It’s autumn. It’s almost halloween. It’s my faaaaaavourite time of year, without a doubt! For many reasons beyond the usual sewing and mothering commitments life is moving at bewilderingly fast pace. But I am determined to make costumes for my boys — because who knows how long they’ll let me? And it gives me so much pleasure! Here’s a peek at what’s in progress …
As far as the pointy things go, I’ve made a Garden Gnome Hat and a Candy Corn Treat-or-Treat bag. The bag pattern is courtesy of the brilliant Purl Bee, you should try it. Easy as pie to follow and what a charming result!
The gnome hat will top off a certain little 1-year-old Garden Gnome costume on the big night. I’m excited to see Gene tottling along, he’s the perfect height for a wee gnome. And I have to admit I was stumped on what he should be til I jokingly put the candy corn bag on his head and thought “gnome!”
And Mr. 4-and-a-half-year-old Rudi (the half is very important to include I have learned) is going as Bacon and Eggs. I’ve made the pants, they’re bacon pants. And I’m feeling quite smug about them because they are AWESOME! Will include some finished costuming when I get there, til then, back to the machine …
Hello Friday! Here you are again, it feels like you were just yesterday. Whew, these fall days are flying by. Here we go: Rearview Fridays is a regular post in which I share an artistic project I completed sometime in the past. However, today I’m going to share someone else’s project, because it’s too darn good to keep to myself! Baby Silhouettes by my friend Lindsay Zier-Vogel.
Three years ago, when Rudi turned one, Lindsay gave me this beautiful piece of art, a silhouette of a sweet baby. And then she revealed that it was a silhouette of my actual baby! SO special! She’d worked from a profile of Rudi after secretly soliciting a photo from my husband. Silhouettes have been gaining popularity in design of late so I feel a little extra hip having this on my wall!
I have to admit that when Gene turned one this month I was hopeful that Lindsay would remember and make one of him. And she did! I love how different their silhouettes are; Gene has way more hair than Rudi did at one, which she’s captured, he’s also a lot more jowly than Rudi, and she’s also got that down perfectly! I love that for these silhouettes Lindsay used white instead of the traditional black. And placing them in shadow boxes makes them chunky and significant. My boys silhouettes sit at the head of the stairs and always produce a smile as I go by.
I had to share this because it’s one of those simple projects that you wish you’d thought of! And anyone can do it, be brave and bold, get a profile photo of your favourite baby, scale it and go for it. And Ikea’s Ribba shadow box frame is perfect for a project like this. And make sure you credit Lindsay, this is such a kick-ass idea and gift. It drew happy tears, I cannot lie. Happy Friday.
I went on the longest road trip I’ve ever taken this summer. My boys and I drove all the way from Southern Ontario to Alberta — Prairies and Rocky Mountains and my family — then back again. We wondered if we might be insane to attempt such a drive with a 4-year-old and a 10-month-old, but off we went, and it was truly a great adventure. There was only one roadside timeout for the kid (there probably should have been a few for me, ahem, lucky I’m in charge!), occasional nursing breaks for the babe and the usual gas/pee/food/photo-op stops.
I wanted to do something crafty with Rudi to keep him engaged along the way. So in addition to borrowing a portable dvd player (a total godsend) and the required colouring materials and books to read, we made a diary book for each day and prepared an antique glass canning jar to collect simple treasures along the way: Rudi’s Travelling Treasure Jar, a.k.a. The Jar!
The Jar itself is a beaut with its glass lid and metal flip attachment. And every day, once or twice, we’d gather a stone or pine cone from the roadside, parking lot or forest path of the day, or a coin from the US, or an arcade token from the movie theatre, or some grain or oats from the fields we were passing, or a beer cap from mommy and daddy’s adult pops in the hotel room (we drink beer with really cool caps okay? It’s all for the kid. Honestly) .
