Jul26

Ah! Fresh Start Monday! Try Something New!

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Ah! Fresh Start Monday! Try Something New!

What a glorious weekend in Toronto! The weather was just beautiful and I had the pleasure of spending my entire weekend outdoors and with people I actually really really like. Isn’t that always so lovely?  It was my best friend’s Emily’s birthday so  went to glow in the dark mini-putting and then had dinner together and then saw a movie all together – it was soo awesome to spend a whole day with your pals.

Flowers in the Summer Sun!

Sunday was also so totally amazing. I went back to my favourite space in Toronto right now- the Toronto Islands with a dear friend (Nima Shams -who is also a musician and just a lovely human being).   It was his first time to the Island and so I introduced him to our humble parks and beaches. We then walked up through downtown and enjoyed the man-made loveliness of the city lights against the summer sky.

BUT today is Monday.  And can I say - IT IS A GOREGOUS MONDAY so  I thought I’d do something fresh today – I’m fasting as it’s a full moon don’t you know.  I find it helps me center and focus every once in a while.  On that note – why not take this Monday to do something new?

Here are some links to people or places or things I think might just inspire you!

  1. Issu: a really slick online magazine publishing platform.  So many bloggers really want a slick uber produced glossy magazine face -I know you do – there’s no shame in it! :)
  2. Tenielle Design: a jewelry designer originally from Toronto but now moving to Paris! (with my drummer! sigh!) I have several of her pieces and LOVE them.
  3. Art Starts: Great inspiring community based art projects and one of my personal favourite organizations EVER.
  4. Trendhunter.com:  Not entirely certain how I feel about this site – interface is not my favourite as it’s a little too busy – but it’s a great site to see what’s going on in many different areas of art, music, pop culture – seems like a good resource for advertising/marketing types.
  5. Slim Twig: I would refer to Slim Twig as an avant-garde musician with punk, country, electronica,  and many many other influences- He has several shows coming up on Toronto through July and Aug – you have to experience Slim Twig – you simply must. (To be fair though – I have yet to see him play live – BUT I hope to this summer!!)

If Mondays suck (which I’m sure they do for many people ), go out (or stay in) – try something new. It doesn’t have to be HUGE.  You could start just with little things no? Like writing with crayons for a day – and then move up to something like finger painting. You might be surprised that the  little steps you take actually have a big impact on how you think or feel throughout the day.

Keep it fresh! Happy Monday!

Jul26

Updates!

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Updates!

Corrections: I wanted to bring your attention to an update I’ve made on the Natural Capital Project interview. I’ve removed about 30seconds of the interview regarding funding.  Really this came out of follow up conversations I’ve had with the project members.  There was some information provided that needed some flushing out – so I decided to remove the funding information currently but will follow up with the project to get correct and confirmed information shortly!  Everything else has remained entirely intact!

Bloggers: A NEW BLOGGER! Quil4 will be joining us this week! A little bit about Quil4 in her own words:

I majored in International Relations with a minor in English literature, as part of my BA studies, and recently graduated with an MA in International Affairs, focusing on human security and development. Residing in Vancouver, I’m currently contemplating law school and searching for gainful employment. Creative writing has always been a hobby(though my readership has been mostly limited to myself), and though somewhat technologically illiterate, I’m truly excited to learn more about the world of blogging.

Exciting blogging times ahead for Quil4 – keep an eye out!

Jul18

What’s a post about environmental capital have to do with Art?

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What’s a post about environmental capital have to do with Art?

Finally here is the interview that I had with Manu Sharma from the Natural Capital Project!

Disclaimer:  I have known Manu for a very long time.  We’ve been friends since we were kids.  When we were little we always said that we wanted to do good in the world.  He recently moved from Toronto to Paolo Alto to work on this project with Stanford.  When I learned what the project was all about – I had questions.  This is not a random encounter – nor was I approached to do this interview by the project.  I was just sincerely intrigued.  I still have questions and will likely have a follow up post.

This interview in total lasts about 15mins. It’s been split into 3 pieces for easier consumption.  The 1st and 3rd part are audio only.  The 2nd part integrates the video desktop recording I’ve always been so curious about.     Also note that ‘B is for Blog’  is a work room so our contributors like to muck about with new ideas and new ways of presenting ideas.  Like, Social Return on Investment,  natural capital and trying to capture value in processes that have traditionally not been valued,  is a very tricky business.   It’s a project with huge scope, great hope and amazing minds working behind the scenes. (The first post we did was titled “The Natural Capital Project – What is that Forest Really Worth?”)

