Creativity Lab Report #15: This is NOT a Black Friday email
I'm not here to offer any Black Friday deals and push you to buy things you don't need. Instead, I'm here to share my excitement about the release of Hamaka Magazine Volume 01. The result of 14 months of hard work, sleepless nights, self-doubt and lessons. It's official, alive, on paper and out into the world—just beautiful!
I'm immensely thankful for the people involved, the road trips, the stories, the bread and tea, laughs and tears, the promotional partners and the community that supported this wild idea. Thank you so much to everyone who followed along and pre-ordered a copy. Most importantly, thank you for believing in me!
To remove some work off my shoulders, I partnered with Hemlock Harling, a fulfillment centre here in BC, to take care of all the deliveries. They're doing the final setups and will deliver the first copies early next week, in time for holiday stockings. Yay! For those who chose the pickup option, you'll receive another email early next week with the address and hours. I can’t wait to bring them to your homes!
Check out the behind-the-scenes videos in the printer: In Print
Out and about
My humble studio will be part of two holiday markets this season where we'll have our last three projects for display, including:
•The Live Well Collection, a cookbook about family stories and fresh ingredients created last year during covid lockdowns with my good friend and chef Shauna Versloot.
•Whisking Wizards, a client project created with baker Hannah Howey, inspired by the Harry Potter series and fall flavours, where I had the pleasure to do the creative direction and design.
•Hamaka Magazine Volume 01, an indie magazine that celebrates craftsmanship and nature and shares the stories of 18 Canadian potters that live with intention.
They promise to have an inspiring display of the best work from dozens of local makers. I would love to see you there! :)
•Made in the 604: December 3-4 at the Pipe Shop in North Vancouver from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
•Make it Vancouver: December 7-11 at the PNE Forum. Hours vary each day.
Our neck of the woods
I experienced the Vancouver Culture Crawl for the first time last week, and it was exactly what I needed to get a boost of inspiration. I had been having some very demanding weeks while finishing the magazine, making me question my current career path. It helped to meet other creative souls trying to turn what they love into a full-time business without sacrificing their well-being. It is possible, although I am still figuring out how to do it. I’ll sure attend the event again next year, and I hope you do too!
One of my favourite artists from the tour was Lisa Ochowycz, a painter and educator inspired by place. Her work is stunning, and she was very open about sharing her experience as an artist. She also shared some wisdom from 15 years in the arts scene, which you can also read on her website.
On the bookshelf
How to do nothing by Jenny Odell. As you may expect, it is definitely not about doing nothing. It is about paying attention to the things that matter. In a world that is constantly bombarded with emails, social media posts, news cycles, chaos and work overload, it feels refreshing to know that there is a way to still fit in modern society and achieve goals while living with intention and following a more peaceful pace.
Healthy practices involve bird watching, painting, meeting your neighbours, reading a book, planting a garden.
In the browser
Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed between launching client and personal projects and visualizing future goals for my small business and lifestyle. We hold so much information and to-do lists daily, constantly floating over everything we think or do. So I recently started using notion.so to offload some of that mental chatter and store my thoughts in an external space. I have a long way to go, but I can already see its potential. The book Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte promises to unlock a few more valuable secrets to apply next.
In my mind
"Life is a series of tradeoffs, and greater results usually require greater tradeoffs. The question is not, "Do you want to be great at this?" The question is, "What are you willing to give up in order to be great at this?" — JamesClear
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