I only had to suggest collecting pieces the first couple of times, after that Rudi would gather things for his Jar in his pocket and in the evenings in our hotel, or at Granny’s house, we’d open The Jar and review the contents, talking about our journey thus far and then add the new trinket/s to the collection. A couple of favourites are the little white figurine of a man with a walking stick and rifle, his paint all but gone. Rudi spotted him in my aunt’s garden and she said, “take it! the bird’s are always dropping crazy things in here!” We can hardly imagine what adventures the wee old fellow has endured! And the mini horseshoe, which was smithed for Rudi right before his very eyes at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village where I worked in my teens.
The final result is a jar full of prairie flotsam and jetsam, a beautiful collection of the in-betweens from our trip. And those were my favourite parts — the in-betweens. Being cooped in a car with my husband and our boys for 5 days of driving each way was my favourite. Kicking stones in the hotel parking lot in Lake Louise and then running through a forest path to catch the sight of the passing train was my favourite. Stopping for an emergency pee on a prairie back road that looked so quiet only to be overwhelmed by the earsplitting cricket song outside was my favourite. Standing on the car to get a better view of the massive hoodoos in the North Dakota badlands … you get the drift, I could go on and on about the favourite moments that The Jar conjures.
Of course there were the standard squabbles between all of us, usually to do with hunger, exhaustion or sore butts (around hour 5 Rudi would always moan spectacularly and say, “my bum hurts!”) but really there was more harmony than I’d anticipated and I loved that it was just the 4 of us in our Toyota Matrix ship, rocket or pirate depending on Rudi’s mood, zipping across the miles and miles and miles and miles between my adult and childhood homes. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. And I look forward to opening the jar from time to time with Rudi and remembering.
I was putting Rudi to bed the other night and looking up at his Alice in Wonderland mobile, as I do whenever I lie beside his little quieting self at bedtime. I love it so much (both the lying beside a sleepy little boy part and the mobile!) and realized that the mobile should have a turn in the Rearview Fridays seat! I am pleased to introduce Alice and her cohort who watch steadfastly over Rudi from high up in the air …
I found the vintage Alice in Wonderland fabric remnant at Lazy Susan’s in Vancouver (a super charming shop, now just in Victoria and online) years before I had kids and tucked it away with the idea that if/when babies came I’d make something from it for them. And I did! In fact I think it was the first thing I made while I was pregnant with the now 4-year-old Rudi.
I was inspired by the simple mobile design I saw in embroidery artist Emily Hamill‘s studio shop and used that as a starting point. I used wooden dowel for the frame and sewed triangular corners onto a square of fabric to tuck them into and presto, strong frame! I cut out the charming characters and weighted each corner with one, choosing a simple white for the background to calm the busy of the art side. A couple of Alices, Humpty Dumpty, and the White Rabbit balancing the Mad Hatter.
I think when Rudi is too big for an arty, retro mobile in his room, I’ll hang this one in my workroom. I never get tired of Sir John Tenniel’s classic illustrations twirling lazily past.
It’s time to revive Rearview Friday again, now that the summer is waning. For those of you who are new here, on Fridays I generally do a Rearview Fridays post where I look back at an old project, craft or dance or costume. I think it’s appropriate to share my best creation of all time* since it’s a year ago tomorrow that he began to breathe the air. September 1st, 2011, Gene joined us.
*Save for my other equally “best” creation, a little man who came to light on April 7th, 2008. His name is Rudi and he is awesome.
One year ago I went to sleep and had a restful night, dreaming about the little passenger in my belly. It was just 2 days til my September 2nd due date. I woke up to my waters breaking — just like the movies — and within 7 hours (an a beep-load of work, ahem, thank-you) little Gene-bean was born.
I am, more than ever, more even than at the moment of his safe arrival, overwhelmed with gratitude for this wee person. Our family is infinitely more rich with this addition. We see each other better, we are more harmonious than ever and I think and have more space for the joy — and the madness of course! The 4 of us are corners of out little unit in the world. I count my blessings, I am profoundly lucky.
And while I had pledged to myself that I won’t show photos of the boys faces here on this blog, I decided I want to share this one today. I was so inspired by the blog and photos of Adele Enersen on her blog Mila’s Daydreams, which I enjoyed while Rudi was a toddler. Enjoy my little postman, the scene is entirely made of baby blankies, hats, socks and washcloths!
