MON AMI MARK - MY FRIEND MARK

  English Version - *version française dessous*


MY FRIEND MARK


“Never let schooling interfere with your education”

 – Mark Twain


I laughed when I read Mark Twain’s quote...  I felt he was speaking to me!  You see, I was a terrible student.  I only mastered two subjects, history and current events.  I barely got out of high school and never had the marks to go to university.  Consequently, I went into the family jewelry business.  I was 18 years old.  Five years later my parents went into a joint venture in the Republic of Ireland with two other companies.  My folks suggested to their partners that even though I was young, I could run the green field start up.  Everyone agreed and I moved to Ireland. 

 

I knew the manufacturing process pretty well, but that was about it.  I had no experience setting up a new business, hiring the employees, running the entire operation and dealing with a union (all foreign start ups had to be unionized).  Quite frankly, I wasn’t very confident.  But Ireland taught me so much.  I realized I loved to learn but hated to be taught!  I loved to learn things by myself.  After four years, we sold the company to Avon Cosmetics.  It was a very successful venture for my family.  I believe my time in Ireland defined the man I was to become.

 

I had enough confidence in my learning abilities that by the time I started painting in 1989, I decided not to take any painting lessons.  I taught myself and was lucky enough to have family and friends who encouraged me.  My Mom was my main cheerleader along with a friend named Dick Kalaidjian.  He owned an art store called Boutique D’Art.  Dick, who has since passed away encouraged me to paint.  Sometimes I thought he was just being nice, but who knows, perhaps he saw something in me those early days that I never felt. 

 

Not having any formal training freed me to experiment and try many different things.  Not everything worked, but success is built on failure and experience.

 

PHOTO/S: MY PAINTING OF “MY FRIEND MARK”

 

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Version française

  

MON AMI MARK



“Ne laissez jamais l’école nuire à votre éducation”

 – Mark Twain

 

J’ai ri en lisant la citation de Mark Twain… J’avais l’impression qu’il me parlait ! Vous voyez, j'étais un mauvais élève. Je ne maîtrisais que deux matières, l'histoire et l'actualité. Je m’en suis à peine sorti à l’école secondaire et je n’ai jamais eu les notes requises pour aller à l’université. Par conséquent, je me suis lancé dans l’entreprise familiale de bijoux. J'avais 18 ans. Cinq ans plus tard, mes parents ont créé une coentreprise en Irlande avec deux autres sociétés. Mes parents ont suggéré à leurs partenaires que malgré mon jeune âge, je serai capable diriger une start-up. Tout le monde s’est mis d’accord et j’ai déménagé en Irlande.

 

Je connaissais assez bien le processus de fabrication, mais c'était tout. Je n'avais aucune expérience dans la création d'une nouvelle entreprise, l'embauche d'employés, la gestion de l'ensemble de l'opération et les relations avec un syndicat (toutes les start-ups étrangères devaient être syndiquées). Franchement, je n’étais pas très confiant. Mais l'Irlande m'a beaucoup appris. J'ai réalisé que j'adorais apprendre, mais que je détestais qu'on m'enseigne ! J'adorais apprendre des choses par moi-même. Après quatre ans, nous avons vendu la compagnie à Avon Cosmetics. Ce fut une entreprise très réussie pour ma famille. Je crois que mon séjour en Irlande a défini l'homme que je devais devenir.

 

J'avais suffisamment confiance en mes capacités d'apprentissage pour qu'au moment où j'ai commencé à peindre en 1989, j'ai décidé de ne prendre aucun cours de peinture. J'ai appris tout seul et j'ai eu la chance d'avoir une famille et des amis qui m'ont encouragé. Ma mère était ma principale pom-pom girl avec un ami nommé Dick Kalaidjian. Il possédait un magasin d’art appelé Boutique D’Art. Dick, décédé depuis, m'a encouragé à peindre. Parfois, je pensais qu'il était juste gentil, mais qui sait, peut-être qu'il a vu dans mes débuts quelque chose que je n'ai jamais ressenti.

 

Ne pas avoir reçu de formation concrète m'a permis d'expérimenter et d'essayer beaucoup de choses différentes. Tout n’a pas fonctionné, mais le succès se construit sur l’échec et l’expérience.

PHOTO/S: MA PEINTURE DE ‘’ MON AMI MARK’’


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