CreativeMornings/Vancouver

If you missed Pamela’s talk at CMVan last month about the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:24:00 -0700

If you missed Pamela’s talk at CMVan last month about the environment, women in power, and the mistake of making assumptions, you are in luck. The video of his talk is now up on Vimeo. Check it out!

If you appreciate the work the CreativeMornings/Vancouver volunteers are doing, please click the “Donate” button below to help ensure the continued success of these important creative community events.

Pamela Goldsmith-Jones - Profile and Q&A

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:42:00 -0700

Pam is an effective, creative person.

As the former Mayor of West Vancouver she stuck with multiple changes needed to transform West Van from safe to a sense of enterprise and engagement. She’s an innovator when it comes to community participation (new working groups instead of advisory committees) and corporate governance (creating a non-profit to manage the award winning community centre/arm’s length management and fundraising for the 2010 Olympics, Venue City).

She protested the destruction of Eagle Ridge Bluffs in 2005 (nude calendar girl), banned the use of cosmetic pesticides in WV a decade ago, supported significant restorative work on the foreshore/intertidal zone (UN Global Green City Award). She took on tough jobs as Vice Chair of Translink, pitching the 2 cents/litre increase in gas taxes, as Vice Chair of Metro’s Waste Committee, promoting less solid waste, and as West Van Police Board Chair through a massive multi-year corporate culture change.

Pam homeschooled her 3 children for 6 years, has a Masters degree in local government, and is now doing her MBA at SFU, majoring in Aboriginal Business and Leadership. She has her own consulting company helping business work with public policy. Douglas Coupland says “She’s incredibly down to earth and wildly generous with her time and spirit…” (Vancouver Magazine, June 2011)

CMV: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

PGJ: I say things out loud. There’s something powerful about putting ideas into words. It helps me to focus my thinking before acting, and to reach out for help.

CMV: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

PGJ: I love reading, other people’s logic and body language, and I share.

CMV: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

PGJ: Don’t think of it as worrying, think of it as hatching a new idea.

CMV: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?

PGJ: Young aboriginal leaders in the arts, media, business, politics.

CMV: Biggest Aha! moments?

PGJ: Realizing I can only succeed if others are too. Smiling, jokes at your own expense, delegating really good jobs, sharing contacts, reaching out to opponents – these all work. Don’t sell anyone out – this does not work.

Keep space open.

CMV: Best surprise in life?

PGJ: a) Taking the kids out of school for 6 weeks, that turned into 6 years.

b) Sitting down beside a complete stranger at a fundraiser who, after talking for an hour or so, said “You’ll be the next Mayor of West Van, and I’ll help you get there.”

He did, twice. He taught me the importance of listening and being open.

Life is full of surprises.

- Pamela will be joining us for CreativeMornings Vancouver on Friday May 3, 2013.

The theme for the April 5, 2013 was ‘The Future’ featuring...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:30:01 -0700

The theme for the April 5, 2013 was ‘The Future’ featuring notable photographer and alchemist Ian Ruhter.

Photo

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:20:02 -0700

Forbidden Vancouver, Creative Mornings, and more: This week’s Scout List

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:36:36 -0700

Forbidden Vancouver, Creative Mornings, and more: This week’s Scout List:

Get up: Friday brings Creative Mornings, the monthly morning gathering of local creative types. Each event includes a 20-minute lecture and a 20-minute group discussion. It begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends with everyone splitting for work at 10 a.m. This month’s speaker, Ian Ruhter, is an old school photographer. Way old-school. He is an artist who sought to restore some of the depth and soul of the photograph by returning to technologies and methods more than 100 years old. He captures on film what he could not achieve with present day equipment. This event is free but is registration is required. Friday, April 5, 8:30-10 a.m. Dodson House (25 E Hastings) Free creativemorningsvancouver.eventbrite.com/

SCOUT LIST: 11 Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now & Next Week