Gene the littlest postman. Inspired by the baby scenes of Adele Enersen.
I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a series of interviews with some lovely creative types I want to share with you. Since I’m heading to Alberta this summer maybe I have gold rush on my mind, but truly, each of the women I’ll feature here is a golden nugget of excellence in the career she’s carved out for herself! Therefore, I am delighted to present the inaugural:
Pocket Alchemy Nugget of Awesome Interviews: eight interviews with eight inspiring, artistic, self-starting women over the eight weeks of summer. I am proud to call each of them friend and am delighted to share them and their work here. Please note that I am replacing my regular Rearview Fridays posts with these interviews over the summer.
THE INTRODUCTION
Susie Burpee. Photo by Omer Yukseker.
SUSIE BURPEEis someone I knew as a performer first. I remember her joining Dancemakers (a contemporary dance company in Toronto) in about 2000 while I was still at dance school and being mesmerized by her performances. The intriguing lady with the blond bob, gorgeous calves and insane technical and interpretive skills. In 2005 we presented dances on the same program at the Atlantic Fringe Festival. I was totally intimidated to meet Susie having kind of totally revered her for her stage work. Yet she turned out the be the most lovely, down-to-earth lady ever! I loved watching her work on the very beginnings of the fussy, hilarious, heartbreaking character who would grace her work The Spinster’s Almanac. In fact I often ignored my own studio time to quietly tuck in beside the piano and take in her thoughtful creative process, the best kind of education. Since then we vaguely knew and circled each other in the Toronto dance community until we managed, conveniently, to be pregnant at exactly the same time and to have the same midwives, fortuitous coincidence all around! So we decided we should start hanging out. And it’s been the best. Our 11-month-olds play in one another’s vicinity and occasionally grab the other’s ear while we share parallel motherhood victories and woes, ideas and hopes.
THE BIO
Susie Burpeecreates “fully human characters, struggling for connection” (The Toronto Star). Her work has received Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Choreography and Performance, and she is a recipient of the K.M. Hunter Artist Award for Dance. Her performance works have been commended for their skillful use of contemporary movement to transform individuals on stage and showcase human complexity.
Susie Burpee in her own work “The Spinster’s Almanac.” Photo by Deborah Hickey.
Susie Burpee was a company dancer for Dancemakers, Le Groupe Dance Lab, TRIP dance company, and Ruth Cansfield Dance. She now performs in her own works and continues to work closely with innovative choreographers Serge Bennathan, Lesandra Dodson and Tedd Robinson. She completed her professional training at the School of Contemporary Dancers (Winnipeg), augmented her studies at the Limon and Cunningham schools in New York, and trained in character and Bouffon at L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier (Paris). She teaches technique classes and workshops for professional dancers and students across the country, notably, 10 Gates Dancing La B.A.R.N. Summer XIntensive, Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, and Dancemakers.
THE INTERVIEW
Pocket Alchemy Question: Tell me about your artistic work.
Susie Burpee: I work in contemporary dance. It’s been 20 years now. I started in ballet as a kid, and by the time I was 12 I was doing ‘modern dance’ at Winnipeg’s School of Contemporary Dancers. So I’ve been rolling on the floor, running in circles, and falling (purposefully), for a very long time. I did professional training, danced for some great Canadian contemporary dance companies and choreographers, and now work as an independent dance artist. What does that entail, you ask? Well, I wear a backpack and ride a bike, which gets me from pilates to dance class to the studio. My studio work varies from contract to contract. Sometimes I choreograph commissions for other dancers; sometimes I teach dance class or a workshop. Most recently, I’ve started to work in theatre, choreographing and sourcing movement for contemporary plays. I also perform in my own choreographic works.
PAQ: what is currently sparking your imagination?
SB: I have a new full-length production called Road Trip,which premieres October 18th, 2012 at Enwave Theatre in Toronto. It is created in collaboration with my longtime colleague Linnea Swan, and the two of us perform the work together. What sparks my imagination about the work is the fact that our longtime-colleague-ness means that we can do things other performers can’t.
