Nora Fish, Color Maven

I first met Nora Fish nearly a decade ago at Parco, a little French cafe on 7th Ave. run by an Italian named Alex.

Actually, to be fair, I met Annika first, her huge gorgeous long-haired German Shepherd. Annika stood outside the window of the little cafe regally, in the rain. She was hard to miss.

Tootsie was there too, the little black pug, a sweet sidekick who died in 2016, but who is remembered on 2,000 little pins Nora had made and carries with her to give away to all and sundry.

Nora is herself an arresting figure. She is oft clad in colorful sweaters, gloves or scarves she's knit herself, or found, excitedly, in a store. That is the thing about Nora: she is always excited, about something, color mostly.

I remember the day I met her, she smiled big, as she does, when I asked her what she did, and handed me a raft of colorful cards she'd designed and had printed.

Go Fish Interiors for her interior design business; Nora Fish Design, for her graphic design company; Color Maven for her color consulting business; and Viveca Handmade, her jewelry making venture. I knew then that she was a woman after my own heart, a true wild artist soul. And I wasn't wrong.

I have indeed used Nora's many services. She has designed flyers for me, and taken my pup Ginger for weeks at a time in her funky colorful house, choosing just the right yarn to knit Ging the perfect sweater to match her fur. She has helped me pick paint colors for my apartment, and I have been the beneficiary of her beautiful beads, that I watched her make from the colorful clay that she mixes and rolls between her fingers for unique one-of-a-kind necklaces and pins and earrings she has sold at local retailers like Otto and on Etsy at her soon-to-be-live shop, VivecaFish.

"I love mixing colors, I just love it!" she told me excitedly one afternoon as we sipped tea in her kitchen.

Visiting Nora's house is a true inspiration. There are so many gorgeous things to look at it, so many shades and hues, like a landscape painting she adds to and changes routinely. Invariably, she will have at least one extra dog besides Annika, or maybe even six, depending on how many neighborhood folks have prevailed upon her for her dog-sitting services. It is like a hip Brooklyn Hound Hotel, replete with the custom-designed dog sweaters she often sends pooches home in. She even bakes, offering up bite-sized "herbal cheesy shortbread" she creates expertly from scratch.

I look around, and am inspired to do the things I love to do, to be the person I want to be. Creativity oozes up through the floorboards and suddenly the world is a brighter more interesting place.

I love you Nora! Thank you so much for the colorful inspiration and fascinating real conversation, always!

Reach out to Nora at norafish240@gmail.com to purchase a one-of-a-kind necklace or custom dog sweater, or to utilize any of her great artistic design services!

Shalom, Inshallah, Peace be with You.

Steph Thompson

Founder, Executive Director, InspireCorps

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