March 26, 2005 –  Kelly and I have earned our living in part from the ideas of an out-of-print book called The Incredible Secret Money Machine, in that we created books and videos that we could sell copies of while we were on to new projects.You don’t need the book; the concept is simply to create things that can keep on earning money for you while you are doing something else.

Yesterdaywe went to the center of town here in Bernal, where we have rented a house. It’s Semana Santa, kids are out of school for two weeks nationwide, many adults have time off from work, and the town is bursting with Mexican tourists. Many buildings have transformed themselves into cute little shops. We had a great time wandering around.

I took Kelly back to a shop I had found earlier. Artist Rocio Cabrer, of Queretaro, had watercolors framed in glass and lead, along with stained glass, up on the walls.

Kelly has done enough watercolor himself that he immediately recognized her artistry and started a small pile of ones to buy. I wanted to get some of her Bernal ones especially.

We chatted with Rocio a while. She works a long time on each watercolor, and then a relative of hers makes lithographic copies, in a variety of sizes. Rocio frames them. I said I wanted to ask her a nosy question: did she make her living just from her art? She said yes, she does now, though she hasn’t always been able to. I commented that I have many artist friends in the U.S. who struggle to make a living. She said it’s like that for artists here in Mexico too. By using her methods of reproduction, she’s able to sell her art at prices that far more people can afford. A win-win situation — and a great example of of a money machine!

Four of Rocio Cabrer’s reproductions dress up our kitchen wall.