Let's just greet the elephant in the room--how has all the tension in Portland affected you and your studio, being in Oregon City? From your experience, are things as bad as the media has made it out to be?
While the political climate has shifted and changed our entire nation, the tension in Portland has only indirectly affected the studio. As a community, we have supported peaceful protests and a lot of our community members have participated in local Black Lives Matter protests in Oregon City and other smaller towns. I can't speak for the businesses in Portland but in my direct experience, it seems that pockets of areas, rather than the city as a whole, were most directly impacted. The news media made it seem like the entire city was up in flames. Most of the activity seems to have been peaceful.
What about you personally? Tell us what 2020 taught Marci Jory.
I am definitely a student of life and I try to see all experiences as opportunities for growth and learning. This year feels like it has offered decades worth of growth and learning at hyper speed. I feel like the events of the year, from the pandemic to the political and social unrest, have catapulted transformation and, for many of us, it's as if a veil has been lifted and things are a little clearer (even if uncertain) right now. Finding the language to describe the lessons this year is difficult, so I'll try to sum it up in a few main lessons.