Linnea Swan and Susie Burpee in their work “Road Trip (je ne regrette rien).” Photo by David Tilston.
We can anticipate each other’s actions, and respond in a way that elevates the work to a place of intimacy that is rare. And it means we can do weird and wonderful things that make people laugh. There are few things I enjoy more than making people laugh. It’s really difficult and really easy at the same time.
PAQ:How do you structure and manage your days/weeks/months to get it all in? Do you have micro/macro plans that you stick to?
SB: I have an almost-1-year-old now, so organization is key. Being an indie dance artist is already full of multi-tasking and planning. Adding Alice in the mix has actually clarified things and made me streamline what I do. I have lessened my activity because I’d like to stay home with her more than less. I am fortunate to have the option to do this.
Susie Burpee in her own work “A Mass Becomes You.” Photo by Omer Yukseker.
Macro: I think about what projects are desirable and feasible and might have an extended life. If they are self-initiated projects, I think a couple of years ahead and organize funding strategies, as well as potential partners, well in advance. I have a part-time administrator that I pay out-of-pocket/project to help with things. Other projects that I’m hired for usually come to my door a couple of months to a year before they take place. Training is difficult to fit in these days. I have worked up my “kitchen barre class,” and head off to Pilates before the girl wakes up. I have never been that great at MACRO MACRO. I’ve never been one of those people who could say “In 10 years I want to run my own company”. I’m not sure anymore if that’s because my personality is a bit go-with-the-flow, or if I’m too scared to dream like that. It’s funny because I AM a big dreamer.
PAQ: What is a current favourite resource or material?
SB: People. People watching. Thinking about the people I’m watching. Always has been. I am just so interested in people and what they do and why they do it. Ask my husband. We’ll pass someone on the street, and when we’re out of earshot he’ll turn to me and say, “Ok, so what’s his story?” I think I would have been a great hire for CSIS. My work has always been about people. A lot of people call it “character work.” I find there’s still great value in illuminating humankind through live performance.
Susie Burpee and Dan Wild in “Fidelity’s Edge” by Burpee. Photo by Omer Yukseker.
PAQ: What about your work keeps you up at night (for good or ill!)?
SB: One quality about myself that’s not so compatible with creating work for audiences is that I really love to please people. And when you make work, you can’t please everyone. A small but big vulnerable part of me always wants to make people happy. So the nights I’ve laid awake all night are the nights I’ve felt that somehow, through performance, I’ve let people down.
PAQ: How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?
SB: Oh jeez. Well, let’s look at the two ends of the spectrum. My first performed piece, at 14, was choreographed to Dead Can Dance, and had lots of running and drama and bum rolls. And this latest piece, Road Trip,has, let’s see … lots of running and drama and fainting. I’ve evolved from bum rolls to fainting.
THE WRAP UP
Susie Burpee and Linnea Swan’s show Road Trip is being presented by DanceWorks in Toronto from October 18th to 20th. For more info on that you can check out DanceWorks site, I wager it’ll be a worthy show to attend! For more info on her performance and teaching work, check out Susie’s website, she is a gem.
I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a series of interviews with some lovely creative types I want to share with you. Since I’m heading to Alberta this summer maybe I have gold rush on my mind, but truly, each of the women I’ll feature here is a golden nugget of excellence in the career she’s carved out for herself! Therefore, I am delighted to present the inaugural:
Pocket Alchemy Nugget of Awesome Interviews:eight interviews with eight inspiring, artistic, self-starting women over the eight weeks of summer. I am proud to call each of them friend and am delighted to share them and their work here. Please note that I am replacing my regular Rearview Fridays posts with these interviews over the summer.
THE INTRODUCTION
Siobhan Topping and her son Liam.
