links loved / april 25

Posted on April 26, 2014 by

linksloved1

Here’s a round-up of some lovely things I saw on the Internets this past week, inspired to share by Elise and her weekly round-ups:

I love Niki Jabbour’s enthusiasm for gardening! This is her seedling update from this week.

Alexandra Franzen is a brilliant copywriter. Her post, The Ultimate Guide to Naming your “Thing”, besides for being concise and smart, also has a bunch of great links to really neat stuff.

Make Focus Time Sacred by Lemon and Raspberry. (Also, what a great name for a blog, it makes me want to eat raspberry turnovers glazed with lemon and sugar…mmm…)

Curvy yoga. (Which I found through the Alexandra Franzen post above! When you sign up for the email newsletter you get a free 15-minute video yoga session.)

How to Be Awesome Part 4: Give Give Give. Alison talks about three ways to give: give thanks, give your gift to the world even if you think it’s silly, and give love.

These photos of inside an abandoned school in Cleveland, Ohio are actually really beautiful!

My well-deserving pal Bill Conall won a big national award for his Cape Breton-based book, “The Promised Land”. !!! Article about the award is here and you can buy the book here.

Have a most excellent weekend, friends!

Posted in For Fun | Tagged | Leave a comment

around here: that “lived in” look

Posted on April 25, 2014 by

Earlier this week on a picture that Elise Blaha Cripe posted on Instagram, someone commented about her messy room by saying, “I love the ‘lived in’ look,” and it made me giggle a bit.

Because that’s the only “look” around here! And like it’s a “look” that people strive for or something. That’s just funny.

lived-in-look1 lived-in-look2 lived-in-look3

Today is Friday and I am so thrilled to have the day at home, with no fires to put out (client projects to work on or school assignments to work on). I woke at 6 with Adam, and by 7:30 had had breakfast and was in my office puttering. It was really tempting to sleep in, but I know myself well enough to know that if I wake at 9 or 10, then I won’t get right to work, but instead will sort of wallow around the house, half-lazing, but also feeling guilty for not working on stuff and half-heartedly picking away at it. So instead I decided to get right to work, and then on Sunday I’ll really commit to being lazy. That’s how lazy works best, for me anyway, if I pick a day and then really commit to it, haha.

So now I’m furiously tidying up loose ends. Not furiously, I suppose, as in angrily, but more like with excitement that I finally have time for all those little bits and bobs I’ve been putting off for weeks, sometimes months! You know, just the bits of paper that pile up, business cards for people I meant to get follow up with about various things, receipts to file away, “congrats” and belated birthday cards to write and mail, a paper recycling bin to empty. All the stuff that gets pushed to the side when I’m in a busy season like I was the last several months.

Also I’m closer to getting more shelves! Adam, who is a carpenter as well as an electrician, had said he would make me some, months ago, but then that too got pushed to the wayside. Yesterday I went to Walmart to see if I could just get a cheapie bookcase to tide me over but everything was too heavy and expensive. I figured I’d wait and do a bit more research. When I got home I told this to Adam and he said, “I’ll make you some!” Today on his way home from work he (says he) will stop and get supplies for easy shelves. I’m pumped because I’ve got lots of stuff still in boxes and grocery bags, waiting for shelving! I love a great, organized office shelf, because I am a huge nerd. LOL.

And at some point today I’ll put on a hat and mitts and go for a walk, because moving makes me happy too, and because it’s frigging cold here today! Yeesh.

Posted in Day to Day Life, Education, Leah's thoughts, Work | Tagged , | 1 Comment

five things I’ve learned from: hitting a deer

Posted on April 24, 2014 by

fivethings_deer

So last September on my way to Halifax to fly out for a weekend, I hit a deer just outside of New Glasgow. I was really lucky to be unhurt, but my car was not, and needed towing and repairs. Then just yesterday on my way home from school, I hit another deer. Again, I was luckily unhurt, but the deer and my car suffered damage. This time little Pepper Potts (my name for my orange Yaris) may be written off.

It got me thinking about what I learned from the last time and this time, and also an idea for a new series on the blog: “Five Things I’ve Learned From…” various experiences.

