Holding place until I get a better picture
Salvatore LaCagnina was the first (and only) person that came to mind when I saw the Week 22 prompt was Creativity. Uncle Sal was married to Aunt Nell, and he was a furniture builder by trade, but Uncle Sal was also an artist. I don't know if any of his work still exists other than this painting in my dad's house. It's not a great quality photo, so you probably can't appreciate the detail and color of the parrot on the vase of flowers, but it is a beautiful piece.
The 1910 census (Uncle Sal would have been about 15) indicates that he was an apprentice in a lawyer's office. I like to imagine he rifled through case briefings and affidavits and discovered he had no desire to partake in the profession. Certainly, by the time he completed his draft card for World War I, he had realized his disinterest in law. He was working for International Shade Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, and listed his occupation as 'art glass.' A quick search on Google revealed an International Shade Company floor lamp with a stunning stained glass shade. It is my assumption that those are the types of items Uncle Sal created. In 1930, he identified himself as an 'artist' employed in furniture wholesale. In 1940, he was still listed as an artist, but the column indicating industry reads 'church work.' Considering that he had worked in glass, perhaps he was creating stained glass windows. Or maybe he did scroll work on pews. because, in the 1950 census, his occupation was listed as a "furniture decoration," which I assume means he did things like designs and detailing on hardwood furniture.
Whether the medium was glass, woodwork, or painting, it seems clear that Uncle Sal certainly preferred creativity to the court room.
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