Our featured speaker for March is the charming and irreverent magician Rob Teszka who will share his fascinating experiences and struggles with creativity through the lens of the global theme PERSPECTIVE.
Weaving interesting stories and unusual ideas together with wit and skill, Teszka entertains at a variety of public festivals and private events, is the president of the Fraser Valley Magic Company, and has toured across Canada with his solo Fringe show. The thing he’s most proud of though, is producing and hosting the monthly Parlour Magic Show, Vancouver’s own variety magic show that just entered its 4th year! Incidentally, Rob hated writing this bio for himself, because bragging is really quite unnatural for him. A favourable review once called him “a genuine eccentric”. It’s probably because he knots his own bow ties.
Every month we ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
Sometimes, a person gets driven to express a Thing, by -any means necessary-. Creativity is the practice of solving problems that get in the way of fully communicating the Thing. My chosen medium happens to be magic, which is beautifully cross-disciplinary and lets you express even the impossible. There is a Thing that should not be: and yet, here it is. To bring my Things to life I have dipped my paintbrush into many disciplines: acting, engineering, standup comedy, improv, psychology, puppetry, clown, storytelling–and whatever else I’ve needed to express the Thing.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
Seeing live performance! My cup is always refilled whenever I go to a show, and fills most quickly when I’m at a festival and seeing all the shows I can. Especially the weird ones.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
Rob! It’s me, you from the future! That feeling you feel, when in front of an audience? It’s JOY. It doesn’t have to be rare. You can find it in so many different ways. Don’t let the bastards grind you down–you are allowed to pursue joy! DO IT!
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
Why not both? Have Erwin Schrödinger on. Ha! But for real: I’d be interested to see P.T Barnum, the infamous humbug and sideshow exhibitionist. I suspect he’d be wildly entertaining, but also insightful about North American showbiz culture, the way spin and bluster dazzle the public, and the real power of a fake story. Alas, he was waaaaaay more problematic than his portrayal by Hugh Jackman in the Greatest Showman musical would suggest, so it’s probably for the best that we’ll just have to imagine what he’d say.
How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?
I entertain by using lies to share truths—and am disarmingly open about the lying part.
What keeps you awake at night?
My goddamned phone. I am as a moth to its artificial glow.
What’s your one guilty creative indulgence?
I like popcorn movies and prefer pulpy genre to literary fiction! For instance: my favourite movies are Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters, and I love cozy murder mysteries and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. I don’t really watch movies or read books that make me feel sad or weird, and I guess I feel guilty about it because I’m seeking fun escapism rather than erudition? Heavens, what will become of my pretentious reputation!
What fact about you would surprise most people?
I’m a vaguely competent pianist and singer, and can convincingly accompany myself on the ukulele.
Our featured speaker for February will be the athlete, advocate, activist, and fashion model Joleen Mitton who will share her inspirational personal story of creativity through the lens of the global theme NATIVE.
Joleen is the founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week and co-founder of Supernaturals—the world’s first all-Indigenous modelling agency. Through the organization Urban Butterflies, she helps Indigenous youth in foster care connect with their culture.
Every month we ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
As an indigenous woman at the helm of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, creativity is not just an abstract concept, but a lived experience and a legacy. It’s the fusion of ancient traditions with modern expressions. In my life and career, creativity is about storytelling - every design, every fabric, every color tells a story of our people, our struggles, and our triumphs. It’s a way to keep our culture alive and share it with the world.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
A significant portion of my inspiration emanates from my kokum and the people in my surroundings. Much of it arises from a call to action, a desire to make a positive impact. Additionally, a substantial part of my creative energy is derived from the passion and experiences I’ve encountered throughout my modelling career overseas.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
If I could share a piece of creative advice with my younger self, it would listen to the wisdom of my elders and genuine knowledge keepers. Let them observe and guide me, as my creative talents will unfold naturally. In the midst of the noise of external opinions, trust those who truly know and care about you, as they have your best interests at heart.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
I would deeply appreciate the opportunity to hear the wisdom of my mentor, Beau Dick, once more. He served as a profound source of inspiration for me, and I believe that sharing his knowledge would be enriching for others as well.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Jumped off a bridge.
What’s your one guilty creative indulgence?