SIOBHAN TOPPINGis the woman who is most new to me in this series of interviews. When I started blogging and working towards being an independent crafter in January this year, a mutual friend told me I had to meet Siobhan and set up the introduction. And I’m so glad to have met her, Siobhan is truly a kindred spirit, the full-on Anne of Green Gables variety. She’s been making and selling her natural soaps and products for years now and has been so generous in sharing her experience and survival tips with me. We have spent many hours over lunch and little boys playing (her 1 son and my 2 little guys, so yes, it gets loud!) discussing pros and cons of craft fairs, etsy, online sales, relationships with stores, ideas about product development, scheduling and so on. And I’m in love, LOVE with her soap. I shamelessly stand on my blog-soap-box and declare that you gotta try it. And her room spray. And her cleaning scrubs. Dang. I’m so glad to include her here!
THE BIO
Siobhan Topping is the owner of Sacred Lotus, a natural product company. She is also the editor of naturalmommy.com, a free natural resource for moms and caregivers. Siobhan studied Aromatherapy and holds an honours-specialist degree in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Toronto. Her academic research focuses on midwifery, natural childbirth and women’s history.
THE INTERVIEW
Pocket Alchemy Question: Tell me about your artistic work.
Siobhan Topping: I create natural products through my company, Sacred Lotus, to help people live naturally and feel well. My work is centered on the environment. I express that through Sacred Lotus and with my other endeavors at naturalmommy.com. Naturalmommy.com was born from a personal realization that I had: Parenting is an environmental issue because the sustainability of our planet is connected to the sustainability of our children. I want to explore this and other natural parenting topics with other moms.
I have a passion for mom-and-baby care and for limiting toxins in environments where children live and play. Sacred Lotus has a full line of natural baby care products which are free from preservatives and synthetic fragrances.
I am also the smitten mother of a toddler and I often think of motherhood as an artistic work in and of itself.
PAQ:what is currently sparking your imagination?
ST: My son, who is magic to me, my family, friends, nature and other moms who share their experiences. I have also been spending a lot of time organic gardening this year. I really love playing in the dirt! It is good for the imagination and the soul. Planting and watching things grow is like a meditation for me. I love that I am giving my son the opportunity to be in nature and to just have fun outside.
PAQ:How do you structure and manage your days/weeks/months to get it all in? Do you have micro/macro plans that you stick to?
ST:With a young child, I have come to understand that structure requires some flexibility. For the most part I have learned to pick my top 1 or 2 goals for the day in regards to my work and I try to only work on those things when I can. That way, I feel as if I have really accomplished something. I also work when my child sleeps, like right now for example!
PAQ: What is a current favourite resource or material?
ST: I love, love, love essential oils and always have. I believe they are one of the keys to our environmental sustainability. They have so many helpful properties, such as being anti-bacterial or anti-fungal. All you need to clean and rid your home of toxic cleaning products is essential oils, organic liquid (castile) soap, baking soda and some white vinegar. I am not kidding! Cleaning naturally with homemade toxic-free cleaning products can easily save your family hundreds of dollars per year. Natural cleaning products are especially important when one realizes that most store bought “cleaning” products are major contributors to indoor air pollution, which can, alarmingly, be anywhere from 2 to 100 times higher than outdoor air — not safe for children, not safe for anyone!
PAQ: Give me 4 great songs to work to!
ST: The joy in music is in its variety, so this is a hard question for me. I have to say, anything by Simon and Garfunkel. I am also a big Lhasa De Sela fan, a former Montreal resident who sang in English, Spanish and French. My favourite album of hers is The Living Road, which I like to put on and just let play. I also took a few classical music courses in University so I am drawn to having classic music on in the background while I focus on other things.
PAQ: What about your work keeps you up at night (for good or ill!)?
ST: It saddens me to think of babies and families living in extremely toxic conditions without even realizing it. I truly believe that so many health issues can be prevented from living a more natural life. People have been bombarded with toxic substances, unknowingly, and I am on a mission to help people to have healthier options. I also love making products, writing and coming up with new ideas, so it is not unlike me to be too excited over something to go to sleep.
PAQ: How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?
ST: Naturally, my aesthetic has evolved as I have grown as a person. I started making natural product more than 10 years ago. In some ways my focus was really narrow but ironically broad in the beginning: Make natural products which help to make people feel good and live naturally. Sounds easy? Not! I realized there were so many skills and things which went along with that. I had to create not just the products themselves but to also market them, package them, put them on-line, etc.
