Client Story: Leisa boarded the wrong flight and ended up on a surprise vacation.

Living, Breathing Characters and the Astonishing Realism of Events

Artists serve as conduits to other worlds, traversing the boundaries of time and space while breaking free from the confines of our mundane reality. They bestow upon us the precious gifts born from these otherworldly realms—inspiration to fuel our artistic endeavors. Among these rare conduits stands Leisa Wharington.

When Leisa molds the contours of her vases or sculpts the delicate petals of her chandeliers, she slips into a trance, channeling creative energies into tangible form. The molten glass swells and transforms into intricate vessels, preserving the essence of Leisa's movements for all eternity.

In stark contrast, our world relentlessly urges artists to sell their creations to inject a semblance of significance into our ordinary interiors. This proves to be the most challenging aspect for any artist—assigning value to a piece that only Leisa knows she cannot replicate. What is it that she truly sells? Illumination? No, for that, Beacon Lighting suffices. Vases? Certainly not, as KMART offers a decent selection.

Is she selling just materials and labor, measured in hours? Or perhaps, it's the prestige of owning an unreplicable piece of art? Yet, prestige is not what drives her. What Leisa yearns for is that moment of transcendence, where invisible forces guide her physical being to craft unearthly shapes. She loses herself for hours in front of her kilns, neglecting even her basic needs, as she breathes life into inspiration.

But in the wake of each enchanting trance, a cruel and unforgiving reality emerges. Leisa finds herself entangled in the merciless embrace of practicality. An apparently innocuous inquiry, "What's your asking price for this masterpiece?" becomes a vice, constricting around her with each fleeting breath.

Powerless against the relentless squeeze, Leisa hurls a number from the depths of her desperation, oblivious to the fact that it falls far below the expenses incurred for materials alone. It's a desperate gambit, a lifeline tossed to quell the torment of asphyxiation.
Leisa realizes that she requires assistance with the business aspect of her endeavors. If she keeps going the way she is, she might end up broke, unable to afford even the essentials, let alone the materials for her glasswork. To survive and keep creating, she needs someone who can connect her to the practical world.

The secret to staying in a constant state of creative inspiration lies in finding a way to balance between being inspired and being practical. She needs a middleman who can understand her concerns about money while also being skilled in business matters. This person must embody the duality of Janus, able to bridge the gap between her artistic vision and the realities of running a business. Leisa yearns for someone who understands her artistic temperament, and she seeks out accountants who speak not accountanese but her language.
Friends recommend she meet with someone down-to-earth and astute, a progressive Peninsula native. This suggestion resonates with her. Leisa now sits in a burgundy office on Main Street Mornington, staring at her weary hands, awaiting yet another promising advisor. The silence is shattered by a strong Russian accent, "Hi, my name is Nadia. The partner you're scheduled to meet with is currently out of the office. Would you like to chat with me first?"

Though initially taken aback, Leisa decides to oblige. To her surprise, the Russian proves to be friendlier than expected, engaging in a conversation that flows effortlessly, with time slipping away. Nadia takes a genuine interest in Leisa's art and even expresses a desire to visit her studio in Hastings. Their dialogue delves deeper into Leisa's vision for a new studio and the financial challenges that stand in her way.

Yet, emerging from each entrancing trance, a striking contrast surfaces: Nadia's command of the English language may not be pristine, but her inquiries delve deep, laden with insight, and her attempts at humor are as vivid as painted stories. She adorns her financial explanations with metaphors, weaving intricate tales of financial wisdom.

Despite the weight of her accent, her jests prove irresistible, evoking hearty laughter from unexpected corners of Leisa's soul. Then, as if conjuring mirth from thin air, Nadia presents her pièce de résistance—an unconventional idea to offer glassblowing lessons for newlyweds, packaged with the cheeky moniker 'First Blow Job.' It's a suggestion that catapults Leisa into convulsions of laughter, as the absurdity of it all washes over her.
In a strange twist of fate, this foreign accent becomes more understandable and relatable than any local specialist. Thus, they meet Leisa and her Connector. From that moment onward, Leisa entrusts all financial matters to her Russian accountant, and together, they embark on the journey of moving mountains.

To be continued...if you ask me to do so.

Written by Nadia Hughes