I must admit, I do enjoy the variety of looks that come across peoples' faces when I tell them I create wallpaper. Some are puzzled. Some stare blankly (I don't really look like a wallpaper-designing-kind-of-guy). Others scowl. Some eyebrows go up and they say, "Pardon?" as though I've made a sarcastic remark. And then there are those who have a pulse on the world, who know what's goin' on, who know themselves, and it's these people who pause for a second, processing the information. Then they get over the initial shock and a little sparkle begins to happen in their eyes as their imagination spins out to the cosmos.

First, their mind takes them to their grandmother's house, where the bathroom was wallpapered in a terrible rose pattern and it was sort of fuzzy too (and they get grossed out when recalling the pink, padded toilet seat). Second, because they are often well-traveled people, their mind zips over to Paris and to Versailles where the wall are swathed in regal prints in silks and gold (their blood pressure stabilizes again and they begin to smile). Then, they come back to the present moment, cocking their head to the side, asking, "Really? What kind of wallpaper do you mean? Can I see?"

I tell them I actually create couture wallcoverings, because that sounds much better than just wallpaper. Plus, the paper material is super-heavy-duty-indestructible, so the word paper doesn't do it justice. And it's couture because, well, it sure isn't anything you can find at lame old Home Depot or your local paint store run by some guy named Jim. And the stuffy folks in England, they couldn't handle the bold statement these patterns make. But! The people who design this world, the movers and shakers, creating couture fashion and leading the trends - now those people can appreciate this stuff.

For me it's about freedom of expression and being bold, purely creative, at a ridiculous level of quality (which is probably beyond anyone noticing), and yelling out loud about who I am. Afterall, who ever got anywhere in this world by being meek and quiet in the corner?

I like my wallpaper shaken, not stirred.

Paaren Harrington Mihtla