I found myself in Los Angeles with sunglasses and freeways, margueritas and pool parties. While adjusting to life in "the Valley," I was teaching first graders. When the principal of the school bought 24 Commodore computers and said he was looking for a computer teacher, it was the first time I had to think about what a computer was.

Looking for an adventure, I confidently told him I would be glad to be the computer teacher. I took the Commodore manuals home, bought a couple of how-to's (very lacking at the time), and began to plan my first day teaching kindergarten through sixth grade how to use computers.

I decided the younger kids would be happy using a new game called Type Attack where you shot down letters rolling across the screen. I became more of a facilitator than teacher and just made sure the kids had resources to spark their imaginations. But the roar of the technology collision was upon me.

Technology and Art Struggle for Balance

Later I moved to San Francisco, worked as an executive recruiter and spent two nights a week learning ceramic techniques of handbuilding and sculpture. This was my "hands" phase, where many of my sculptural pieces included hands someplace in the piece. The largest piece I made was a desktop brickwall with hands breaking through the top of the wall spelling the word Silence in sign language.

But technology continued to tug at me and I set up a BBS (Bulletin Board System) to post high-tech jobs. I was the first woman BBS SYSOP in California on the international RBBSnet. I had to use an alias of Kevin to hide the fact that people were working online with a "technical woman."

Feeling too involved with technology, I began taking a class to learn stained glass techniques. The struggle of balance continues. I found my love of colored glass during this period.

Art Takes a Back Seat to the Corporate World

While installing a BBS at a company called 800-SOFTWARE, I accepted a full-time job in their technical support department. After a year, I was promoted to Manager of Technical Support on the corporate track.

We were purchased by Digital Equipment Corporation and my department began helping Digital with their customer technical support. Then, after only two years, Digital decided to sell off 800-SOFTWARE.

Good Things Come In Severance Packages

Corporate Software later bought our company and laid off three Vice Presidents and me. I received an extremely generous severance package and was paid handsomely to stay an extra month for the transition. My technology and art background finally made a collision: I designed and wrote a business plan to develop The CraftWEB Project - an Internet service to bring craft artisans together to help the world see the fantastic work being done by these artisans.

I continue working in wood and stained glass 3D pieces. I never have a dry spell because there is so much inspiration from the other artisans on the Internet. I spent 4 months writing a book, "In Search of Arts and Crafts on the Internet," to help those thinking about or just joining the Internet. It lists over 200 arts and crafts sites on the Internet. I have the best of both worlds: technology in the service of craft art expression and art enhancing and driving communication through technology.