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:39:00 -0700

This Friday brings Creative Mornings, the monthly morning gathering for creative types. Each event includes a 20 minute lecture followed by a 20 minute group discussion. It begins at 8:30am and ends with everyone splitting for work at 10am. This month’s speaker, Ian Ruhter, is an old school photographer. Way old-school. This is an artist who sought to restore some of the depth and soul of the photograph by returning to over 100 year old technologies and methods. He captures on film what he could not achieve with present day equipment. Sign-up for a ticket here (they get snapped up FAST, so don’t wait.)
Friday, April 5 | 8:30-10am | Dodson House (25 E Hastings) | Free |

Vancouver Province interview with CM Van Alumni Treana Peake

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:28:00 -0700

Vancouver Province interview with CM Van Alumni Treana Peake:

Photograph by: Jason Payne , PROVINCE

Treana Peake, CreativeMornings/Vancouver alum, talks about the seamless stitching of her fashion and philanthropy (which was the topic of her presentation at CMVan).

April Icebreaker question

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:03:34 -0700

“If I could travel into the future I would…”

Answer and be entered to win a hassle-free ticket to hear Ian Ruhter on April 5 at the Dodson House.

Profile and Q&A: Ian Ruhter

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:07:00 -0700

Photography, which for me had started as an art form, over the last several years has evolved into something less personal and true, a process that has become vapid, much less inspiring, and therefore significantly less fulfilling.

As my career progressed, with technological advances in the image-making process I lost sight of the old way of making images. I began to lose all connection to the search for the most important component of the photographic art, the never-ending search for that image, absent any words or supporting information, reveals a hidden truth. This all changed when I began working with a nineteenth century process called wet plate collodion that would take my art and my life in a new direction. This revelation in which I embrace the past and utilize the technological advances of the future allowed me to find the component that I have been searching for.

In the process of losing my way it had taken me on a tremendous journey back to the 1800’s. I had time-traveled the way you would in a dream. Taking me backwards into the future, a future where you paint with silver and light.

CMV: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

IR: Creativity to me is when you are doing what’s in your heart. In the past 2 years I have been working on the Silver & Light project that represents who I am. I am hoping I will get jobs based on this work.

CMV: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

IR: I find my creative inspiration in nature. I believe Mother Nature is the curator of all art.

CMV: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

IR: The advice I wish I had known is each mistake or failure brings you one step closer to your dream.

CMV: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?

IR: I wish I could hear Leonardo De Vinci speak.

CMV: What was the best advice you were ever given?

IR: One day I was complaining about my problems to my grandfather. He told me if everyone threw their problems out in the street and you could see what everyone’s were, you would go back and pick up your own.

CMV: Where is your favorite place to escape?

IR: My favorite place to escape to is my dreams. In my dreams I am free to travel the way a child does. There are no rules and there are limitless possibilities. In the past few years it has been harder to define what is a dream and what is reality.

Ian Ruther speaks at CM/Vancouver Friday, April 5, at 8:30 am. To get a ticket, sign up here.

If you missed Natacha’s talk at CMVan last month, you are...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:12:00 -0700

If you missed Natacha’s talk at CMVan last month, you are in luck. The video of his talk is now up on Vimeo. Check it out!

If you appreciate the work the CreativeMornings/Vancouver volunteers are doing, please click the “Donate” button below to help ensure the continued success of these important creative community events.

Radio interview with "creative wizard" and CreativeMornings/Vancouver organizer Mark Busse.

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:31:35 -0700

Radio interview with "creative wizard" and CreativeMornings/Vancouver organizer Mark Busse.:

Creative community agitator and change agent Mark Busse talks creativity, connections and Vancouver.

Vancouver Weekly takes a look at how CreativeMornings/Vancouver helps the city be less "sad and lonely."

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:06:08 -0800

Vancouver Weekly takes a look at how CreativeMornings/Vancouver helps the city be less "sad and lonely.":

Mark Busse opines about what makes the city great, and what is needed to enrich community and culture.

The Vancouver Courier enjoyed Treana Peake's talk.

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:02:13 -0800

The Vancouver Courier enjoyed Treana Peake's talk.