I watch a lot of old school Anime.
What are you reading these days?
I just finished “The Shoe Boy A Trapline” Memoir By Duncan McGue while on vacation.
What fact about you would surprise people?
I lived in Thailand on and off for 8 years and had dreams of being a monk LOL.
How does your life and career compare to what you envisioned for your future as a sixth grader?
Similar to many sixth graders, my childhood dream was to become a veterinarian. However, over the years, my path has taken a different direction.
How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?
Producers of many things and ideas.
What’s the most recent thing you learned (big or small)?
I can’t help everyone.
If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?
More vacations. It feels like I’ve opened a lot of doors already.
What keeps you awake at night?
My mind is constantly active, engaged in problem-solving and contemplating the things I want to accomplish.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and what lessons did that person teach you?
The most significant influence on my life has been my Kokum. She imparted invaluable lessons on strength and resilience, shaping me into the person I am today.
What are you proudest of in your life?
That I helped create a safer space for indigenous people on Turtle island. I’ve been the fork in the road for a lot of people.
If you could interview anyone living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?
I would choose my Kokum. Despite being deeply ashamed of her past, I am curious to learn how she overcame those challenges and managed to take care of me.
If you could do anything now, what would you do?
Paint and go to art school.
Where was the last place you travelled?
Tulum, Mexico.
What music are you listening to these days?
Lately, I’ve been immersed in the sounds of Aysanabee. I’m such a big fan that I even brought him to VIFW.
What was the best surprise you’ve experienced so far in life?
I’m 40 and still playing basketball LOL..
Where is your favourite place to escape?
Saipan in Micronesia.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
The encouragement to ‘keep going’ stands out as the best advice I ever received, especially when it came from my elders and knowledge keepers, affirming that I was the real deal.
What books made a difference in your life and why?
One significant ritual for me is smudging, which involves clearing the space before I begin my creative endeavours.
When you get stuck creatively, what is the first thing you do to get unstuck?
Personally, I turn to prayer, reflect on photos of my Kokum and past works, and take walks.
If you had fifteen extra minutes each day, what would you do with them?
Sleep.
What has been one of your biggest Ah-Ha! moments in life?. Around the age of 18 or 19, I realized that much of the rat race doesn’t hold true significance; instead, it’s the embrace of culture that truly matters.
What object would you put in a time capsule that best represents who you are today?
A basketball, Sage, ribbon skirt and a NAS CD
What is the one movie or book every creative must see/read?
The defiant ones.
The first event of 2024 will feature renowned sculptor Marie Khouri who will share her incredible personal story of creativity through the lens of the global theme RISE.
Born in Egypt and raised in Lebanon, Marie Khouri relays messages of movement, community, and connection through her artworks. As an immigrant spending time across Europe before truly settling in Canada, Khouri’s work speaks to a unified and diverse audience, creating sculptures that unify communities. With her works rooted in a profound sense of dislocation and the search for a greater sense of place, her sculptures are formed through extensive hands-on process that employs traditional sculpting techniques alongside contemporary innovations in material and building standards. Khouri was just honoured as the Award of Distinction in the 2023 Applied Art + Design Awards by BC Achievement Foundation.
Every month we ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
When asked about how I define creativity and apply it in my life and career, I express that for me, creativity is not just a sporadic occurrence but an everyday phenomenon. It permeates various aspects of my life, from the way I dress and cook to my behavior and work. I draw inspiration from everyday things, whether it be an image, a reading, or a simple walk, emphasizing the importance of finding creativity in the ordinary.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
Reflecting on where I find my best creative inspiration or energy, I stress that inspiration often stems from everyday experiences, such as images, readings, or walks—especially those by the sea. I emphasize the significance of not merely looking at things but truly seeing them, delving beneath the surface. Ultimately, I highlight the pivotal moment when I can apply this creative inspiration in the studio, manifesting it into the everyday things I create.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
In response to the question about creative advice for young individuals, I suggest embracing every moment and experience, emphasizing that tips and advice are valuable additions to one’s creative journey. Stressing the importance of taking life one step at a time.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
When asked about the dream speaker at CreativeMornings, I express a desire to hear Louise Bourgeois, citing her groundbreaking contributions to sculpture and feminist art during her time. I appreciate her ability to break the mold, highlighting her role as an abstract expressionist in feminist art.
