Ever since Anne Robinson was 14 years old, she’s had spells. Those spells have caused broken ribs, a punctured side. One time, Robinson bit through her lip. Then in 2006, she had a seizure and landed on her face on a tile floor. That fall injured her brain. The doctors told Robinson she’d never be the same again.
At the time, Robinson was a head of marketing with an accounting background, working up the corporate ladder. She was making money and zooming through life like a speeding train heading for success. But after that fateful fall, everything changed. The docs were right — Robinson wasn’t the same.
“My faith got a lot deeper and I had to readjust what was really important,” Robinson said.
Never very artistic, Robinson took up jewelry making. She had always wanted to learn but never had the time. Now, she had the time and the need: She had to re-teach her brain how to learn.
The going was slow. Robinson took a three-hour jewelry class but couldn’t absorb more than 20 minutes at a time. She’d have to repeat the class. Others could make a ring the first time they tried; Robinson would have to make the same ring 100 times before getting it right.
“I was just determined not to be stuck on stupid,” Robinson said.
Today, Robinson works in precious metal clay, which she calls the coolest thing because it’s shiny and quite malleable. She also uses natural gemstones in her jewelry. She’ll be at Fresh Paint for the second time this year and will be selling her work, priced from $12 to $595 for a necklace.
“I really do like to make everybody happy and everybody smile and I could do it with jewelry,” she said.
She’s also lucked out in another way. She once thought she was not employable, but about a year ago got an office job with Aces Four Construction in Bothell, which includes office work and taking care of the owners’ dog.
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