A Chat with Dave Petty of The Frame Center (Creativity Over Coffee)

It’s time for another installment of Creativity Over Coffee so grab your coffee or tea and join us. Today I’m sharing a chat with Dave Petty, the owner of The Frame Center, host of the Inside the Frame Podcast & champion of artists everywhere.

Creativity Over Coffee

I’ve known Dave for a few years and he’s been so supportive of me and my art but so many others. I use the Frame Center for all my framing needs. They do wonderful work and I also love their ready made frames too. I’m delighted to share more about Dave and the wonderful team at The Frame Center. I highly recommend them for all your framing needs.

A Chat with David Petty

Thank you so much for deciding to join me for coffee and chat about your creative process. When I had just graduated from film school in London and couldn’t find work, I found inspiration through the many biographies I read from the library. I used to go there each week and take out more.

Many people believe they are not creative. I hear this all the time. It is my hope with these conversations with my talented friends that I hope to inspire my readers to believe that they truly are creative. That creativity is just sitting inside of them waiting to bubble over.

Hi Dave, can you tell my readers more about yourself and The Frame Center? Did you always know you wanted to follow in your dad’s footsteps?

Dave – FC has been in business for 50 years. My father started the business then brought my uncle into the business and they found plenty of success providing a quality product for a fair price. I never really planned to follow in my father’s footsteps. Because of circumstances I grew up around the store and started learning the business early on. After high school I just sort of landed there full time and slowly started to take over. Over the years I have truly grown to appreciate what my father started and have learned to love the family business and the art community that we are a part of. I feel like it’s my job to build on what was given to me and help the business and the community grow and be recognized for how great it is. Learn more about The Frame Center’s history here.

The Frame Center is so wonderful and supportive of artists and art collectors. Can you talk a little bit about how you promote artists and tools you have for artists.

Dave – I tell anyone who will listen the importance of art and what an amazing art community that we have here on the South Shore. We have built a big part of our social media around this. Showing people artists and their work. Our website has artist pages, event calendar and listings of art associations and galleries to see art. We hope to add classes and more so people can come to our site and find out everything about art on South Shore. We recently teamed up with Jackson from South Shore Stuff to start a series of videos called “beyond the frame” giving a peek into the places to see and buy art on the South Shore. And we are beginning to start a new series where we go into people’s homes and show their homes and what they have hanging on their walls. (Hopefully out in the next few months).

Do you have a favorite project that you’ve framed or something really memorable you’ve framed?

Dave – I have been able to work on so many interesting projects over the years that it’s hard to pick a favorite. Two that I am currently involved in that I think are really interesting are for Franklin Sports and Lovell Hockey. Getting to work with two local brands that see their history and how they started and got to the level they are at today is inspiring.

When do you feel most creative or happy?

Dave – Working on the design aspect of framing gives me a real feeling of creativity especially when we are planning out what a room will be designed around.

What’s your favorite color?

Dave – Blue

You have a wonderful podcast, Inside the Frame, can you share more about that with my readers?

Dave – Part of FC mission is to shed a light on what an amazing art community we have here on the South Shore and the podcast is just one of the ways I feel like I can do that. I have so many interesting conversations with interesting people on a daily basis at FC and I feel like recording some of them and sharing it with the public is a cool way that the public can learn more about these people and get them inspired to buy their art or from their business.

Who or what inspires you?

Dave – I find myself inspired by people that work hard. I see so many artists, businesses owners and athletes that have had success and I think in all of that success it’s always hard work and sacrifice that was so important to them arriving there. So when I see anyone working hard at their craft I’m inspired.

Many of my readers are art enthusiasts or love interior design. Do you have any tips when it comes to framing or hanging art?

Dave – We have started a series of animations trying to teach people how to hang art. And hope to answer questions and teach people how to do it properly so my tip would be check out our website and if you don’t find the information you need ask us and we will explain and maybe make a video so it’s easier for everyone.

What struggles have you found running your own creative businesses? What are the highlights or perks of being your own boss?

Dave – The biggest one is just finding the time to do all the things I want to do. Promoting FC and the community is a full time job on top of my full time job doing framing. Trying to find time to balance that work load with time for family and personal projects is hard. That’s why my personal life and business life end up so intertwined. The highlights of being my own boss is I get to do what I want (after I get my work done)

What’s on the horizon for you and the Frame Center?

Dave – More podcasts, more educational videos and more of Mr talking up the arts and artists in our community.

Growing up I was a huge follower of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO. At the end of the program, they would ask the interviewee these questions:

What is your favorite word? Excited
What is your least favorite word? No
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Hard work
What turns you off? Laziness and excuses
What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
What sound or noise do you love? Pucks hitting crossbars (some people might say glass)
What sound or noise do you hate? Plexiglass being cut
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? When I’m done promoting other people’s art I would love to pursue an artistic career of my own.
What profession would you not like to do? Anything that involves children in sports
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? That I belong there. That the good I have done in this world outweighs the bad things I did and the mistakes I made.

Wasn’t this just such a fun conversation. I love the Frame Center and all they do to promote art and artists here on the South Shore. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Thank you, Dave, for joining me today. Be sure to follow along with Dave and the Frame Center:

Photos by Claudio Eshun for the Frame Center