Photographic memory… Sadly, I definitely don’t have it. My abilities are a bit more selective. Luckily as a designer, I am blessed with good visual recall. This means I can remember certain images very clearly, even years later… Like this one, from our wedding nearly 5 years ago. We were just married minutes before and there was husband and my great uncle from Hawaii – together on the lawn of a winery in Connecticut.

Some of you may know my Uncle Ed. This man of great compassion and wisdom was my maternal grandmother’s brother, both an architect and artist. He passed away late last week, but I know he would want family and friends transform sad thoughts into happier ones. I’ll always remember feeling special when Uncle Ed took me (the short lived, architect-aspiring version of me) on a tour of his firm, Aotani & Associates. One of his paintings now hangs proudly in our living room. When I look at the giant brushstrokes and ponder my grandmother’s abilities as a seamstress, I can’t help wondering if my creative abilities find their roots in the Aotani side of the family?