In order to "Dress For Success", my Dad visited his tailor often. While he was in and out of the fitting room and chalk lines were skillfully marked on the fabric, I sat on an embroidered stool, munching cookies from a gold rimmed plate. (I adored that tailor, and any extra time I could spend with my Dad was a special bonus).
In my view, rather than business suits, it's been aprons that have been the hallmarks of successful careers. Those who wore them usually owned their own businesses and were respected by everyone in the neighbourhood.
The Greek baker at Beehive Bakery only took his apron off when the work day was done; the fabric smeared with coloured icing and stuck on sprinkles.
Skilled woodworkers wear leather aprons as they use a lathe to turn straight wood into shapely forms. Later, they sit with the apron covering their legs, using chisels in their bare hands to carve swirls and curlicues on smaller pieces.
It's unfortunate that in our society, aprons aren't considered a badge of honour, but rather the uniform of labourers, from gardeners to dishwashers, bartenders to wait staff.
With anything in life, it's all about attitude. If you want to learn anything, you must strive to learn from the best teachers and that usually means starting on the bottom rung of the ladder.
My work aprons included black ones worn as a server in fine dining restaurants, to white ones working on "the line" with a chef, to ones that were a bit worse for wear as a dishwasher. The common denominator was that I was desperate to learn how to be a GOOD cook; rather than go to school, I learned from some of the most accomplished chefs in the world.
Don't get me wrong: kitchen work is brutal. It's exhausting, stressful and often frustrating, but at the end of a night spent at the edge of despair, there's the slow exhale; the joy of knowing that you made it through the shift, people are fed and you'll be going home soon.
These days, I'm in my home kitchen, making comfort food from soups to muffins, wearing my favourite apron. It used to say, "I want chocolate and I want it NOW!", but the letters have worn away from so much use. My dear friend Jaynie gave it to me years ago and it brings back memories of our happy conversations.
When I paint, the apron I use is one that was handmade by another dear friend. I have worn it in almost every workshop I've attended for over twenty years, ever grateful to be studying with some of Canada's pre-eminent artists. The quote on that apron is, "When I grow up, I want to be the Crazy Cat Lady!"
Wearing aprons, having EARNED the right to wear them through years of determination, are my uniforms for success. From cooking to painting, I'm honoured to say that I've learned skills from the masters in their respective fields.
...And that part about growing up??! Nah...I'm having too much fun!!!
Thank you for spending this time with me,
Lori xx