Part 1: The Basics (6.5 mins)

http://naturalcapitalproject.com

Part 2: The Model (6 mins)

Part 3: Why Manu is a part of this project (2 mins)

Now back to the question posed in the post….What does a post about environmental capital have to do with art?

Lots really  – if you think about it.

Something that’s always bothered me about many disciplines, (in particular, art,  science or engineering based disciplines) is the weird way we compartmentalize what we do and keep it far away from those whom we deem simply too inept to understand what we are all about.

That was so 1990.  Welcome to the new age and the world of the ‘interdisciplinary.’  These interviews with amazing people I’ve met are a way to stimulate discussion in and between the disciplines we, artists or otherwise, belong to.

The environment is what we all live within.  FStop10, our resident photog, has utilized the landscape around us, animals and their natural and not so natural habitats as inspiration and muses for her work.  Edward Burtynsky, one of the world’s most influential photographers, utilizes his perspective and use of the lens to bring  us into a part of our world that is so daily and yet so hidden. (You totally need to see this video that describes his collection titled ‘Oil.’)

The beauty of having an interview with an environmentalist or learning about a discipline outside of your own is that integration aspect – that integration aspect is what I think has been missing from problem solving and addressing the world’s most devastating issues. The world is three dimensional – there is no single discipline that will save us.

Artists are amazing critical and creative thinkers.  We can bring a completely different or complimentary point of view to any issue.  Moving from compartmentalized disciplines to interdisciplinary thinking is like moving from 2d to 3d in the films;  it helps to make the picture fuller and more detailed – it brings life to the perspective.

Jul13

Interview Delay

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Interview Delay

Hey guys!

I was really hoping to have the interview completed for last night but there are a couple of elements that need some flushing out.

What I’m trying to do is create a video of my desktop that we used throughout the interview as well as edit the interview into a manageable piece.  This week I want to have it out the door!

Jul6

B is for Blog Updates and Randomness

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B is for Blog Updates and Randomness

Hey all!

I usually blog and have something new every Monday but this week I have been tardy.  It’s unusually warm this summer in Toronto and I have to say the heat got the better of me at the beginning of the week.  I’ll be sure to keep hydrated and I’m sure it won’t happen again!

We have some new stuff coming along and wanted to keep you in the loop:

  • More awesome content from FStop10 (you guys really like her stuff and she’s hoping to post more often! yay!)
  • More new bloggers who will be posting once a month! (Quil4 – keep an eye out, and one more 90% confirmed blogger [I was just too excited])
  • Mon July 12th we will be uploading our interview with Manu Sharma from Stanford University regarding the Natural Capital Project (we finally got some time together and now I’m just editing down a 3hr long conversation into lovely bits of nutritious info!)
  • More technology + art based blogs from me…..I’m taking a bit of a break from my own art and doing a bit of research about all the new models for media, art, content distribution.  There’s just sooooooo much going on!

In the meantime here is one more addition to my last post about working with virtual teams:  Action Method Online….I have the “offline” organizers but the new online project management system seems to be pretty rad so far.  I love the interface and the ease of use – and you can even ‘nag’ or ‘appreciate’ your team mates! Ha! I love it!

Action Method has been developed by Behance – an company that helps to keep creative people organized. I very much have enjoyed perusing their many sites however I have found that their creative network (where you can upload and share your portfolio of work) is geared especially towards creatives in the visual fields, such as graphic design, animation and photography.  They also have CREATIVE BASED JOBS listed! How exciting! Even artists need to work!  Artists and Entrepreneurs aren’t all that different you know…we both attempt to move our passion from concept  to reality, all the while attempting to find funding or financing for our endeavours.  I feel a new post coming on!

Stay hydrated this summer and try not to exhaust yourself! If you are working hard – take a break! Have a cupcake with a nice cup of light tea and find a buddy to chat with about your passions and dreams. (Lord knows I’d probably have gone mad by now if I didn’t have other artistically minded people to interact with!)

If you don’t have a buddy to chat about such things – you can chat with us!

Jun30

Prickly pear of the sea

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Prickly pear of the sea

In preparation for my twilight years – when I will unceremoniously drop - and later, without rhyme or reason, unabashedly pick up the telling of a story again…I will now continue my tale about inspiration. (see last week’s post entitled The blue lizard…excellently crafted moment of self-promotion…check!).      

