An Artist Friend on HGTV

One night a week I work for A Shoppers Dream Productions. A small craft show production company and retail outlet run by the parents of a friend of mine, I was recruited to work for them for a summer when I was 19. Who knew I would still be there 11 years later? In any case, I consider it less a "real" job and more my night out once a week.

That is where I was tonight. As it is beginning to be the holiday season and they have once again opened their retail store, I was left alone with my pile of work and the TV remote in their home office. I put on HGTV (my favorite station which I do not have at home) and was watching "That's Clever," a show about different artisans and craftspeople across the country. Much to my surprise, one of the women being featured was someone I went to college with. Denise Shea (formerly Denise daCosta) was two years ahead of me at Elms College. We were both art majors. She was (and still is) amazingly talented. After college she went on to work at BusinessWest magazine and I interned in graphic design under her supervision the following summer. She is a wonderful person who taught me a great deal and it was great to see her doing so well. "That's Clever" focused on her millinary skills. To view her hats, please visit www.denishehats.com