Animal Control in search of my little man, Mr. Bentley.  What I witnessed as I searched for my lost schnauzer was nothing new to anyone who has ever seen an ASPCA commercial, watched Animal Cops on Animal Planet or any number of shows out there now about the homeless pet population that not only this country but many others face.  What I didn’t realize at the time was the amount of diligent hard work, dedication and countless tears that these workers (the “dog catcher” to the rest of us) face on a day in and day out basis.  I also never thought in a million years that in just a few short months I would look forward to each weekend so I could spend Saturday and Sunday volunteering at this high kill shelter.

Many of Chic Galleria’s readers may know that through the loss of Mr. Bentley I found another BFF in a rescue pit that literally was seconds away from death.  Xander was on a table sedated and they were seconds away from administering the medication that would stop his heart.  He had been at the shelter for three weeks and his time was up.  They needed to make room for the countless and nameless unwanted animals that arrive daily.

Xander and I came into each other’s lives in the nick of time.  He quickly became my leaning post as I recovered from the loss of the last of my three schnauzers.  I decided I would take bags of food out there every time I picked up a bag of food for Xander.  Each time I would take a walk through the shelter and pet each dog and give them a few words of kindness, not knowing if that dog would be the next to be put down or not.  I thought it was the least I could do.  I would have hoped that if Mr. Bentley had wound up at the shelter someone would have given him kind words until I got to him!  Well, the last trip I made with a bag of food, I did my usual walk through and found myself staring into the most soulful pair of brown eyes I had ever seen!  This little black and white female pit looked at me, I looked at her, our eyes locked and I made three trips up there in the next two days before I took her home Valentine’s afternoon.

Coco (after my favorite classic designer) quickly adapted to the good life!  I was warned that she might have dog aggression and I would need to introduce her and Xander slowly and be very careful.  All this little girl needed was what most dogs in an animal control, human society or other shelter need.  She needed a little TLC and a second chance at a happy life where she was wanted and taken care of.  What these animals give back to us is unmeasurable.  The unconditional love, attention and affection that these animals give back to us is ten fold the simple chance at a better life we offer to them.

The afternoon that I first took Xander out to the shelter to “meet” Coco found me filling in for the shortage of volunteers and workers on a busy day.  There were many visitors wanting to see what cute dogs we had.  People wanted to hold the kittens.  Amidst all of this, there were kennels that needed to be washed out, linens that had to be washed, food bowls filled and nearly fifty dogs that would give anything for a moment of attention and a short walk out in the bright sunlight.  I quickly found that nearly four hours had passed and I loved every busy minute of it!  I told them that I would be back the next day with Xander to try to get him and Coco together.  She had found herself there for over two weeks and while she had a lovely sponsor (someone was willing to cover the costs associated with her placement) she had shown signs of dog aggression.  That, combined with the fact that she was a pit bull greatly decreased her odds of adoption.  I was determined to work with her.  She bonded with me instantly, sensing I think that this was her last shot.  That was two weeks ago and we (all three of us) haven’t been happier!

Last weekend there was a Dog Day Afternoon event held at one of the squares in Savannah.  There was a “doggie psychic” and other activities for the dogs as well as their owners!  Local art students from the Savannah College of Art and Design (my alma mater) were on hand to do portraits of dogs for a $20 donation.  A local chapter of the Boy Scouts were on hand rolling truck tires around that had portraits painted on them of a few of the dogs that had already found “happy forever homes.”  There was even a documentary film-maker from NYC on hand shooting footage for an upcoming movie about the shelter!  It was truly a fun event for the dogs and their human companions.  The cause was great and the proceeds from the day went towards the many costs for the animals still waiting at the shelter to find their “forever homes.”

If I could make one plea on behalf of my two shelter babies it would be that you might help spread the word not to buy a family dog while there are so many still in a local shelter sitting on death row.  There is no reason for so many of these amazing and loving dogs to die each week!  There are so many little items that your local animal shelter needs.  Even if you can’t adopt a new family member, you would be amazed at the little items you might be able to help them with.  Contact your local animal shelter or local animal control to see what you can do to make a difference to even just one animal! Xander and Coco thank you!

