Personal Chronicle

My life is too complex for a bio. I have several careers at once, continuous stream of targeted education, many projects I’m involved in intensively for months or years, but which have nothing to do with my “jobs”. There is no point attempting to capture my life year by year. Rather, this page pinpoints a few things that changed my life or turned my path to a new direction.

Childhood

Here I am! Ready to take on the world!

I loved flowers ever since I was a baby :-)

I was born in Prague in January 1975. "A typical Aquarius" as I was told and until I started to write this page, I had no idea what it really means. But the descriptions of the Aquarius sign I found were so accurate it made me laugh. So, if you know me personally, you’ll probably get a kick out of reading them.

My childhood was colorful and fun on a background of gray. My incredible parents never made me feel deprived of things, poor or pressured, despite the fact that their world “out there” represented all of this. As a child, spent a lot of time in the countryside, watching my grandma make jams and pick herbs. I played in mud and chased butterflies. By all means, I must say I’ve had a really happy childhood.

Studies

My chance to study was initially restricted by the fact that my parents we not members of the communist party. To put it short, I’ve grown up in a society where what you say at home and what you say in school were two very different things. While I love acquiring knowledge and was always among the top students, I hated the school environment as a place in which to be educated. This didn’t change much after the 1989 Revolution and I made sure I got out of the school system as fast as I could.

It always seemed to me, that all the interesting things I’ve learned and done were outside of school. I attended after-school activities such as gardening course, aerobics or German lessons, I sang in a children’s choir, played guitar for 5 years. As a child, I was particularly interested in languages and attended extended lessons in Czech language. I also wrote stories and even a teenage novel when I was fourteen.

At the age of 15, I started and for 3 years lead a Michael Jackson’s fan club, which had eventually grown to about 500 members. Don’t ask me if I think Michael Jackson is innocent. I think he is, despite where he is today. This world is simply not ready for his kind of enveloping, pure love. All I can say about this experience is that I owe him a LOT. Besides learning English from his songs, I’ve had a chance to organize a trip to his concert in Bremen, Germany, for 40 of our members. Later on I was among the subjects of a documentary film called the “The Gang”, describing the friendships in a group of teenagers, some healthy, some disabled, who share the passion for his music and philosophy. So, Michael’s “Heal the World” was certainly a kick start for me and when I look at the menu on the left, I realize just how much it influcenced my life as an adult. So, my big thanks to Michael Jackson, wherever he is!

At the same time, I embarked a on a journey to learn what I want to know. I was intensively self-learning English, even during my other classes. Before I got my hands on a computer, I attended many seminars and lectures on subjects ranging from meditation to comprehensive religion, from basics of Sanskrit to flower arrangements. I’ve completed a three month course of creativity called Artist’s Way (I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of creative boost). With the introduction to the Internet, the information resources became unlimited.

Work

My work experience seems to be scattered, but I highly value it. I believe experience is the currency of the universe. It’s the part that matters and stays with us. I was also always interested in doing things that were not done so far, inventing my own techniques and finding opportunities for creative work.

I started off in a brief stint in a beauty parlor, then moved on to Copy General. This step from my pre-determined career was a real milestone. It was also my first encounter with digital imaging and marketing. This was before the burst of computer graphics programs and I got to work for (and with) many Czech and American designers, artists and photographers. A few of them became my boyfriends and one customer in particular eventually became my husband.

The next step up was my first office job in a real estate agency and a first encounter with a computer. Again, I was “thrown in” with about 2 hours of training. Among other things, my job was to translate and edit property contracts, which included deciphering my boss’s English handwriting full of legal terms. This was such a hard way to learn, that from then on, I figured I can translate just about anything.

Then one of their real-estate clients asked me to work for him in a newly formed European Food & Entertainment Concepts, a.s., a company which started Planet Hollywood and T.G.I. Friday’s in Central Europe. Participating from the very beginning gave me a new perspective on building a business and thought me to “see what’s needed and get it done”.

Since 1997, I’m my own boss and I love it. Starting as a free-lance translator and copy-writer, I gradually acquired new computer skills and moved on to web design and consulting. Also in 1997, I went back to Copy General, this time as a client, with the idea for my flower art. In the spring of 1998, I had my first gallery opening in Radost FX, with an exhibition of the “Fall 1997 Collection”.

In 1999, after our extensive tour of the USA, my husband and I founded FeelBohemian.com, our on-line crystal shop. A year later, I became the co-founder and director of Helping Paws. By 2002 I reduced my functions there to web development and leading a team of volunteer translators. Additionally, I became involved with the canine therapy movement in the Czech Republic, serving as a vice-president of the Canine Therapy Association, a speaker and a consultant to students interested in writing on this subject. But that's already my present work and ongoing projects, which are described elsewhere on this website.

I definitely can’t say that I’m bored. A friend of mine once told me: “You are one of those universally useful people. Wherever someone puts you, even if you know nothing about the work, you are likely to do a decent job. Unfortunately for you, such people always end up with the biggest workload.” When I look at me never ending “to do list” I realize she was right. But then there is the old saying: "If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person." I'm guessing that's more my case.