From Where I am...: CJN Boston Fashion Week or BUST! ...hittin' the big times!

Very recently my status read,
"I know this goes without saying, but don't you just wish you could wave a wand and make everything better for people. I know too sometimes people just have to find their own way and in the end will enjoy revelling in the triumph of their own success!".

It all came of having spoken on the telephone with my younger son when he called in a moment of feeling rather frustrated and depleted. He's been there before, but I know where he was coming from.
Presently he is working two jobs, not a foreign situation to him. One job with FCUK at the Eaton's Centre, only a few hours but he does enjoy that job and happy for any hours they can give him and has a very supportive staff team to work with. The second job, a restaurant on Church St., which initially he was excited to have and hoping it would reap some good tips to help in his making ends meet. The hours are not significant yet and the tips are pretty meagre at this point and of course the pay under minimum with the expectation the employees will in fact reap great wads of cash in tips. I'm sure as is our son that come the "tourist season"; nearly nigh, he will do much better in gathering greater tips!

Since in high school Chris has also continued to create fashion designs; designing and actually creating the pieces. He does several fashion shows a year, a participant by invitation and for numerous charity events. Generally there is no pay in attending these functions, only recently did he receive any funds for attending a show in London, Ontario and managed to make it there via a good friend willing to go along and help out. I know he doesn't balk at participating in a show even if it means packing a suitcase and taking the GO to Hamilton with bags of designs in hand!

He has received numerous phone calls from one of the organizers of the Boston Fashion Week wanting him to be a participant as a designer! He has been INVITED and is thrilled but reality may keep him from taking part! They have with each call realized his difficulty in being there and have been working to find some kind of solution in making it possible for him but there is still a gap! This is pretty big stuff for him and you can't help but imagine it just may be the "break" he's looking for. Connections, connections, connections and in meeting other industry people will go beyond the connections, even being greatly inspired, motivated to further pursue and continue with his desire to be well known for fashion design!

We are so excited for him but also share in the frustration of the cost of such an event. There is quite a hefty fee, the FEE, but then also accommodation and travel expense to and home from Boston and we can only hope he can find a way to pull it all together.
Of course we all understand the concept, sometimes you have to lay out a lot of cash in order to make a lot! Unfortunately he hasn't much money at all trying desperately to squirrel away ANY amount while keeping his basic bills paid. Funny, yes that sounds like any one of our own situations doesn't it!?

It's tough as a parent knowing when to jump in and when to stand back and hope they continue to find their way to their personal ideal of success.

Update...Chris continues to hope to make it to Boston Fashion Week, but further bad luck befalls him, but he will not give up. A friend of his has developed a site where anyone wishing to may donate toward the entrants fee for the big event. It costs 2200 for him to partake and any contributions are most greatly appreciated!~
http://christopherjnevin.com/