[caption id="attachment_899" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Stay in my cocoon?"]

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The other night someone asked me a question that rocked my world.
A very successful men's shoe designer and his artist/businesswoman wife are new friends of my husband and mine. Before going to dinner at the wonderful
Parioli in Solana Beach, they came by the house because they were interested in seeing my work and I wanted to get their feedback.
[caption id="attachment_537" align="alignright" width="135" caption="........or should I brand 'Suzanne Balestri Designs'?"]

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We had a great discussion on my art and my inspirations and where I wanted to go with it. They loved my work and felt that there was no reason that a Nordstroms (through which he has sold his shoes) or similar wouldn't carry it. There was one caveat for him though and it came in the form of this question:
"Why aren't you using your real name as your brand?"