Me 

Lisa Peters here! Multi Media Artist searching for inspiration, ways to share my artwork and I never had my own blog before so I thought, "why don't I write all this personal information about myself for people to read?" Hey -- sounded like a plan! About Me: My education/backround is in Commercial Freelance Photography..I recieved my B.F.A. from The School of Visual Arts in 1989 :( <--- did I say 1989? WOW... and jumped fast & furious into the world of editorial, fashion & catalog work..I was 20 years old. As a matter a fact I think I had my first studio before I could legally buy a bottle of champagne to celebrate with. Not that my studio was much to brag about - but it served its purpose and was shared by a limo company & a dentist who made fake teeth in the office to my right. I don't think anyone minded at all when model's came in for testing. I had some pretty fantastic clients & magazines and life was good. I spent a few years there, got married, bought a house and decided that I could convert space in my home to do my photography and thats what I did. My business started to change when I bought the house and no longer did any "fashion" that included humans. I remained a still life photographer but gradually took jobs that required my presence "somewhere else". I enjoyed editorial work for magazines because I met alot of people and got a first hand look at who they were & what they were about so that became the best part about being a photographer. The fact that I had no control over the photo editing was a little hard to take at first --- You know looking at the editor and "screaming inside - why the h-- would you pick that photo instead of this great one?" Oh well. At the same time I started working a part time job for my mother & step father in NYC's flower market. We owned about 4 stores at the time (still in business) and I was asked to help my mother & some other insignificant person who shall remain nameless.. run one of the stores, my stepfather remained elsewhere in the company... It was easy to do both because neither was a 9-5 job and it was a nice way to acquire knowledge of the field and a multitude of flowers to photograph! To make a long story short "don't work for your family", there are 2 ways that story can go..#1. You dont do anything, get paid alot of money and have the constant satisfaction that your name is on the company letterhead OR #2. You can work harder than anyone else, get the lowest pay allowed by law & get blamed for everything that happens even if you are out of the country at the time...Can you guess which one I had the privelege of experiencing? Anyway, At 25 years old I had spinal surgery..I had been researching surgeons and surgery for about 1 1/2 years and finally found the best surgeon .. Dr Frank Cammisa, Jr. Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC., and after months of Pre-Surgery tests I was on the table. Not so bad... If you have ever experienced "real back pain" (yes, real back pain) for years of your life the pain of recovery is nothing-just another "day in pain" .. I was told I would be up and around in a few months..and in reality I was up and around in 2 1/2 weeks. I had a spinal fusion L-3 to S-1 with my own harvested bone & instrumentation. It has been about 11 years since the surgery... other than weight gain and the occasional pain from the weather..I don't have any problems. At the time I was told I should go on complete disability... Why on earth would I go on disability if I could work? I never really understood where that ideaolgy comes from -- probably from "lazy person in charge" giving free $$$ to people with "lazy-personitis" I have a real problem with people who "milk the system". You know who you are, You think you are winning - but your not., you are really losing out in life, that free $$$ comes with a BIG price tag..You'll see. Ok..back on track, but Blogs are about ramblings on, aren't they?
I continued to shoot for years after surgery but without the same enthusiasm..and one day., after years of weird part time jobs, bartending one of them, and some therapy I discovered that, "Hey its okay if you don't want to take pictures anymore, its okay if you want to try other media" And thats when this wonderful journey began.