Written by Theresa Jones

I was first introduced to Chic Galleria by a friend of mine.  I had just ended a torrid three year relationship only to come home to find my eldest schnauzer Madison paralyzed in the back yard.  I knew at that time I was facing what was one of the hardest things I had done in my life to that point.  Carrie Castleman sent a link via Facebook alerting me to a call for stories about our dear beloved pets.  I had to make the decision to put Madison to sleep on April 27, 2009.  I came home and within about an hour wrote a brief story of my life with Madison and what in the course of sixteen years she had meant to me.  Little did I know that an obituary of sorts would lead me to begin writing for Chic Galleria.  I also had no idea that in just a few short months I would be writing another similar story.  At the time of Madison’s death, I was left with the last of my three schnauzers.  Those that know me know that I love animals.  My dogs are indeed like my children and in many ways I guess that they have acted as my surrogate children, as I will never have any of my own.  For those that knew the life I shared with Mr. Bentley, they always knew that he had always held a very special place in my heart.  He will always hold that place in my heart.

I will never forget the night that I wandered into a pet store in St. Petersburg, Florida.  I usually will not frequent a pet store that deals in the brokerage of animals.  I abhor the manner in which they are typically acquired and the condition in which they are kept.  I was buying toothpaste for Madison and in a pickle.  My vet was closed for the weekend and I needed to desperately brush my little girl’s teeth!   Once inside I was faced with a dilemma.  Who can resist looking at the cute and adorable puppies in a pet store?  Certainly not an animal lover such as myself!  I am also a self-described schnauzer fan.  Imagine my surprise (it was more like shock) to see a rather large white schnauzer sharing a cage with another older cairn terrier.  Both the schnauzer and the cairn were well past the six week old cute stage and next to the other small puppies looked like giants cramped together in a small cage, up on the top row and obviously out of direct eye contact.  I asked to see the schnauzer and questioned the clerk about the history of the dog.  I was told that he was eight months old, had been in quarantine because he had bit a small child (in defense of the puppy I guessed that he had play nipped and scared the child) and had almost been “destroyed” by Pinellas County for the attack.  When the clerk shoved the cairn terrier to the back of the cage so that he could grab the schnauzer by the neck and drag him out of the cage I almost came unglued.  I could not imagine how anyone who worked with animals in whatever capacity could ever treat one with such absolute disregard.  Little did I know that would not be the only thing that made my blood boil about my visit to the pet store.  The clerk presented me with the most sad and down trodden little dog I could ever imagine.  What on earth could have left a dog of only eight months old in such a sad and dejected state?  His story was indeed a sad one.  I was fairly certain that while he did come with pedigree papers I was also looking at a dog that had been a result of a puppy mill.  I also knew that this dog stood a far less chance of being purchased since he was competing with a room full of cute and perky six to eight week old puppies, all of which were still at that “cute” puppy stage.  He also carried a pretty hefty price tag of over $400.  That was quite a price for an older dog in a pet store.  I asked the manager if he might consider letting me have the dog at a reduced price.  Couldn’t hurt right?  The worst that he could say was no.  That was exactly what he said, sort of.  What he actually said to me was “No, because he is going to be destroyed in two days and I am going to write him off as a loss.”  I am a fairly calm and usually rather civil person, regardless of the circumstance, my response however was “You will burn in Hell!”  So, I wrote my $400 plus check (remember I needed toothpaste too) and went on my merry way with my new “puppy.”

