"I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world." Thomas Alva Edison
This may seem odd for an artist to quote since the overalls typically don't have the ability to invest in art. That also seems to be odd as it might imply that I wouldn't want to be friends of my clients - not so. At least, depending on the client - not so. I would love to have friends who appreciate and collect art.
I believe this quote is meaningful due to my career as an architect. Not only were most of my clients not likely to be friends - some are - but, even though they were spending millions on a building they almost always wanted to cut corners on the design. The design, the one characteristic that gave their efforts greater long term value. Also a very small percentage of the budget. They were the ones most likely to also want to cut professional fees, even if it meant just disappearing when final payment was due. These are not they with whom you would seek friendship.
This may seem odd for an artist to quote since the overalls typically don't have the ability to invest in art. That also seems to be odd as it might imply that I wouldn't want to be friends of my clients - not so. At least, depending on the client - not so. I would love to have friends who appreciate and collect art.
I believe this quote is meaningful due to my career as an architect. Not only were most of my clients not likely to be friends - some are - but, even though they were spending millions on a building they almost always wanted to cut corners on the design. The design, the one characteristic that gave their efforts greater long term value. Also a very small percentage of the budget. They were the ones most likely to also want to cut professional fees, even if it meant just disappearing when final payment was due. These are not they with whom you would seek friendship.
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| School of Business and Economics. Weber State U |
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