Profile and Q&A: Natacha Beim

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0800

Natacha V. Beim is recognized internationally as an educational leader, author, speaker, child advocate and parenting expert. She created an educational approach based on children’s brain development and the values of contribution and empathy. In 1996, she founded Core Education & Fine Arts Junior Kindergarten schools, which are highly recognized in North America. Born in Uruguay and raised in Montréal, Canada, she has traveled extensively and studied educational systems around the world. As a pioneer in the field of modern education, Beim continually pursues studies in the field developmental psychology focusing on the early years.

Beim strongly believes in the power of a well-rounded education. A published poet at the young age of 16, Beim speaks three languages and has worn many hats including teacher, ballerina, model, journalist, painter, writer, actress (theatre) and runner. While she still devotes time to these interests, her passion now lies in helping the next generation of young learners by creating North America’s most regarded junior kindergarten program.

Natacha V. Beim won Top 40 Under 40 Entrepreneur Award; WOW Woman of Worth Award for Empowered Educator; and was a Women of Distinction Award finalist for Education Training and Development, two years in a row.

The CEFA methodology has been used successfully for more than 15 years in schools across North America. Beim designed the curriculum as an open learning source, meaning leading educators continually contribute to it, allowing the most creative, up-to-date and advanced philosophies to be incorporated. CEFA teachers are great thinkers, trained to question “what and why” they teach their students. They are empowered to adapt the curriculum to meet the unique needs of each student.

Beim’s progressive view on education and incredible passion for life, have made her a fascinating speaker, enriching parents and educators alike. She now resides in Vancouver, Canada, with her husband and two sons. There she divides her time between research, writing, speaking engagements and her most important accomplishment to date – being a mom.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, to help others find their passion in life. Through Core Education & Fine Arts, I know that children have an incredible opportunity to not only explore and learn, but to discover how they can contribute to the world.” - Natacha V. Beim

You can find out about CEFA at www.cefa.ca

CMV: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

NB: Creativity to me has so many definitions, but the one I want to talk about is creativity as being a a way of thinking.

For some reason, since I was a little girl, I always looked at the best way of doing things rather than looking at the way they had been done up to that point. If there was a better way, I would do everything I could to make sure everyone benefited from what I had come up with. That is why I see it as a way of thinking. Creativity affects absolutely every decision you make, everything you do.

My career is a perfect example of that. Since I was two years old, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. When I finally became a teacher, I realized there was a better way to teach, and tried to convince others. When everyone decided it was too hard to change things, I opened my own school. Now we have 12 schools, and we are opening two more each month. And still, my job each day is to research and develop new ways of teaching, new material, new games.

CMV: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

NB: Everywhere! Everywhere we go, everything we look at is a catalyst for creativity to me, but if I have to pick the one place where all of that gets distilled into more concrete ideas, I would have to say in the shower :) I think that’s the only place where I am not doing two things at once, so my mind is free to start putting things together. Plus there’s something about hot water!

CMV: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

NB: Collaborate. The synergy you get when collaborating is amazing for all involved, and takes you places far beyond your own reach.

CMV: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?

NB: Raymond Boisjoly.

CMV: What keeps you awake at night?

NB: A million things I still want to do but would need another two or three lives to do :) I have so many ideas, so many books I want to write, so many things I missed for lack of time!! Last night, my son was not feeling well and woke me up at 3am. I took care of him and within 15 minutes, he was asleep again until this morning. But those 15 minutes getting medicine and sitting quietly by his bedside stroking his hair till he fell asleep were so amazing, that I stayed up till six just recording all these articles I had been meaning to write, and thinking about a couple of projects that have been on my mind. Then I finally went back to my room to sleep.

CMV: What are you proudest of in ?

NB: Giving children a voice in our community. The children in our schools, as young as 1 and not older than 5, all know that we value their contribution (be it art, ideas, a point of view, projects, whatever). We also expect them to contribute to our community. They helped me design classrooms and spaces the way they wanted to have them, they built schools in developing countries, they contributed to re-building Haiti after the earthquake, and they also invented songs, wrote books, and shared their wisdom as equals.

Imagine children’s thoughts being taken seriously:
- We’d have about 1/3 more contributing, committed citizens
- We’d have thousands of excellent, fresh ideas
- We’d have a new way of looking at things.

CMV: Question?