It has been an amazing growing experience. Along the way, I gained many skills I didn’t know I needed and I have learned how to apply the skills I already had to everything that I do. My husband once wrote on our fridge with fridge magnets “courage and hope indeed.” I try to enact that in my businesses and in my life. Running a business makes me push myself outside of my comfort zone.
THE WRAP UP
Siobhan Topping has 2 websites for her work; you can find her products at Sacred Lotus and her resources at Natural Mommy. I am obviously a big fan of the Sacred Lotus products, natural, gentle yet get-the-job-done and made here in Ontario, Canada. Order some if your cupboard is low!
I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a series of interviews with some lovely creative types I want to share with you. Since I’m heading to Alberta this summer maybe I have gold rush on my mind, but truly, each of the women I’ll feature here is a golden nugget of excellence in the career she’s carved out for herself! Therefore, I am delighted to present the inaugural:
Pocket Alchemy Nugget of Awesome Interviews:eight interviews with eight inspiring, artistic, self-starting women over the eight weeks of summer. I am proud to call each of them friend and am delighted to share them and their work here. Please note that I am replacing my regular Rearview Fridays posts with these interviews over the summer.
THE INTRODUCTION
Quinn Covington.
QUINN COVINGTONis a woman I’ve known since high school. I met her in line while waiting for our ID cards before the first day of grade 10 (with my friend Christa Couture who was the 1st Nugget of Awesome interview this month!) and the three of us got lockers together in the basement hall. We were all pretty hippy-dippy and it turned out we had unknowingly picked “the cheerleader hallway,” so we were an island of middle-parted hair, long patchwork skirts, and, in Quinn’s case, Janis Joplin glasses throughout that whole year! Good memories. By the last year of high school I rarely saw Quinn without a camera in her hand. We stayed in touch a wee bit over the years and then this spring ended up randomly, fatefully, on a plane together for 5 hours, so we talked our way through the entire flight, catching up on art and life and babies. I love that she’s gone the school of life route with her photography and am inspired by her just-get-down-to-it attitude and practice, in the midst of mother two little ones no less!
THE BIO
Quinn Covington’s tool of trade has been a camera since she was around the age of 18. That was when she photographed her first wedding for a friend. Quinn bypassed any formal training and went straight for the hands on approach working alongside other photographers, which leaves her at a point in her life where she can say she’s been doing something professionally for 15 years now!
A bridal portrait by Quinn Covington, Covington Studio.
Quinn grew up in Edmonton and attended an art-driven high school with a photography department that helped her to focus her fanatic interest in cameras. A few years after graduating she moved to the Canadian Rockies where she worked as a wedding, portrait and tourist photographer for a few years. In 2001, Quinn photographed the Alpine National Ski Team and in 2002, she was published in Ski Canada Magazine. She has often found herself working at camera stores, film labs, and imaging retailers.
Quinn and her husband moved to Vernon, BC in 2010. At that point she took a hiatus from photography to deal with moving and a couple of babies, but now that their children have grown to toddler and pre-schooler, she is looking forward to giving her photography career the attention it craves.
THE INTERVIEW
Pocket Alchemy Question: Tell me about your artistic work.
Quinn Covington:I do photography. It’s an incredibly versatile and evolving art form. It gives me a platform to be literal and scientific or wacky and emotional. There’s lots of room to breathe, which is why I adore it.
An engagement shot by Quinn Covington, Covington Studio.
PAQ:what is currently sparking your imagination?
QC: Artistic spark doesn’t just reside in the technicality of the tools used but also in the rapport I have with my subjects. The starting point of any image are the words I use and the energy I exert to inspire the process of delivering the end product. The chemistry I have with my clients definitely plays a part in my creative process. Each person I photograph provides me with the materials I need to work with, from there my imagination takes off.
PAQ:How do you structure and manage your days/weeks/months to get it all in? Do you have micro/macro plans that you stick to?