Picture it, Sicily 1931…OK…had a Golden Girls moment there for a sec. (twilight years and all, see)      

Inspiration, she’s a tricky bugger. The hunt, the capture, the grossly self-indulgent gloating afterwards is made effortless by the subject matter at times. When the world you inhabit is filled to the very brim with dazzling colours, shapes, jazz-hands! (hehe…figuratively speaking of course)…and yes critters…it is nigh on impossible to suffer a bout of photog-block (kinda like writer’s block…but it rhymes better).      

The first 18 + an additional 4 years later down the road of my life were spent in paradise. At my doorstep I had at my disposal, a veritable cornucopia of fauna and flora…jewel-hued sugar birds (humming birds) performed aerial stunts outside my diningroom window over breakfast, whales splashed and whooshed plumes of air and spray into the star-filled sky, lulling me to sleep at night. Following their own mysterious and at times inconvenient schedule, the baboons would descend upon our garden, leaping from the tall, peaked roof in reckless abandon into the fig tree’s laden branches…sending my dog into an indignantly undignified and futile frenzy.      

What's purple and yellow and potters around on millions of suckers for feet?

 

My playground was dotted with sea anemones, nodding in rockpools like agreeable crayola flowers, and spiny starfish and punk rock sea urchins decorated every nook and cranny of the fertile and salty seascape.  The sky was huge and deeply blue, the waves resounding and frothy white.      

Parading on a rock ledge, the urchins gleam like predatory brooches

 

Gosh – notice the past tense up there?? To reassure you…it is all still there…this rose-tinted Utopia of my youth…I am the one in past-tense (no…not dead and blogging from beyond the grave…just across an ocean).      

So…whenever I have the occasion to make my much-anticipated pilgrimage back to the homeland…I capture even the most pedestrian detail of life. I suspect my folks reckon my brain has been irredeemably addled by lack of clean sea air and an over abundance of snow and smelly city…as in years gone by, I would never have gone sprinting for my camera bag at a sighting of a green grasshopper on the patio. I would simply have greeted him politely and implored my late, great cat to kindly refrain from making a snack of the poor fellow.      

Gorgeously green grasshopper graces...patio? Crap...lost it at the end there

 

I see you!

 

Now, today I make my home in an equally majestic place…but decidedly more subdued in terms of its local critteridge (nice…rather proud of that mangled word-ly creation). Few things come spiny or bright purple (of their own volition) in the animal kingdom here. But, to my delight…the birds dress up like Michael Jackson - sporting red shoulder patches! The hornets resemble sharp corner chevrons on the road (am I speaking foreigner again?…many apologies), and the larger beasts sport comically bulbous noses and outsized furry tiaras on their proud heads.      

The fact is though – as in a family with two offspring – one being the loud-mouth clown who dances a lively jig on the furniture of an evening, and the other being the nice sprog who vacuums its own room and thanks you for the clean clothes - the clown gets the attention.      

Therefore, the task at hand is: Look harder, be open to the possibilities, and sprint like the blazes for the camera bag when the MJ birdies parade across the lawn! And the dastardly snow and frost…is made beautifully ethereal and oh so photogenic by the rays of the rising sun.      

The autumn sun burns the frost away, leaving bedazzled blades in its warming wake

 

Project of the week pour moi…with a spot of luck I will furnish you with delightful captures of aforementioned feathered pop-star impersonators and any manner of lovely things.

Jun27

Working with Virtual Teams – Everybody’s doing it. You want to do it right.

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Working with Virtual Teams – Everybody’s doing it. You want to do it right.

This blog, you will notice,  is made up of many people from different places contributing their original works- that is nothing new – now.  But some 2 or 3 years ago when we first really started to venture into the virtual workspace we had little idea what any of us were doing.  Things have come a long way in a short time and many of us are becoming more comfortable with the idea of collaborating and even creating online in groups.  Here are some of my thoughts about leading and motivating these awesome virtual entities into healthy and organic places to create and work!

While volunteering at the Millennium Network I was able to experience the new way of working – virtually.  Once I was in the thick of a project working with a team virtually, I began to understand that I needed new tools and resources to adequately make this virtual workspace successful!


