Scotie Cousin
Artist—Cousin’S Critters Photo: Laird How do you envision your critters? What is the inspiration? Let’s start with God first. Because He’s just kind of telling me what to do. He has really supercharged the creative gray matter between my ears. Sometimes it just flows out so effortlessly. I don’t do any specific species, mainly. I get a lot of people asking me to do a dolphin or a shark and I still love doing...
Kristi Aiello Senior Director Business Development, Florida Blue
Photo: Laird You’ve held several positions at Florida Blue; what has led to your longevity there? Throughout my career, I’ve looked for roles that have challenged me, provided me with an opportunity to continue learning and expanding my skills, and offered an opportunity for me to contribute to the overall success of the corporation. I also seek out a leader who is supportive, who will provide opportunities for my growth and who...
Amber Amerson
Theatre Director, LaVilla School of the Arts Photo: Laird You have a long tenure at LaVilla School of the Arts. Do you see any trends in performing arts education? Are students coming in with ideas from pop culture? Yes. Too many. Today, students are on the forefront of technology. While they have access to many performance examples, it is difficult to teach them how to decipher what is good practice from...
David Ponsler
Blacksmith Photo: Laird You’ve had a long career working with metal. Tell us how that all began and when you first became interested in metalwork. My parents were from Indiana, and my father had wanderlust which is why at 17 he volunteered to serve overseas in WW2. In 1950 he was lured down to Jacksonville to partner with a man making playground equipment out of steel. The company was called Wonderland Products. My mother...
The Conversation … Heather Surface
Owner/Operator, St. Johns River Taxi You and your husband operate the St. Johns River Taxi, but we hear that plans are to provide more than joyriding between the riverbanks. What changes have taken place and what do you envision changing in the future? Since the time we started operating the river taxi in 2014, downtown Jacksonville has changed significantly. Several tropical storms and a hurricane...
The Conversation
Darren Ronan, Owner/Teacher, Ronan School of Music Photo: Laura Evans You play drums and other percussion instruments, as well as string instruments including guitar, bass, and ukulele. Is there one you consider best at conveying your personal artistic voice? No one instrument in particular helps me express myself more than another. I am very fortunate in that I get to play in many different musical settings so anything I feel I...
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