Look & listen as dancer/creative coach Jess Grippo shares the story of this well-used and well-loved T-shirt.

Part of her personal history, her life journey is practically woven into its fabric.

Part of her journey (& the tee’s too) began in 2004 in Florence, Italy. She was there on a semester abroad program from college.

At the beginning of her time there, she felt awkward…. awkward about everything: fitting in, her body, what she was wearing… all those things. She experienced loneliness and had a hard time making friends & finding her place.

While out for a walk she noticed a shop with weird looking wooden shoes in the window. She was intrigued, so she walked in and said Hi to the guy working there. He was a big man wearing a painters suit with colorful splashes of paint all over its white background.

Though her Italian wasn’t yet fluent, they chatted for a while and she forgot her awkwardness.

He asked if she was looking for work & invited her to work for him. For some reason, she knew she needed to say YES. She showed up for work the next day and he handed her a painters suit like his. It too was covered with splashes of paint.

That was when she finally felt at “home” for the first time since starting her semester abroad. She knew it was odd to feel this in a jolly old shoemaker aka a “strangers” shop. But feel it she did.

Jess felt connected with this man because of a shared passion to be a free spirit. He lived a bohemian or unconventional life and she was building & embracing that lifestyle for herself.

She hadn’t taken a lot of clothes with her for the semester, but the tee shirt she shows was a favorite because of the softness of the fabric and how it fit her during this awkward phase. She bought this Quebec T-shirt from a vintage store back in the states.

The college she was attending in Florence held an art making day, soon after she had begun working for the shoemaker, and she decided to join in. She wore her favorite tee that day. There were canvasses & paints set up around campus, and as she was standing in front of a blank canvas Jess decided to take her T-shirt off and laid it on the canvas. She took a paintbrush and began splashing different color paint onto it’s white-ish background. Once the paint dried she cut the collar and sleeves and really made it her own.

After all the experiences & things she bought during her time abroad, this T-shirt is her favorite. It reminds her of the jolly shoemaker who helped her feel at home in a far away place. It tells the story of how she CAN find her own people, she CAN find her own way even when she is feeling awkward.

She holds on to this Thing that matters almost 20 years later, because it represents her ability to build & live the life she desires and deserves. She doesn’t wear the tee much any longer because of its condition, but she’ll keep it still.

Jess recently started dating Anthony. One of their first weekend getaways was to Quebec City, Canada. The first thing she thought about was if she could find another new-ish Quebec tee like the old one. She found one that’s very similar & had Anthony buy one that sort of matched. It felt significant as she was honoring this new phase, new relationship in her life AND keeping the old one to honor her awkward self from so many years ago.

She continues to find herself and the free spirited way to go about life. Find more about Jess here: https://www.jessgrippo.com

What Thing would tell your artistic journey tale?

This short story was recorded by Jess Grippo who was unable to join us live for my virtual Show & Tale: Artists, Inspiration & Tools in January of 2022.

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