| Original Message: Jan Skipper / Mosquitobay.... |
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Okay, since Will was brave enough to come out of hiding, I will as well. I have been absent from the Forum quite a bit lately, partly for personal reasons, but mainly because I have been trying to get my collection photographed and up on my pokey website. A hopefully brief background: Born Jan Leslie Skipper, September 1950 (often kidded about that name as I was growing up, but it is a family name, and not as bad as "Sue"). I greatly desired to be an Artist or Architect when I grew up. Instead I got called up for the draft in 1968, avoided it until 1970, then enlisted. After military service, became interested in making jewelry, mainly silversmithing, but often with beads as an accessory. The jewelry & bead stuff continued, but mainly as a side hobby to a real money making enterprise, which included a career and ownership in an Engineering & Surveying business from 1981 to 1999. Later, also on the side, we developed an independent Film Company (Stone Circle Studios), from 1991 to 1997, that did not make any money at all, but was a barrel of fun. My wife (Janne), and I managed stunt teams and stage shows across the southeast, and produced two Sci-Fi/Fantasy films (with me starring unfortunately in one of them). As if that was not enough, all through the later 1990's, the bead & artifact collecting continued to flourish. I discovered the Tucson show in 1997 and that was the beginning of a great love affair with ancient beads. My collection became more massive than I could ever keep track of. In late 1997, I had my first heart attack, and of course not being content with just one, I had a couple more in 1999, including the last one that killed me. Not being particularly fond of being dead, I decided to return. So thanks to the help of my friends, family and some amazing doctors, I was brought back to life, though not without significant damage to the old nervous and muscular system, including loss of the use of my legs and feet. My dear wife brought my favorite beads (including my Earth-Sky door d"Zi bead), to my bedside during the long recovery. In time, I was able to start collecting beads again through the internet, and eventually able to get about in a wheelchair, which I still use at home, although I have been able to walk some without the chair for a few years now. I have been selling pretty steadily on Ebay since about 2001, but mainly so I can continue to collect. It is through the internet, the Bead Forum, and people like those of you reading this message, that I was able to start my life over again. These days, I am trying to get my entire collection up on the website, a daunting task, because the collection consist of many thousands of ancient beads as well as several thousands of Venetian and other beads, artifacts and jewelry items. I have decided to eventually sell almost everything except the most favorite of my eye beads and other favorite pieces, because it just has become too much to manage. The website is partially up now, and anyone that wants to take a peek is welcome to. It is not complete and I am sure is full of mistakes and missing quite a bit of information, but I have been selling from it for some time already. In fact I am having trouble keeping up with it partly for that reason. I have attached a picture of me in my shop recently, and a link to the website if anyone cares to look at it and or offer advice. One of my biggest problems was trying to decide how to organize the categories, without swamping the actual catalogs with too many objects to look at. Also, my technical level is very much in line with an elementary school student, although some of them could probably teach me a few things. I would like to thank everyone (including dear Mr. Allen), for being a part of my return to well-being and say how much I enjoy being a part of this grand organization of human beings. Happy New Year to all, Jan Skipper mosquitobay All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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