What did you learn from your most memorable creative failure?
Answering the question about the most memorable creative failure, I share the lesson learned—that accidents can lead to creative successes. I draw a parallel to Bob Ross’s philosophy that there are no creative mistakes, only happy accidents. I emphasize the iterative nature of art, where mistakes can often pave the way for unique and creative outcomes.
What fact about you would surprise people?
Regarding a surprising fact about myself, I reveal that I speak five languages, worked as an interpreter before becoming an artist, and even had a background in finance. This unexpected facet adds depth to my identity beyond the realm of art.
How does your life and career compare to what you envisioned for your future as a sixth grader?
When asked to compare my life and career to the visions I had as a sixth grader, I explain that, due to existing in a difficult reality during a civil war in my home country, I was incapable of dreaming at that age. This experience shaped my perspective on life and dreams.
How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?
“I play with clay,” encapsulating the essence of my artistic endeavors.
If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?
In response to the hypothetical scenario of opening a door and going anywhere, I express a desire to be in my home, Paris, France..
What keeps you awake at night?
Delving into what keeps me awake at night, I humorously attribute it to my “creative juices,” emphasizing the constant flow of ideas and inspiration that fuels my artistic endeavors.
What are you proudest of in your life?
When asked about what I am proudest of in my life, I unequivocally cite my children as my greatest source of pride, followed by my achievements in public art.
What has been one of your biggest Aha! moments in life?
Recalling one of my biggest “Aha!” moments in life, I share the profound experience of witnessing the installation of my first public art piece—VANTAGE—a moment that solidified the impact of my creative contributions.
December’s event will feature notable BC lawyer, mediator, and conflict resolution expert Sharon Sutherland who will share her story of how creativity has shown up in work and life through the lens of the global theme ‘pain’.
Sharon was one of the first Project Managers of the BC Court Mediation Program (1998-2003). From 2000-2014, Sharon was a faculty member at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law where, in addition to a range of substantive legal courses, she taught an intensive clinical mediation program and supervised the Faculty’s Judicial Externship program. From 2006-2010, Sharon worked with Mediate BC to develop a province-wide Child Protection Mediation Practicum aimed at increasing the number of child protection mediators in under-serviced parts of BC. From 2014-2016, Sharon worked as a Knowledge Engineer in the development of the Civil Resolution Tribunal, focusing on both Strata and Small Claims streams.
With her background in practicum design and management, Sharon has a special interest in mediation mentorship. She has been a mediation mentor in a variety of programs (Small Claims, Child Protection, community mediations) since 1997. She is a founding Board member of CoRe Conflict Resolution Society where she manages the Speaker Series.
In June 2021, Sharon received an honorary doctorate from the Justice Institute of BC for contributions to conflict resolution through practice, advocacy, and the training and mentoring of mediators. Sharon also was honoured with the 2011 Susanna Jani Prize for Excellence in Mediation.
In addition to an LL.M. in ADR from Osgoode Hall Law School, Sharon received a M.A. in Drama and Theatre Studies from the University of London, and completed all work but her thesis towards a Ph.D. in Drama from the University of Toronto. This theatrical background continues to inform her teaching and practice. Sharon has participated in a variety of academic and practice-oriented projects in applied improvisation, Theatre of the Oppressed, and other theatre tools for conflict resolution.
Sharon is keenly interested in games as a tool for supporting team building, conflict prevention and conflict management. She has hosted several Collaborative Game Jams, and is a member of PignPotato Games. She is one of the designers of Zombie Fight or Flight, a collaborative card game, and designs and hosts Scavenger Hunts for team building.
Every month we ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
Margaret Boden’s definition of creativity as the ability to come up with ideas that are ”new, surprising, and valuable” resonates with me because it’s wide-ranging and captures possibilities in all areas of life. I try to appreciate creativity in all of its forms - artistic endeavours, cooking, strategic planning, games, team sports, etc.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
I’m energized by new experiences, change, and (unfortunately, perhaps) deadlines.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
Creativity applies to everything, including creating the work you want to be doing.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
Tahmoh Penikett, Rachel Bloom, Baba Brinkman.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Captained a GISH team to victory! Essentially 8 days of making 223 of 227 impossible tasks and goofy acts of kindness happen. Personal craziest tasks would include acting as judge on the diving board of a literal jury pool, setting up a giant game of red rover with 53 wedding guests, re-enacting the pottery scene from “Ghost” using cement, public maple syrup and glittering a teammate, and zombie slow-speed tag at the mall.