QC:In my world, time has little influence except where others implement it for me. I have many goals and to-do lists that push me along, all without a master plan. The structure of my photography rests with the demands of the people I work with. Once I’m in session, once I’m holding a camera, I’m oblivious to my own personal needs. When I’m editing images on the computer, dishes get ignored and I drop everything except the child on my hip to get the work done. Typically I’ll create a week-by-week goal of the work I hope to finish.
PAQ: What is a current favourite resource or material?
QC: Currently, I’m inspired by the style of wedding photography that asks a photographer to design sets with a bride but keeps the authenticity of the wedding intact. Collaborating on a visual theme, which would allow me to do more than simply show up the day-of with my camera at the ready, is the direction I’d like to take my photography in. I’m constantly looking online for crafty and stylish ways of contributing to a photo shoot.
A smiling couple by Quinn Covington, Covington Studio.
PAQ: What about your work keeps you up at night (for good or ill!)?
QC: My clients’ satisfaction keeps me up at night. I do whatever I can to not only give them what they expect but hopefully supersede that with fun extras they can look forward to.
PAQ: How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?
QC:My niche is in knowing what I like when I see it, being inspired by people and ideas, and then expanding on that creatively, hopefully giving it a new beautiful life. Knowing this about myself is what has helped me to evolve my work over the years.
THE WRAP UP
Check out Quinn Covington, she’s based in southern and interior BC and if you want an easy-going yet passionate photographer I’d recommend looking her up! She’s got creativity and ideas exploding out of her ears and she has the true ability to listen, which I think is so key for a photographer capturing people’s intimate and important life events.
I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a series of interviews with some lovely creative types I want to share with you. Since I’m heading to Alberta this summer maybe I have gold rush on my mind, but truly, each of the women I’ll feature here is a golden nugget of excellence in the career she’s carved out for herself! Therefore, I am delighted to present the inaugural:
Pocket Alchemy Nugget of Awesome Interviews:eight interviews with eight inspiring, artistic, self-starting women over the eight weeks of summer. I am proud to call each of them friend and am delighted to share them and their work here. Please note that I am replacing my regular Rearview Fridays posts with these interviews over the summer.
THE INTRODUCTION
Bess Callard and her son Edwin.
BESS CALLARDand I were students together at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. We were in different years but I remember watching Bess dance. She had a simple, efficient, calm and sophisticated way of interpreting, she was arresting yet subtle. I think those qualities have travelled with her into her graphic design work. Her charming custom name art graces my sons’ room and her Everyday Objects Calendar graces my kitchen wall, giving me a smile as I walk by and reminding me ever-so-pleasingly of the date. Bess’ blog offered inspiration in my own blogging start up, and I am excited to see how she and shifted from one professional artistic passion to another while negotiating independent work in the midst of early motherhood.
THE BIO
Bess Callard is an illustrator, graphic designer, and sometimes dancer. In 2006, after a successful career in contemporary dance, she began the transition to the world of design.
Going back to school to pursue her new passion, Bess attended The School of Design at George Brown College in Toronto before she had the opportunity to move to Europe. Bess spent three years living in Vienna and travelling throughout Europe.
While living abroad Bess found she had the time and freedom to explore what she was most passionate about and founded her children’s illustration company, English Muffin. English Muffin offers beautiful, fun and educational prints and posters for kids. It was through this venture that she honed her skills as an illustrator and made her initial foray into entrepreneurship.
Upon returning to Canada, Bess was offered the opportunity to illustrate for the online magazine Pure Green Magazine. Since then the magazine has made the leap to print and Bess is an integral part of the design team. Pure Green Magazine is available across Canada, the US and Europe and currently publishing its third volume in print.
Originally from Toronto, Bess is currently living with her husband, new baby boy and miniature pinscher in Montréal.
THE INTERVIEW
Pocket Alchemy Question: Tell me about your artistic work.
Bess Callard: I am an illustrator and graphic designer. I create prints and posters for my children’s illustration company and illustrate for a quarterly publication, Pure Green Magazine.
PAQ: what is currently sparking your imagination?
BC:I recently had a baby boy and find my inspiration and imagination wrapped up in him. It’s a joy to watch him discover the world around him and I love the adventures he takes me on. As a parent I don’t think one can help but see the world through the eyes of your child, the beauty in the simplicity of colours, shapes and patterns is something we’re both very interested in these days.