Failures (aka Learning Opportunities)

The first thing I noticed was that all of my years of leadership and management training – were failing me. The techniques relied heavily on face to face communications, including visual cues and vocal tone – there is so much that can be said just by the intonation of your voice.  Secondly, once you’ve electronically met all of your team, managing the varied individual schedules and meeting times was a difficult task; multiple timezones, multiple job types and task schedules -it was a real learning curve. Also the temptation to work or create at all hours of the day because you know someone somewhere is awake needs to be addressed: these tools are supposed to actually free up more personal time – that was how they were originally sold to us!  Just because you and your team can work 24hrs a day doesn’t mean you should be.  Stress, fatigue and members dropping out of the project can be the result! Finally, interpersonal relationships and team dynamics required individual attention, ie: we would have to allocate time with each individual member on a regular basis for one-on-one meetings to ensure tasks were being completed.  Also – I wanted to actually get to know who they were – they weren’t autobots on the other side of the screen (could you imagine? Bumble Bee on my team?!).  The level of accountability definitely changes working virtually – especially when you are volunteering your time (as everyone in this example had been).

Successes! (aka here are some thoughts and tools that might help you keep your sanity):

Virtual leadership for me meant that I had to be incredibly organized.  My beautiful articulate ornate and precise language was counter-productive via email, or Google Docs or even conference calls.  This is where my media writing background finally came in handy.  I had to be concise.  I had to be direct.  I needed to clearly understand the scope of the project and how each individual member (members of committees) fits in the final picture.  I was honest about time-lines and ensured that the team recognized how important those time-lines were to the greater project. I had to motivate them to contribute in ways that were an efficient use of  our time:

Google Docs - great, free, interactivity allows for each member of the team to easily view, contribute and share information in documents, spreadsheets and presentations; not every member has to have gmail to access the documents created by the team lead [though it sure helps!] and you can export documents as needed.

Personal Brain - I LOVE this software for brainstorming, strategy building and mind mapping. It’s free [although I've been using it for years and recently upgraded to the pro version].  It allows for a visual respresentation of your thoughts and allows for tangents like documents, webpages, contact information or notes to be added to each thought – so the links between the thoughts are realistic and I just love the way it works! You can print and export parts of your ‘brain’ however you should note that you will only have full functionality for a short while with the free version.  You will be able to retain, change and save all of your future mind mapping – you just won’t be able to export it after the demo time expires.

Basecamp is a pay service which is really professional choice -I have yet to  use this platform specifically but it’s the choice of many small businesses and large enterprises alike.

Applications: My ‘smartphone’ is particuarly inept and hates to function properly so unfortunately I don’t have any insight into mobile apps currently [except for ones that don't work well - which may be a representation of my phone not the application- I have a 2yr old phone running windows mobile - says it all doesn't it] but if you have any suggestions please share I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have some insight on these.

Meetings and Time Zones and Schedules Oh My! Pavinder Tut (from the Millennium Network) introduced me to Doodle which I love. I think it’s a great tool and it puts the accountability not only in the hands of the team leader but of each individual as well.  Lord knows I’ve probably spent hours of my life in the past attempting to hunt people down, wait for their responses, reorganize if there’s an issue – Doodle helped make the virtual meeting scheduling much more efficient! (it’s great for regular meetings too!)  Mac Entourage - I also really enjoyed this application as it allowed for so many of my email accounts and project specific information to be pulled from separate external places;   it did a lot of the heavy sorting for me after I had set preferences. Heap CRM was also handy – I used it mainly for storing contact info on the go – but it’s a great simple interface and easy to use.

Individuals Make the Team: I couldn’t understand  personality through the virtual world. .  When you’re meeting anyone for the first few times in person it can be awkward – let alone when they’re not even a real person but rather 1′s and 0′s in your inbox. I would have individual phone calls with the team members just to see what was going on in their world – work related or otherwise.  I needed them to understand that I was actually genuinely interested in their skills and experience.  The internet is a hard place to come across as genuine!

Skype is the obvious cheap and cheerful choice: free calls over the internet from Skype to Skype accounts;  cheap international calling rates, great audio quality; fairly good video quality; chat on the side – we all know how great it is! Mac and PC friendly.

Also Pamela (PC only platform – sadness) is my new friend.  Pamela is a software that allows for Skype video and audio to be recorded! Who knew! As someone who works in media, being able to record interviews or team ideas is a great boon! (Although please do let the other callers know that you are recording the conversations – not disclosing that information makes you creepy not clever)

Also if you are working as a member of the team – give the team lead a head’s up if something’s not working for you! If you don’t feel comfy in how you communicate, create or complete projects – then the entire idea of the autonomy behind the virtual working team is lost. None of the examples above are super original discoveries but I just found that when I was trying to figure out how exactly to function in this new working environment there was little in the way of direct links to tools or resources that worked.    If you have others, let’s add them to the list!

