Paper Epiphanies

This past weekend, I had an opportunity to attend the annual National Stationery Show to help photograph the myriad booths for a blog called Oh So Beautiful Paper which is well known in the stationery industry.  I was unabashedly honest with Nole, the blog owner, as well as the exhibitors I met that it's an honor and a gift to be permitted to geek out openly about the notecards, wrapping paper, pens and other stationery items while walking the show floor!  

Thankfully, since having restraint in paper stores has never been my strength, these exhibitors were not selling individual items, but rather demonstrating their collection for wholesale buyers to pick their selection for 2017.  I was in sheer awe at the array of talent and humor in each of these booths.  It was refreshing and inspiring to encounter such a diverse pool of geographic locations in North America.  For some of the well-established card companies like egg press from Portland, OR, and Hello!Lucky from the Bay Area, I recognized many of their cards that I've purchased and mailed over the years.  For others, like Violet Press from Longmont, CO (near Boulder), Inclosed Letterpress from Omaha, and I Loot Paperie from Southern CA, they were newcomers who were incredibly humble to participate in the show and have their work photographed by Nole and me.  Generally, the exhibitors were overflowing with kindness and I just left beaming from the thrill of it.

I texted José at one point to say "Thanks for babysitting our unruly hounds and letting me come to this under short notice" and he wrote back, "I wouldn't have let you miss it for the world!"  What a husband.  One of my favorite surprise booths to bump into was Canadian, from of course, Vancouver, a city that I continue to daydream about living there... their art was all west coast surfing-inspired.  If anyone can think of a way we could convert citizenship easily this coming few years, seriously, let me know.  The idea keeps bumping around in my head like a pin ball ever since we spent our honeymoon on Vancouver Island.

While leaving the show Monday evening, I kept thinking about how I almost didn't write in when Beautiful Paper put out a call for a photography assistant.  The useless doubts that start with "never" were shooting it down in my head.  But I couldn't quiet my wonder about it, so after thinking on it for a few hours or so, I submitted an inquiry, and look at how happy it worked out.