Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 13:10:41 -0400
From: DRBalloons <drballoons@odyssey.on.ca>
To: "balloondeco@balloonhq.com" <balloondeco@balloonhq.com>
Subject: In support of Melanie!

Without turning this into something more than it is, I have to support
and agree with Melanie and her comments!
This list is wonderful, and being a member of it for over a year now, I
have benefited immensely, however, recently the constant requests from a
few select individuals really takes away from it all.  For example,
there is a newcomer to the list that in the past month has requested
help and ideas on, a horse party, a figure skating party, an outdoor
wedding, a pet store anniversary, and now a prom.  We all work hard to
run our businesses and turn to this list for support, but a majority of
us have taken the necessary steps to learn our craft and have invested
in the back issues of Images, taken our C.B.A. certification, learned by
trial and error, attended local chapter classes, invested in the trips
to I.B.A.C, discussed ideas with our clients, and when stumped have
taken other avenues to be creative.  This is why we succeed in our
businesses... because we are good at what we do, we have our own ideas
and this keeps our individual businesses unique, therefore attracting
clientele.  We can't expect to get a job from a client and then run to
this list to have those of us that have taken the time to learn our art
give the answers and designs, therefore skipping the most important step
of the balloon industry....learning your trade.  Almost anyone can blow
up a balloon and sell it, but to sculpt and create and have individual
style is what it is all about, therefore requiring most or all of the
above mentioned steps to learn.  Part of our job as balloon
professionals is having a creative mind...this sets us apart.  Without
creativity and know how, perhaps another field of work would be more
beneficial.  This is not to say that when a blank is drawn and you have
exhausted all other avenues that this isn't a great place to turn too,
but we should keep the designing requests to a minimum.  I don't want
this to turn into a huge debate, as we all have other things to discuss
that would be so much more beneficial, but I do agree with Melanie and
her comments and would like to see this list as a place for support 
from others experiences, not as an avenue to run your business because
you are not creative enough to search out for and come up with your own
ideas.  This is not meant as criticism, only as my point of view! 

Denise Grigg
D.R.Balloons & More
Ontario, Canada