New Jersey Stage Issue 59 | Page 98

Lance wanted to live in these ar- eas rather than just be a tourist and he found he could use teach- ing ESL as a means to stay for a while. While he had always want- ed to see if he could teach, he did not have a formal background. Fortunately, many places in Asia only required a Bachelor’s degree. He was able to get hired and learn on the job. He did not know how to speak Korean, but says their English was good enough to un- derstand him on a basic level. And he was able to use gestures NJ STAGE - ISSUE 59 to get other points across. While in Asia, he studied under a Taiwanese master painter for about six months. Lance says that instruc- tion helped him with his portraits. “Just being out there enhances your own creativity, ideas about how you see the world, and how you see things,” said Lance. “You can’t help but evolve or change. It’s inevitable.” Yet no matter where he went in the world, his thoughts always re- turned to Lambertville. The town and its neighbor New Hope, PA, INDEX NEXT ARTICLE 98