My intentions were good.  I certainly didn’t have the extra money to be paying for a dog at the time and I already had the two girls.  I was certain that I would foster the dog long enough to find him a good forever home and save him from the wretched fate that the miserable pet store owner had in store for him.  That was ten years ago.  In the first few weeks that I had my new puppy I began to realize that the eight months he began life in a cage had left him with scars that I regret to say stayed with him for the rest of his life.  While laying on my couch watching this little schnauzer watching me, somehow the name Bentley came to me.  I can’t even begin to tell you where the name came from, only that it seemed to suite the little guy.  That white schnauzer from then on would become my Mr. Bentley.  Mr. Bentley was not your average puppy.  He had no idea how to jump on the couch, or even begin jumping towards the couch.  He had no idea what toys were for, nor did he know how to play with any of them.  He quickly made friends with my other two schnauzers Madison and Mia.  He was always attached to my hip however.  He never let me out of eyesight for very long.  Mia was always his little buddy, but I was him momma and we quickly bonded in a way that can only be described as a match made in Heaven.  My parents could only explain the rather unnatural bond between Mr. Bentley and myself by guessing that somehow he knew I had saved his life.  I feel like in so many ways over the course of ten years, while I may have initially saved him from a certain early “termination” he would go on to play such an important role in “saving” me on more than one occasion.  While the two girls were also there every day to meet me when I came home, comfort me through every heartache and break up, it was Bentley who never left my side and would lay in the same spot for hours until I came home and greeted him with the usual round of kisses and hugs.  He would howl and wail at the door when I left and would somehow seem to know when I was pulling in the driveway.  He always met me at the side gate as I pulled in my driveway and always made it to the front door before I could get the key in the keyhole!  Mr. Bentley never really warmed up to too many strangers quickly.  He was always a little guarded against new comers and there were a few people he never cared for (a few of them wound up being “exes”….should’ve listened to the dog!).  It took almost two full years before he would come anywhere near my dad.  Mr. Bentley did come to trust my parents and would get so excited when I would tell him Grammy and Grandpa was coming.  Ok, maybe it was the excitement in my voice, but to me it seemed as though he were genuinely excited!  He still would cautiously guard me anytime anyone, including my parents, would get too close to me.  He was cute with his protectiveness.  He would bark and kick his back legs as he warned whoever was coming in to hug me or get too close to me, all the while wagging his tail like crazy.  He even went so far as to nip at my mother one time for hugging me too hard!  He also afforded me the luxury of playing dress up with him!  He always had a snazzy designer collar.  Burberry was what seemed to suite him best and he even had a Burberry turtleneck to match! He was very well dressed and even enjoyed our meals out together.  I loved taking him anywhere that I could.  I guess it was partly to show him off.  It was more of just wanting to always have my best friend with me.  I happened to think he was without a doubt the most handsome of all handsome puppies on the planet!  A Sunday morning breakfast at J Christopher’s was a particular favorite!  My little man certainly led a very good life by many people’s standards, but then again, how could I not provide him with the very best life possible for a dog?  He had done so much for me in terms of always loving me unconditionally and always providing me with far more love and devotion that I am certain I deserved.  I am certain that the way my heart crumbled and the guilt that I still feel when I came home and discovered that Mr. Bentley was gone will come as no surprise to anyone.