What are you reading these days?
Fanfiction - endless creativity and, occasional guilty pleasure, combined.
Where was the last place you travelled?
Last non-work travel was to Greenland, and now I want to go straight back!
For November we are excited to feature the young, female designer shaking up the local creative industry with her talent and energy named Ella Taylor who will share her story of creativity through the lens of the global theme ‘rhythm’.
Ella is a creative with an influence of marketing and design thinking, composing her career as a graphic designer. She is a recent graduate of the Wilson School of Design program, and has been on the post-grad roller coaster ever since. Her studies led to a few student award wins, but her biggest accomplishment to date has been the opportunity to find her voice through design. She’s (kind of) new here, and unlike her short bio, has lots to say!
Every month we like to ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
The way I see it, there are two main facets of creativity. One being creative problem solving and the other a straight up creative expression or energy. Creative problem solving is a lot like playing Lego, taking different pieces and assembling them in order to bring something bigger into existence. Whereas creativity can also be the act of bringing something to life for the sake of it, be it words, sounds, visuals, etc. I use both every day of my life in different scenarios. My Lego building skills earn me a living, so that I can keep making things for the sake of making them. It’s a dialed system!
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
I consume a lot of content (zines, shows, inspiration sites, books, podcasts, etc) but most of my ideas come to me when I’m doing something mundane like the dishes, laundry, driving, walking, or falling asleep. When I’m not feeling a natural flow, I’m anxious or uncertain about how to start, movement is always my go-to release so that I can slow my thoughts, be more in my body, and get into a state where I’m able to focus that energy more effectively. Other times it just takes momentum, a scribble or a note for example. Doing anything to break the blank page, and sometimes the inspiration just shows up.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? Just have fun, let joy in!
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
Oh my gosh there would be so many… but I’m going to have to say I’d love to see an Our Planet style narration by David Attenborough on the life of creatives.
If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?
Assuming I would have some sort of superhuman powers to stay alive while I’m down there, I’d definitely go to the deep sea. Being one of the last things left unexplored on earth, that’s definitely what I’d go see if I had a magical door.
What music are you listening to these days?
Anything a little jazzy, a little funky, and smooth. I’ve been really loving jazz rap recently.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
The best advice I’ve ever been given is perhaps the most simple advice I’ve ever been given, and that is to just slow down.
October’s global theme is ‘endurance’ and we are excited to welcome local creative consultant, multidisciplinary systems thinker, and B Corp Ambassador Kristy O'Leary.
Kristy is a multi-disciplinary creative whose practice has evolved through direct action and activism, multimedia and installation art, advertising and branding, public confidence and social license campaigning, into the world of impact management consulting. Her passion and purpose have coalesced into Decade, a boutique consulting firm with a focus on supporting companies in taking meaningful, tangible, and radical action on climate and social justice issues. She delights in supporting companies in becoming hope spots and helping people transform the mundane into magic. She believes her contribution to building a livable, equitable future is by trojan-horsing capitalism. Giddy up!
Kristy has developed disruptive, future-focused impact plans for companies internationally. She has transformed NIMBY’s into investors, worked with underdogs to transform public opinion from rejection to acceptance, and performed supply chain impact measurement for disruptive agricultural companies in the jungles of Latin. The team at Decade have supported over 150+ companies in redefining how they can leave the world better than they found it and 60+ companies in achieving B Corp certification.
