With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, many people will begin to consider what they are thankful for. For some, this may be the extra slice of pumpkin pie that they scarf down at the dinner table. I however would like to take this opportunity to state how thankful I am for everyone who has contributed to my success and well being at Genesee Community College thus far. If it were not for the careful guidance I have received from my professors, Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart, as well as from a variety of other faculty members at Genesee Community College, I would not be nearly as capable as I am today.

That being said, though Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks as the name suggests, some individuals view gathering for this holiday to be another instance in which a large family brawl may occur. These specific instances of family in-fighting at Thanksgiving dinner is what I drew my inspiration from for my latest window display at Charles Men’s Shop in Batavia. I came up with the concept of the display window acting as an actual window into a family home at Thanksgiving. I wanted it to appear as though that the men of the family had begun to fight just as the feast was beginning. I created a small table environment set with dinner utensils to give the Thanksgiving dinner feel, as well as decorated the window with Tulle fabric which acted as window curtains. I also dressed the mannequins in various stages of outerwear to suggest that a few of the men would be leaving shortly due to the fight. I had a lot of fun coming up with the concept of this window. I felt a little kooky creating such a descriptive back-story for a window display; however, Kristen and Don from Charles Men’s Shop informed me that the most successful window displays employ the same tactics.

I feel as though I’m developing a better understanding on how to create more successful displays through the use of color, balance, focal point, and even movement. I have also started attending a Visual Display class at GCC and have found that I am able to transfer many of the concepts I am learning directly into my displays at Charles Men’s Shop. I find that learning by doing inside and outside of the classroom at Genesee Community College is helping me to further my skills and better understand where I might be headed in the future.