NB: Answer.

CMV: Question?

NB: Answer.

Natacha V. Beim speaks at CM/Vancouver next Friday, March 1st, at 8:30 am. To get a ticket, sign up here.

If you missed Treana Peake’s talk at CMVan last month, you...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:42:16 -0800

If you missed Treana Peake’s talk at CMVan last month, you are in luck. The video of his talk is now up on Vimeo. Check it out!

If you appreciate the work the CreativeMornings/Vancouver volunteers are doing, please click the “Donate” button below to help ensure the continued success of these important creative community events.

Profile and Q&A: Treana Peake

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:00:00 -0800

Treana Peake is a Canadian fashion designer. In 2005 she founded Obakki, a luxury brand that focuses on urban, easy-to-wear and effortlessly cool clothes for women. Treana believes that collaboration and innovation are the keys to staying current in fashion; her sexy styles evolve season after season thanks to the eclectic input from the fashion collective she oversees. Recently her collections have been featured in top fashion publications such as Vogue, InStyle, and WWD. Her modern vision and progressive working methods have paid off: the Obakki flagship store in Vancouver, Canada won the Governor General’s award, and Obakki retail points span the globe.

Aside from fashion, Treana’s heart has always been in philanthropy; ever since she can remember, she has looked for ways to integrate her two passions. Her vision finally became a reality in 2009, when she launched the Obakki Foundation. Focusing on educational development and clean water projects, the Foundation uses the fashion world as a vehicle to raise funds and awareness for big-picture global issues. Over the past 15 years, Treana has traveled to Africa, living and working in the very environments that she seeks to transform, and getting to know the people that she has committed to empower. She recently launched the Obakki Foundation collection, consisting of screen-printed t-shirts, scarves and totes, with 100% of the proceeds destined to help children in orphanages in Cameroon. Her goal is to bring together artists, musicians, actors and “movers and shakers” to promote self-sufficiency, health and education in African villages.

Treana fully embodies the values and aesthetics of the Obakki customer: she is a wife and mother, a humanitarian, a businesswoman, and a global citizen who understands that true style and a commitment to making the world a better place are by no means mutually exclusive.

CMV: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

TP: Creativity is an outlet for passion. A platform to show things that move me. My work motto is using ‘creativity as a medium for change’.

CMV: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

TP: I find inspiration in things that are real and in moments, interactions or places that move me. If I don’t feel it, I am not inspired. Most of my inspiration comes from my field work. EX - standing in the middle of a cattle camp in South Sudan - (one of the worlds last pastoralist communities), or dancing around a clean water well with a community in a remote village. MOMENTS that are meaningful are my source of inspiration.

CMV: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

TP: I spent a lot of time and energy trying to infuse projects with my passion rather than letting go and allowing my passions to determine my projects. I wish I had figured that out earlier - as the things I do now come from a very real and inspiring place.

CMV: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMorning?

TP: Michael Greene - architect.

CMV: What keeps you awake at night?

TP: I wake up many nights inspired about upcoming projects or campaigns - thinking of different ways to use creativity to create change. I have so many stories to tell - and at night I dream up ways to tell them.

CMV: What has been one of your biggest Aha! moments in life?

TP: Sitting in a village called Alel Chok in South Sudan as the elder read to me old water proverbs (in his native dialect) . At times development work can be overwhelming and in that very moment everything I have ever done came crashing down on me. I realized that I didn’t have to save the entire world - I just had to keep moving forward one village at a time. Our water well changed the lives of the people in Alel Chok and that was what mattered at that very moment, and what has mattered to me ever since. Sometimes we set lofty goals (which is GREAT) but in order to not get lost along the way, we need to allow ourselves to rejoice the successes as they come. Since Alel Chok (which was our first water well in SOUTH SUDAN), we have drilled over 300 more wells - each one inspired by my moment under the tree with the elder.

Treana Peake speaks at CM/Vancouver next Friday, February 1, at 8:30 am. To get a ticket, sign up here.

If you missed Joseph Wu’s talk at CMVan last month, you...

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:21:45 -0800

If you missed Joseph Wu’s talk at CMVan last month, you are in luck. The video of his talk is now up on Vimeo. Check it out!