Jun25

The blue lizard

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The blue lizard

I remain undecided about whether to post images I made of my family – which means that my contributions will inevitably be critter-based for now. Not so bad in truth - as fauna and flora inspire me endlessly. Aha…so that’s what this week’s entry could be about…inspiration!  

It is not unknown for me to be found sprawled on my front, a sheen of sweat glistening on my face in concentration, attempting to capture a nice, clean, interesting image of a lizard, a field mouse, or a bumblebee buzzing around a rosemary bush. I can now see how a hunter feels exhilarated by the kill. I choose to shoot my quarry with a long lens of course, instead of with a rifle. To follow the hunting analogy even further – my images can at times feel like much-prized trophies, to be admired over and over again.  

This blue dragon can fit in the palm of my hand...despite the fact that his look indicates the opposite

 

The bonus of my form of capture lies in being able to return to the same place to recapture the same critter doing something new – over and over again. The result being that I feel like I build a relationship of sorts with my subject…though I doubt the lizard would say the same about me.  

Reptiles most definitely do not hold the whole of my heart in their scaley little clawed hands. (funny…I love photographing lizards, but not snakes as much…wonder why) Most animals and insects interest me – as a child I would lie on my tummy in our garden path, observing the local ant colony industriously hurry to and from their underground nest. I’d place edible obstacles in their path to see if they’d accept my offerings in return for the intense scrutiny. I’d feel inordinately pleased if a morsel I’d given them was chosen to be dragged into their subterranean lair. Don’t possess any ant images though…no macro lens yet.  

Part of what inspires me about photographing animals other than humans, is in the challenge. Like children, animals rarely follow orders. The challenge of capturing a visually pleasing image of a critter is satisfying. There is also an automatic spontaneity built into the image – the opposite of which is what makes a human being less than inspiring to shoot. 

  

Poor baby mistook me for the lady who brings him his lunch

 

The incredible beauty and variety offered by mother nature compels to me commit their likeness to pixels. There are few things as beautiful as the face of baby white tiger miaowing for his lunch – like an overgrown housecat, sporting a fancy coat and vivid blue eyes!  

What inspires you? 

And now…for another baboon picture! 

No dogs or baboons were harmed in this chase

Jun21

I Want One….

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I Want One….

I’m a musician who loves “organic” instruments (anything that doesn’t require an electronic power source).

Synthesizers aren’t always people friendly – with tons of knobs and dials, and modulators and it’s usually a hopeless task to really make good use of a synthesizer unless you have an understanding of frequencies. But increasingly the new synthesizers are becoming way more interesting for us to use – I mean to be able to make music from the visual is just so awesome.

I remember seeing one of these many years ago – but now I’m kinda leaning towards having one around – not to make music per say – but maybe more as a muse.

It seems like an awesome way to clear the mind after a long day of songwriting. There’s a random factor that I’m totally appreciating.

Jun17

Innocuous beach chair

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Innocuous beach chair

Aaah, now…already a promise broken (one I made to myself). Thought was…this blogging endeavour being so pleasurably diverting - surely nothing would impede me from polluting this space with excessive amounts of thoughts and ideas - ramblings so numerous that they’d barely be worthy of sharing. Alas, last week happened…with nary a word contributed by yours truly.

Now that I am back in the proverbial saddle – what to share? My first entry spoke of my artistic passions, and the longing I feel to spend my days positively reveling in my art – making figurative snow angels and sand castles with it - all the while earning some decent cash for my troubles!

This week, how about I try to unpack a related topic: Topics…subject matter…things if you will! If you do perchance recall my first entry, you’d know that I am a photog. What we essentially do - after stripping out the artistry of controlling aperture, shutterspeed, ISO, composition and timing - is record things in a moment in time. What to shoot seldom seems a problem (on that later)…what to share is the tougher nut to crack at present.

You see, the most readily available subject matter remains my extended family with our rampaging horde of sproglets. The wee ones know…when FStop10 visits…you either make tracks, or you relent to the incessant snapping and blithely proceed with the serious business of eating cake, swimming or standing on your head. Some of my best work features a certain 4-year old.

The dilemma – do I share those images here? I have encountered a few exceptionally fascinating bloggers that use the space to not only discuss their families, but to showcase their very lives in prose and images on the internet. Is that for me…mmm, yet to decide.

So…while I wrestle that thought into submission…here is a perfectly innocuous chair!

Perhaps it would be prudent to continue to share images that I made, that do not include people. A challenge, you say?!  I heartily accept. For my next trick…

Thoughts?