I received a phone call one Friday night back in October from a friend to tell me that my garage door was open.  I immediately asked her to please check on Mr. Bentley.  I had been gone away from the house the night before and was on my way back into Savannah.  I knew I would be at my house in less than thirty minutes, but I had to make certain Mr. Bentley was still in his usual spot on our bed.  My friend called me back in a few moments, and I knew in that instant before I even heard the worry in her voice, that Mr. Bentley was not in the house.  He had gotten out.  I would come to discover that the company that does my yard had left the garage door open at some point on Thursday.  They had been doing my yard for eight years.  I trusted them with my gate keys and knew that they always looked out for my dogs.  I was horrified that they had left the garage door open.  I quickly began making phone calls and urgent pleas for help in finding Mr. Bentley to all of those that I knew, and even a few people I didn’t know.  I spent the better part of the following two weeks putting out flyers, newspaper ads, online ads and almost daily trips to the local animal shelters in hopes that someone would know where my Mr. Bentley was.  My Parents called daily, my mother in tears wanting to know if there were any updates.  In the course of those two weeks, I have to say that my faith in mankind was restored.  People rallied behind me in hopes of the safe return of Mr. Bentley.  Complete strangers, people who had never even laid eyes on me or my dog sent out alerts, combed their own neighborhoods and sent me well wishes.  The people at animal control quickly began recognizing me first by appearance, then by my voice when I would call several times a day.  Friends who had contacts with the local radio personalities and newspapers called in favors and helped spread the word that Mr. Bentley was missing.  It was a complete stranger, and I have no doubt an angel of God that would be the one who had to deliver the news to me that she was fairly certain that she knew where Mr. Bentley was.  This person would also be the one who so unselfishly gave of herself when she met me to pick Mr. Bentley’s remains up.  He had traveled not quite three miles from home, yet had found himself in a completely unfamiliar world.  He had ventured out to one of the heaviest traveled roads in Savannah and had been hit by a car.  It had been several days since he had been hit and I will never be free of the memory of my handsome Mr. Bentley, laying there in the grass, hardly recognizable and certainly not the amazing, loving puppy he had once been.  My new friend walked with me to the point where Mr. Bentley was and had even brought sheets and towels with her to help me wrap him up and place him in a box.  She stayed there with me on the side of the road as I wept over the loss of my friend, in a way only an animal lover and truly compassionate person would understand.   It has been over a month since the night I found Mr. Bentley.  The love and support from not only my friends, the amazing man in my life and my parents, but complete strangers was unbelievable.  I had his remains cremated and I know that he is once again with girls.  I still greet him every day when I get home from work.  I still ask him for a kiss every now and again in French (yes, he could speak what limited French I knew!) as I kiss the top of his wooden urn.  There are many times that I still feel as though he is there with me in the house, never leaving me alone for too long.  I miss him terribly still and I fear that there will always be an empty space in my heart, waiting for the day when I once again meet up with him and the two girls.

This story is not without its bitter sweet ending though.  While I still miss my little man terribly, there has been a bright spot in not only my life, but the life of another unfortunate soul whose life was almost cut short as well.  While visiting animal control daily in hopes of finding Mr. Bentley, I had become enamored with a short, stocky blue pit named Big Pappa.  I thought he would make a great companion for Mr. Bentley when he did return home.  The day after I found Mr. Bentley, I called animal control to let them know the search was over I inquired about Big Pappa.  The lady on the phone told me that he had just been adopted.  While I was glad that he was being placed in a good forever home, I will admit to being a bit bummed.  My heart was ready to have another companion just yet, but the thought of such an awesome dog being put down simply because nobody wanted him broke my heart.  What if I had thought that way about Mr. Bentley?  The lady sensed that I was a bit bummed and asked “What about Xander?”  I had remembered seeing a dog named Xander on the rescue website.  He had seemed like a pretty cool dog so I told her that I would come take a look at him.  She said that she had been off of work for a few days so she wanted to call and make sure that he was still there, as he literally was on “death row.”  I hung up the phone and waited for the return phone call to let me know if Xander was even still at the shelter.  When the lady called me back, I could tell by her voice that she was in a bit of shock.  She explained to me that as she had placed the call to animal control, the person on the other end explained to her that Xander was at that precise moment laying on a table sedated with a  needle in his leg.  He was in the process of being put down.  They explained that there had been a delay because they did not have enough pentobarbital, the drug used to stop a dog’s heart.  Someone had gone back inside the main building to get enough of the drug for a dog of Xander’s size.  Literally, had the call been two minutes later, Xander would have already been gone.  In the event that my bleeding heart for those who have been abused or mistreated did not come out clearly, this is the point where my brain said “this surely is a sign.” Needless to say, I went to go visit Xander that day!  He was still heavily sedated, but clearly a happy and healthy dog.  His tail was wagging as hard as he could manage; given the sedative he had been given.  I took Xander home the next day.

I am happy to say it has been almost two months now and Xander has adapted quite easily to his new life.  I have to think that while I may have been looking out for another unfortunate soul, somehow I do believe that my Mr. Bentley was looking out for me.  The timing of events couldn’t have been more precise.  Somehow, Mr. Bentley knew that I would be devastated and broken hearted.  Having Xander in my life has given me someone else to take care of and another unconditional loving soul to take care of me!  I think Mr. Bentley would be happy.

Written by Theresa Jones.