AdventureView: Marga Fabbri ~ Fill The Pool And Jump In! ~ By Mark McMahon

November 2005
(Editor's note: Mark McMahon is the founder of Live Your Adventure web site and newsletter. Mark is also a regular contributor to Escape From America Magazine) Every time I have been to Buenos Aires I have visited the Recoleta Arts and Crafts Fair at Plaza Francia near the Famous (and FOR the famous) Recoleta Cemetery. The Fair is open every weekend and features a huge variety of arts and crafts, plus some wonderfully eclectic entertainment. I met Marga Fabbri there on my very first visit. We have been friends ever since, enjoying discussions on the nature of life, work, and art, while hanging out on the lawn across from her paintings. This visit she proudly announced that she had finally quit her day job! Hmm, I thought, this most certainly warrants an AdventureView.

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Mark for LiveYourAdventure: Congratulations!

Marga Fabbri: [With a huge smile] Thank you so much!

LYA: How long did you study architecture?

MF: For 12 years.

LYA: You mean 12 years studying and working?

MF: No, 12 years of study and certifications. That included a one-year exchange program in Brazil doing a restoration project on an old church.

LYA: How was that?

MF: It was the best! I learned to speak Portuguese and started my first oil-on-canvas paintings. An incredible experience culturally. A very small town, such a contrast to growing up in Buenos Aires!

LYA: And work after your schooling?

MF: About five years. I worked on a few projects and also worked in research at my school. But I did not enjoy working in the profession as much as the schooling. I always knew that I wanted to draw. Architecture seemed like a good way to go about it.

LYA: So you don’t regret the schooling?

MF: Oh no. My personal style developed from my training. It is who I am. I love architecture.
I just don’t like the work! [laughs]

LYA: Did you do much art before architecture school?

MF: Yes. My grandfather was my first art teacher. When I was only 6 years old! He was a sculptor and a professor at an art college.

LYA: I love the bright colors in your art, the whimsical style, but you can still really feel the architecture.

MF: My current style has developed over the past 4 years. I first started selling black-and-white drawings.

LYA: So what’s up with the cat?

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MF: That’s Tomas. He hangs out with me while I draw, so he ends up in most of my pieces. My little trademark.

LYA: So you are happy with your new status, unemployed?

MF: [Laughs] I am the happiest when I am drawing. The happiness goes into my paintings. I sell much more than my competitors here. [Looks around to see that none can hear her, then speaks more quietly.] People don’t want darkness and depression on the walls of their home. My customers say my work makes them happy. I believe that my paintings transmit my happiness to them. It’s a great feeling! Happiness while I work and then again, back from my customers.

LYA: So you made the jump eight months ago. What finally triggered the decision?

MF: Well, I made the decision two years before the jump. I spent that time preparing for the jump.

LYA: Tell me about that.

MF: It was kind of like bouncing on a diving board over an empty pool! If you can imagine… I filled the pool up myself as I built up my confidence. I had to jump before it was completely full, but when I landed, all of the water was there!

LYA: So no regrets? How did it feel?

MF: It was liberation! Freedom! My spirit was much lighter.

LYA: And the future?

MF: I want to travel and teach drawing. I have one student now! I want to travel to other cities to paint and sell my work.

LYA: So your new profession is very portable?

MF: Yes of course! Most everything I need is in my mind.

LYA: What advice do you have for someone considering the jump?

MF: Sadly, I think that many people never discover what they are meant to do in life, what will make them truly happy. But I think it is there if you look carefully and listen. It was difficult listening to that little voice inside telling me what to do. But it is worth it, believe me. I struggled with it for 3 or 4 years. I thought I could do both. But it was a lie.

I just kept painting and painting and building my confidence. Filling the pool!

THE END
(But really just the beginning...)

To see Marga's website and see more of her art, click here.

To learn more about Mark McMahon and his Adventures, visit www.LiveYourAdventure.com

The following are Mark's previous articles for the magazine:

An Accountant In Argentina ~ An Interview With Joel Graham
Through Bolivia ~ Riding My Bike On The World's Most Dangerous Road
Living Large In Buenos Aires ~ Argentina
At The Bottom Of The World ~Ushuaia
Adventures In Colombia ~ The Journey Continues
El Salvador Autohotel ~ Salvadoran Hotel Pleasure ~ by Mark McMahon
AdventureView: Rita Golden Gelman ~ Female Nomad Crosses The Globe Solo!
Bolivian Safari ~ Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Baby Blue And La Paz ~ Making It Through In Bolivia
What Doesn't Kill You... ~ Noel Kempff National Park, Bolivia
Bolivia To Buenos Aires ~ On The Road
ANTI-AMERICAN SENTIMENT ~ Politics In Latin America
Cuba ~ Having Fun

To contact Mark Click Here