Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Teddy Roosevelt

In a few short weeks, I’ll start a new job at the University of Rochester. In preparation for the transition, I enrolled in an art class at the Flower City Arts Center. Jose, a watercolor artist from Germany, now a Rochester transplant, prompted all of us to explore various media, many new to me, including watercolor and collage. I ended up playing with a jelly-fish motif I developed from on of my son Calvin’s grade school drawings. His drawings re-surfaced in process of packing and sorting out boxes from this next move. Variations of his drawing cut from magazines and an old braille primer ended up in the above mixed collage. In addition to making a new style of art, the camaraderie and spirit of experimentation at the art center inspired me to rent an apartment at the Button Lofts, an apartment complex just down the street, repurposed from an old button factory built in the 1920’s in the style of “daylight factories.”

Living there, I will get more light than I’ve ever experienced in a living space. I love looking up into the sky. Daylight factories were built in response to union protests over the crowded and inhumane working conditions in the early 1900s factories and many have been rehabbed into living spaces with gorgeous windows. Although some of the reading rooms at the U of R lack windows, it delights me that my new office and some of the reading rooms at the U of R will provide me with more access to daylight than any of my former jobs. Access to natural light and outdoor views, is a feature that workers prize, more than access to a gym or even onsite childcare. Research shows that access to daylight is important for well-being. More access to natural light and being near the art center are two bright spots coming soon. I intent to boost my wellness with every minute of daylight I can access!