If you appreciate the work the CreativeMornings/Vancouver volunteers are doing, please click the “Donate” button below to help ensure the continued success of these important creative community events.

JANUARY = HAPPINESS We’re excited to announce that...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:22:06 -0800

JANUARY = HAPPINESS

We’re excited to announce that CreativeMornings will be hosting unified themes across our 40+ chapters starting in 2013. This month, over 5,000 attendees will meet up at CreativeMornings events on six continents for speakers that relate to our January theme, “Happiness” brought to you by MailChimp. Through these themes, we hope to stir up a global conversation among our fantastic, local creative communities. Themes for future months will be announced later on in the new year.

Profile and Q&A: Joseph Wu

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:16:00 -0800

Like many people, Joseph Wu encountered origami as a child, folding paper since the age of three. Unlike most people, he continued practising his craft, and began creating original designs at the age of eleven. Joseph continues to be an active participant in the international origami community. He has been invited to attend conferences, teach classes, give lectures, and exhibit works in many parts of the world. In May, he was invited as the special guest at both the German and French origami conventions. He also co-administers the email discussion group on origami, facilitating communication between enthusiasts from over 35 countries.

Joseph’s work has been shown internationally at both conventions and at gallery shows. Photos of his work have graced the pages of many publications, including Rolling Stone, O Magazine, and the New York Times. His clients have included Stolichnaya Vodka, Intel and Air Canada, and he has produced on-set art for such TV shows and movies as Fringe and Underworld 4.

In 2009, Joseph designed, built and installed a 180-foot long origami light sculpture that is the centrepiece of Oru, the restaurant at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in downtown Vancouver. He also contributed origami lights to the Vancouver pavilion at the 2010 Olympic Games. At the end of November, 2011, Jelly Swarm, a collaborative project between Joseph and Tangible Interaction, featuring almost 100 computer lighted jellyfish was installed for view at the Vancouver Aquarium.

CMV: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

JW: Creativity is not the same as originality. I consider creativity to be the ability to make something new from that which has come before. To see things from a different point of view, to make something different by combining existing elements in a new way, to put your own personal twist on what has come before…these are ways that creativity manifests.

CMV: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

JW: From the work and challenges of others. Often I get inspired by looking at art created by artists working in different media from mine. And being asked to create something new by someone I know well (e.g. my son) gives me opportunities to be creative.

CMV: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

JW: It’s okay to make mistakes. Actually, it’s necessary to make mistakes. Without experience, we cannot learn or grow. And gaining experience comes from both successes and failures.

CMV: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings/Vancouver?

JW: Rachael Ashe

CMV: What is the best spontaneous decision you’ve made?

JW: When I was a boy, maybe around 9-years-old, the father of a family friend died. He had been ill for a long time. I believe it was terminal cancer. The doctors had given him 6 months to live. He prayed that he would be able to spend 3 more years with his family. When he finally passed away peacefully in his sleep, at home with his family, he had lived 3 years and 6 months from the day the doctor had given the original prognosis. We lived nearby, so our family went to the house as soon as we heard. As we gazed upon his serene face, I heard that his last wish was to look once again upon the leaves growing outside his window. I immediately jumped up, ran outside, and brought back a branch from the bush outside and put it into his hand.

CMV: What was the best advice you were ever given?

JW: When I was 17, I was told that life begins at 30. I took it to heart. It allowed me to spend the time experiencing and learning rather than getting hung up on having to fulfill goals. I set aside any thoughts of having to decide what I wanted to be, any expectations on when I would have to get married, any worries about being fitted into a particular mold. Of course, I still worried about such things subconsciously, but I believe that I would have been more neurotic than I am now if I hadn’t consciously made that decision.

If you missed Gregor Robertson’s talk at CMVan last month,...

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

If you missed Gregor Robertson’s talk at CMVan last month, you are in luck. The video of his talk is now up on Vimeo. Check it out!

If you appreciate the work the CreativeMornings/Vancouver volunteers are doing, please click the “Donate” button below to help ensure the continued success of these important creative community events.