Every month we like to ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
Working with companies to identify, pluck, and strengthen the threads that tie products and services to purpose, regeneration, and renewal is how my creativity manifests. This work requires an aptitude for both the darkness and the light; each presenting their own unique creative challenges. Creativity makes it possible for us to scenario plan runaway climate change and cascading systems collapse, and have the wherewithal to imagine, design, and actually build regenerative systems that ensure there will indeed be a future. Creativity is more than art and beauty and all those things; it is the ability to look into the darkness and the endurance to create something beautiful and good and necessary. Creativity is relentlessly loving.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
People and their stories and infinite possibilities. Right in the centre of those three things. I get these butterfly-in-my-chest-moments when people share the truths they have revealed as they deepen their expertise… it’s in those passion spaces, other people’s passion spaces, that’s where I light up. I’m always moving between the present and future tense for folks. My greatest joy is holding up a mirror to them – “Look at your greatness! Take it in. That’s you! That’s what you’re here to do! Now, let’s get to work.”
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
That creativity and thinking sideways are superpowers.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
Carl Sagan
How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger? I help businesses embed social, environmental, and economic justice in their products and services so that every time they turn a dollar, something is left better than they found it.
If you could interview anyone living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?
Carl Sagan
What myths about creativity would you like to set straight?
That creativity is for artists… I work with entrepreneurs and those folks create a lot of something from nothing and sometimes figure out how to embed justice in capitalism. I’ll take an impact business models are radical creativity.
What books made a difference in your life and why?
“The World we Made” – we all need a glimpse of a world made better. “The Council of Animals” – I think humans should eventually be judged by the creatures. “Never Let Me Go” – I don’t want to give anything away. “1984” – Do I need to explain this one? “Hillbilly Elegy” – This story hits dangerously close to home.*
If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?
The future… obviously…
What music are you listening to these days?
Lana Del Ray, Jose Gonzalez, Sault, Sigur Ros, Beck, Michael Nyman, Max Richter, Carol King, Solange, The Weakerthans.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
There are three: 1. Never, ever, get good at anything you don’t love. 2. You’ll have three best friends in your life, make one of them your life partner. 3. When you buy quality, you only wince once.
What is the one movie or book every creative must see/read?
First, for those needing some inspiration and magic in their lives, “In and of Itself” – Derrick Delgato. You’re welcome. Second, for those trying to steel themselves for an uncertain future and need a taste of the sublime – “Meloncholia”. I’m sorry.
What keeps you awake at night?
Late-stage capitalism, climate chaos, perimenopause…
The global theme for September is ‘simplicity’ and we are honoured to host a renowned mathematician and award-winning UBC professor, Fok-Shuen Leung.
Dr Leung is a faculty member in the Mathematics Department at the University of British Columbia, where he is Undergraduate Chair and Professor of Teaching. He obtained his doctoral degree in Mathematics from the University of Oxford. He is a winner of the Canadian Mathematics Society Excellence in Teaching Award, the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences Education Prize, and two-time winner of the Killam Teaching Prize.
Every month we like to ask our speakers a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
Math reveals that complicated things are simple; and just as often, that simple things are complicated. Planets tethered to the sun by gravity, and hurtling, spinning, along their elliptical tracks – just calculus. On the other hand, addition – 1+1=2 – is really an example of a group action, and *that gets thorny quickly. In that light, creativity might be the ability to see things differently. Sometimes it helps to see that the Pieta is just a rock, and sometimes it helps to look at a rock and see that there’s an uncarved Pieta hidden inside.*
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
The best moments turn out to be the moments in between. Say I have 45 minutes to think about math in my office at noon, and an hour to talk about math at a seminar across campus at 1:00. Creative things happen most often on the walk from one to the other.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
It takes practice! I like what Robert Hughes wrote about foundations: that “The philosophical beauty of Mondrian’s squares and grids begins with the empirical beauty of his apple trees.” When I started really getting into math, my view of the subject was pretty romantic. I was an undergrad, so this may have been appropriate and inevitable. But I could have used a bit more sense with my sensibility.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
Hildegard von Bingen. It seems like she had something interesting to say about everything. I think there’s a good chance she would have accepted. And she could have provided the musical prelude, too.
What are you reading these days?
“Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee and “Vesper Flights” by Helen Macdonald. Really beautiful reads by authors who clearly like the sounds of words.
How does your life and career compare to what you envisioned for your future when you were a sixth grader?
When I was in sixth grade, I put on a heavily edited production of Macbeth for my school (no witches, no real tragedy, mainly just sword-fighting), and sold drawings to my classmates for snack money. Now, part of my job is to make accessible the great works of mathematics, and to write about math for snack money. So not much has changed.
