My name is Janie Thompson, I was born on August 31, 1983, in New York, one of the most popular cities in the United States. In our family unconventional and even unique, we are five siblings. My family is unique because I have five sisters and my parents have five daughters. The funniest thing is that my father has always dreamt of having a son. I am 35 years old, and I am the third daughter of my family. My mother’s name is Mary Thompson, she is from the City of Bend, Oregon, and the head of the family is my father whose name is Michael Thompson and who was born in the Gulfport that is the second largest city in Mississippi.
The interesting thing is that I took my elementary education, as well as my secondary education, at Park West High School that is located in the center of the New York City borough of Manhattan. My childhood days were filled with joy and laughter, that’s why I can say that my childhood was happy. While living with my parents and siblings, I was a happy child surrounded by love and people that cared about my heart. During the weekends, we spent our leisure time together walking in the park or helping one another in different daily activities. Usually, my sisters and I spent our summer vacations with our grandparents in the father’s hometown. Being a child, I had some hobbies and interests that took a significant amount of my leisure time. Since the early childhood, I like reading fiction, watching movies from different genres, and riding a bike. Also, during my summer vacations, my grandmother taught me how to cross-stitch.
My mother and her full sister were engaged in the fields of sewing and dressmaking. In the attempt to continue our family tradition, I wanted to get a degree in the field of costume design. This issue caused my great interest since the set of particular skills needed for this profession would give the opportunity to develop myself, as well as my career, in different business areas. Hence, I decided to enter the New York School of Design. I had not any doubts regarding my success since I was able to pass the entrance examination given at this college. What is more, my family and friends supported my career ambitions, and their approval was considered important to me. After I received the Bachelor’s degree, I realized that it was not enough to build the career in the field of costume design. The following important step was my decision to complete the costume design internship offered by the organizers of the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival held in the New York City.
During the period I worked there, the list of my responsibilities included creating the illustrations for the costumes, examination of the characters’ descriptions, and shopping trips. The ultimate step required for every successful costume designer is to develop a portfolio. Since I knew what I was getting myself into, I did not have any problems with this assignment. The experience I gained during my internship allowed me to create a significant number of unique costume drawings and sketches that constituted the major portion of my professional portfolio.
In the course of my internship, I gained a great deal of knowledge that helped me develop the professional aspect of my professional being. What is more important, the acquired knowledge also gave me the opportunity to get the better version of myself. While I worked there, I managed to study up in the area of clothing design. All the stuff I learned during the period of internship work includes the basics of my future profession as well as the skills that I should possess to develop myself as a successful costume designer. The list of skills required for the career path I have chosen implies a broad range of skills related to the areas of design and research. Also, costume designers should be able to translate their creative vision. Apart from that, the consummate professionals should have a significant amount of knowledge of fabrics and construction as well as the proficiency in the new technology that emerges in the field of fashion industry. Hence, in 2005, I have completed my internship having gained a wealth of knowledge that contributed greatly to my further career development.
This part of my autobiography will be dedicated to the events relative to my career success in chronological order. After my successful completion of the internship, I had worked as a volunteer at the local theatre known as the Richard Rodgers Theatre from 2005 to 2007. I worked there with the purpose of getting a good experience and developing my professional skills. It was my first job that implied a determined effort to gain a reputation of a gifted clothing designer. Later, from 2007 to 2010, I had worked in different theatres in New York City that include Ellis Island, HERE, and the Storm Theatre. In 2010, I was offered to work as a costume designer at the Pearl Theatre. It was the first breakthrough in my professional career, and I had worked at the Pearl Theatre for the following five years.
This period is considered important not only for my career development but also my romantic life. When I worked there, I had met my future husband, Eric Smith. In 2015, we married, and I decided for myself that my career as a costume designer came to an end. The reason for such a momentous decision was my tremendous desire to become a perfect mother. In 2016, I gave birth to a baby boy. My husband and I called him after my father, Michael. Although I thought that the birth of a child would imply the end of my career, I have found inspiration to develop myself to the contrary. Hence, since 2016, my career in the field of clothing design has been given a new lease of life. Two years ago, when Michael was born, I took a great interest in developing sustainable clothing to fit babies. Therefore, it can be concluded that I have launched a successful company related to the children’s clothing business thanks to the birth of my son.
