The Friday Photo
A weekly photo inspired by art, community, and spontaneity
August 10, 2012
When a Guilford College friend gave me a used kayak, I had to hustle and get my car outfitted for carrying the boat.
My 2010 Chevrolet Equinox (unpaid product placement here) had hooks in the front for securing a strap, but none in the back that are sturdy enough for regular use. The service manager, Jo Wren, asked Billy, a mechanic working on another vehicle, to make sure we weren’t missing it on the underside of the car.
We were stumped when there wasn’t one, but Billy said with an hour’s worth of work he would make one for me rather then installing a trailer hitch.
Yesterday I went back to Childre Chevrolet in Milledgeville (unpaid product placement again), and turned my car over to Billy.
About an hour later Billy took me out to the shop to show me the finished product. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t realize that I was really getting a craftsmanship quality product in addition to great service.
He seemed surprised when I said he was a craftsman in addition to being a mechanic. He replied, “Well I did this type of work at another job. I just wanted you to have something that would do the job but be out of the way and out of sight when you didn’t need it.”
Billy may not think he is a craftsman, but I do. Art is not only in museums where we expect it, but in the everyday things that make our lives richer.
Where are you making art and not realizing it?