What are you proudest of in your life?
I’m pretty proud of my kid. :)
The global theme for August is ‘pride’ and we are thrilled to host the queer, afro-Caribbean poet, creative facilitator, curator, consultant, educator, and arts community advocate, Jillian Christmas.
Christmas is the long-time spoken word curator of the Vancouver Writers Fest, and former artistic director of Verses Festival of Words. Utilizing an anti-oppressive lens, Jillian has performed and facilitated workshops across North America. She is the author of The Gospel of Breaking (Arsenal Pulp Press 2020), and the children’s book, The Magic Shell (Flamingo Rampant Press 2022) and the 2021 winner of the League of Canadian Poets’ Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award for spoken word poetry. She lives on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam people (Vancouver, BC.)
Every month we like to ask our speakers a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career? For me creativity is the ability to dip a spoon, or perhaps a palm into the pool of the universe, into the energy that connects us all, and pull up something beyond our own imaginations. For me, one of the ways I regularly access that space is to get very, very quiet. Quiet enough that I can hear beyond the world, beyond myself, into whatever is on the other side.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? I spiral my mind around the things I know and love. I meditate. And when a question arises from within, I let my mind visit and explore and shift perspective, until the question itself also becomes a thing I know and love… even when there is no answer, there is still the desire to ask.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? There is nothing to “figure out”, just do and be, and cherish what you love. The rest is noise.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? Carmen Aguire
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Literally lost my mind.
What was the best advice you were ever given? Don’t take yourself too seriously - Dad
What books made a difference in your life and why? “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” taught me that we can change and grow in infinite ways..
For July’s global theme of ‘treasure’ we are honoured to host videographer, storyteller, urban planner and musician, Uytae Lee.
Uytae Lee is the founder of ‘About Here’, a YouTube channel and creative studio dedicated to helping people understand their cities better. In addition to the channel, Uytae produces the CBC series ‘Stories About Here’.
Every month we like to ask our speakers a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
For me, creativity is about organizing. Combining and rearranging ideas, words, paint, or whatever really into something that’s meaningful to you. In my work, this idea has given me the reassurance that I rarely (if ever) need to come up with something from scratch - I just don’t think the creative process works that way. I research, paraphrase, synthesize, reflect, and (more than anything) take inspiration from others to put something together that feels compelling for me. Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? I find much of my creative inspiration from talking to people. There’s something about a live, unscripted conversation where you let your ideas collide freely that helps me get out of my head.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
The creative process requires breaks. Your creativity often works behind the scenes, when you’re taking a walk, distracted, or even sleeping. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck on a project, try stepping away from it for a day or two. When you come back to it, you’ll almost certainly find that your thoughts have refined and organized themselves into something much more coherent and easy to understand. I think it works this way because your memory is very selective for the things that feel most important to you. When you step away from a project, you’re letting your brain subconsciously throw out what didn’t really matter and hold on to what was most important. I wish I knew this when I was younger because it probably would have saved me from dozens of wildly unproductive all-nighters spent trying to hammer out a script while overwhelmed and sleep-deprived.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
Tony and Taylor from Every Frame a Painting
What fact about you would surprise people?
I was part of a ukulele group for several years.
What are you reading these days?
Order without design by Alain Bertaut
What’s your one guilty creative indulgence?
Cooking videos, they’re so relaxing!
We are quite excited to host chef, restauranteur,
author, and activist, Meeru Dhalwala, who will share her compelling story of creativity through the lens of June’s global theme ‘reverie’.
Meeru moved from Washington, D.C. to Vancouver in February 1995 and has since been cooking and running the kitchens and menus at Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants. Vij’s has been hailed by the New York Times as “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world.” (Rangoli closed after 17 years in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Meeru also wrote all three award-winning Vij’s cookbooks.
In 2021, Meeru created a small community business built from her learned ethics in the food industry: My Bambiri (baby) Foods. My Bambiri sources from BC organic farmers and sells on income-based pricing: three price options based on a family’s specific finances. She has also partnered with Food Stash Foundation to sell My Bambiri at their markets for low-income families who face many economic and social barriers. In October 2022, Meeru relaunched her annual international food fair called “Joy of Feeding” that is held at the UBC Farm Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.