PAQ: How do you structure and manage your days/weeks/months to get it all in? Do you have micro/macro plans that you stick to?
BC:Oh, Susan, what a question for a new mom! I used to work off of a handwritten daily to do list, I’ve tried online to do lists (my favourite being Teux Deux) but there’s just something about being able to make changes on the fly and apply my own scribbles and notes as the day goes on that I can’t let go of, and, crossing things off is the best part. I would have long-term plans, projects I’d like to accomplish and goals for the shop. It is really important to have at least the next three months planned out when working in an industry where seasonal holidays and themes are so important. These days however, my son Edwin is my fulltime job, and I try to take care of small projects while he’s napping or asleep for the night. It really is a one-day-at-a-time operation around here now.
Bess’s serene, simple work space.
PAQ: What is a current favourite resource or material?
BC: I love the paper I print on. It took me a long time to find 100% recycled paper suitable for high quality printing, but I did it! The texture, look and feel are just perfect for printing English Muffin prints on.
PAQ: Give me 4 great songs to work to!
BC: These ones are on my “get your butt in gear” playlist:
PAQ: What about your work keeps you up at night (for good or ill!)?
BC: I love a new project and the anticipation of starting work on something new is usually what will keep my mind busy as I’m trying to fall asleep. Figuring out a tricky design problem or thinking about how best to convey an idea, especially when I’m working on layouts or illustrations for Pure Green Magazine, will also keep me up.
Some English Muffin pieces by Bess Callard.
PAQ: How has your aesthetic evolved over the years?
BC:I think it has evolved to become more “me”. As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten braver and more confident in expressing my voice and ideas. I’m less concerned with what’s “on trend”, and what others in my field are doing. It’s great to be inspired by your contemporaries but I’ve found that my favourite illustrators and designers are the ones that have developed their own style. I strive to stay as true to my own artistic voice as possible.
THE WRAP UP
There you go, Bess Callard/English Muffin, a solid favouite! Bess’s English Muffin blog is so worth following — I particularly enjoy her recurring perfect pairs. Check out her work in Pure Green Magazine (and support a new magazine, hurray!) or look to her shop for wonderful maps, prints and custom name art using her original alphabet.
This morning I got up early to make a quick gift for a wee girl. It’s a soothy/pacifier/nuk-nuk/chooch/you-name-it holder, a key piece if you use these things so they don’t get lost or dirty. And it might as well be charming!
I’ve been trying this lately, the up-early-to-get-some-work-done bit that is, and sometimes it works with my sleeper-iner boys! The time is finite and my ears tense for waking sounds, but so far I’ve some fair success, as long as I don’t plan too big a task.
I tend towards the Night Owl side of things, always have. I revel in a quiet, still house and come alive creatively after 11 o’clock pm, loving the possibility in the hours that lie ahead and not being interrupted (except perhaps to nurse). But the danger is that I’ll easily work almost all night and that’s not great when those hours are meant for sleeping. And it isn’t particularly compatible with present, conscious mothering, so I’m trying to choose sleep when there’s sleep for the taking and not to get seduced by long stretches of quiet, velvety, night hours I could use to sew and sew and write and think!
One of the things I miss most from my before-kids days are the long chunks of undivided, dedicated time I could carve out for projects. I definitely couldn’t appreciate what a freedom that was. Sometimes, nay, often, keeping so many balls in the air is not the most effective or satisfying way to get things done. But I’d rather be juggling in order to still be creative and creating alongside my lovely boys than not. And I wouldn’t trade them, don’t mistake this for a complaint. Rather, their presence in my life has taught me to use my time way more efficiently. And to value quiet night hours like gold.
But I am an Owl in Robin’s clothing. The early worm tastes okay, it’ll definitely do. But there’s no doubt I’ll still succumb to the night now and then … hoot hoot!
I’m loving this easy soother strap design I’ve settled on and recently picked up some great ribbon so I can make a bunch for Etsy. Cute, non?