Meeru holds a MSc in development studies from Bath University, UK, and brings her passion for humanity into her business and cooking practices. She is one of Vancouver’s most prominent promoters of women in business, climate change and sustainability, and healthy-elegant cooking. She proudly sits on the Board of Directors for the Green Party of Vancouver. For her professional and community work, Meeru has received honorary doctorates from both University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
Every month we like to ask our speakers a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:
How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
I imagine and then come up with ideas. Lots of ideas, of which most aren’t realistic, but contribute to the final ideas that I/we can execute. I love the process of ideas popping or slowly coming to form in my head. I love the crazy ideas that are impractical and the ideas that could make stories if I were a novelist. I say the word “IDEA!” in the Vij’s kitchen and staff stops whatever we’re doing, get excited and hear the “IDEA!” Half of them result in all of us just laughing b/c while even saying it, I realize it’s not practical or just sounds silly coming out. My kitchen staff doesn’t rely on me to run the daily kitchen—cooking, ordering, loading, prep, etc.—but they rely on me for my “IDEA!” And if I love my idea, I don’t let it go.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
From running in my neighborhood—not any neighborhood or trail. Running is combination of my familiar surroundings and my body igniting me—my brain is dancing while my body is doing all the physical work. Whatever is on my mind—whether my family, trying to save some aspect of the environment, imagining being dead, imagining my comfort place on this earth, a work issue, coming up with recipes, etc.—it’s done with abandon while I’m running. Within 10 minutes, I lose myself in imagining, pondering…and daydreaming about my past in relation to today.
What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
Find a solo activity during which you feel abandon and…yes, lose yourself in reverie! I run. All those times when I was crying or stressed about my home life or school life, if I had gone out running and released that stress energy, the weight would have lightened and so many windows would have opened. Doesn’t have to be a physical activity—it can be knitting or drawing.
Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
George Eliot or Graca Machel. Intellectually attuned and gracefully passionate, brave women. Middlemarch is still relevant as a compelling storyline and observation on humanity’s social concoctions. Women and children’s rights activist Graca Machel was the First Lady of Mozambique at an important and crucial time. Her husband (the President) was assassinated via a plane crash. Later, she became the First Lady of South Africa, as wife of Nelson Mandela.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Fly to Vancouver from Washington D.C. to meet a guy I was talking on the phone with for a month (back in 1994) and, after spending 5 days with him, deciding to marry him asap. I left my hometown, friends and career in human rights and economic development to move to Vancouver. It resulted in a new and completed unexpected career, two beautiful children and 17 years of marriage. I don’t know how, but I grabbed the confidence in love before it escaped in the form of common sense.
If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?
My partner is a dry suit (meaning he dives in cold waters) scuba diver and travels to all waters of the world to dive, take photos. His “comfort place” in this world is the silence and being solo under water—complete opposite from mine. He lies there with his camera, watches and waits for creatures to swim, fully in zen mode. This level of silence and alone-ness intimidates and fascinates me. I would LOVE to turn myself into an invisible and weightless being, and be on his shoulder while he does this. I would not want to disturb his zen. For me, this would be like magically living in a dream.
What are you proudest of in your life?
Giving motherhood my all, by which I don’t mean just love. The most important moment of my life so far is when I first looked down at my newborn and felt/saw the look in her wide eyes, settling on her mom’s face. I call this “Newborn Eyes”. Newborn Eyes are the energy of my personal life. I’m proud of fully and honestly engaging with my two daughters as humans and not as my extensions. I’m proud of calling them out on their shit and not worrying if they like me or not, or if they’ll rebel. I’m proud that I never stopped being me for the sake of being a mother.
If you could do anything now, what would you do?
Have each human above the age of, say 6, in this world watch the animated documentary film “Flee” for its subject matter and b/c its engrossing storytelling. I want all of us watching at the exact same time so we are aware of sharing this experience together, as one. So, a bit of magic or super sci-fi high tech required here. Some of the bravest and most loving people in this world are “refugees” and “migrants”. These are labels for some, but for me they are my mom and dad.
What books made a difference in your life and why?
The Employees by Olga Ravn. This book is potentially our real future with real humans co-existing with AI types of humans. It’s beautifully written. It’s a very short book and I read it twice in a row.