  1. Keep the numbers for CAA and your insurance company handy. After the last time (when I had to scramble through the glove compartment to find my insurance info, and Google CAA to find the phone number) I now keep a copy of my insurance info (claim number and phone number) in my wallet, and I have the phone numbers for both CAA and Aviva in my phone’s contacts list. I also keep a piece of paper and pen handy for when the insurance folks give me information like the adjustor’s name and number, the shop where they want the car towed to, and the rental car place. These little details can save a lot of “frazzle” when an accident has just happened and you’re in a bit of shock.
  2. Go the speed limit. God knows I like to go a bit over, especially when stuck behind slow drivers, and that I enjoy the rush of driving fast. I’ll admit that! But going 100 can save you both a speeding ticket any old time, and give you a precious extra second when you spot a deer, to slow down. Both times I was able to slow down enough in that 1-2 seconds that it made a difference when the deer and I collided; my airbags didn’t even deploy, I was unhurt, and the damage to the car wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
  3. It’s worth it to have a rental car as part of your insurance policy! The company arranges it and you can get back to your regular schedule almost immediately, depending on availability of cars, of course.
  4. Show your appreciation for the emergency care workers who attend the scene or help you out. I like to send Tim Hortons gift cards. It’s a bit of extra work, for sure, but it makes me feel good that I get to say “thank you” to the competent pros and volunteers who make such a difference at a stressful time.
  5. This time I had to help wave traffic around the deer’s body, so I think I’ll get myself some reflective gloves and maybe a safety vest to keep in my car, in case I ever need to do that again.

Do you have any tips or thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Posted in Leah's thoughts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

30walks

Posted on April 22, 2014 by

30Walks-intrographic

Well, here it is. The day has come! My 30th birthday.

30 is that age. Not in your twenties anymore! Some folks say your thirties are the best decade of your life, but when you’re actually the one turning thirty, it’s a mixed feeling. There is a sadness to letting go of my twenties, but also a power: something about being thirty means I’ve learned stuff. I have the weight of experience behind what I say.

30Walks-intrographic2

Anyway, I had an idea the other day while walking. (Which is pretty much where all my ideas come from.) For my 30th year I’m going to go on 30 walks and document them here on the blog. Likely most of those walks will be on Cape Breton Island, since that’s where I live, and I want to make an effort to get out and find new places, and walk old trails where I haven’t been in a while, too.

And if I’m travelling (which it looks like we will be this summer, to Chicago!) I’ll walk there too.

The only rule I’m setting for myself is that the walk has to be at least 20 minutes.

I’d love your suggestions!

30Walks-intrographic3 For another series I did on the blog about travelling around the island, check out 10Beaches/2012 (which I’m thinking of doing again this summer). For an Earth-day themed post, check out my friend Brian’s post from two years ago about cleaning up the litter in your neighbourhood. And for another good Earth Day read, here is a post I wrote last fall about spending some sacred time in Nature.

Happy Earth Day to you all!

Posted in 30walks, Active living, Day to Day Life, Environment, For Fun, Outdoors | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

links loved: the conference edition

Posted on April 18, 2014 by

creativeeconomylinksloved

Oh man, there was SO MUCH to take in at the Creative Economy Conference! (It even made me feel a little “hungover,” as I wrote about yesterday.) I was just blown away. I scribbled lots of things in my notebook, lines and inspiration and ideas, but especially stuff to follow up with on the Internet, and share with you all. So here is a list of links to some of the rad stuff I heard about or saw at the Conference! I hope it inspires you to be part of it next year: the Creative Economy really does affect all of us.

Lisa Bugden of Film & Creative Industries Nova Scotia spoke. She shared this video about how the show “Haven” is shot on the South Shore of NS (2:33), using it as an example of how the creative industry promotes places in the province around the world.

She shared this video, a book trailer for “Damaged” by Pam Callow, as an example of how people can get creative with promoting old media in new ways.

She talked about how Sarah Richardson (speaker at the conference the day before) had visited the Centre for Craft and Design’s shop and been blown away by the work there, and shared it on her blog. Ms. Bugden used this as an example of getting your products into the hands of “influencers”.

Anne Manuel of the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation (Newfoundland) spoke about how the Plantation works to incubate artists and launch them into their careers. (Some of the artisans who work out of the Plantation include Renee Scott (Brindy Linens), Graham Blair Woodcuts, and Joelle Blandford (Nature’s Threads).)

Mark Barone of ArtsmArtcities spoke about how the Paducah Artist Relocation Project that he led in a blighted city in Kentucky. This 2:45 video by ABC News shows a bit more about the project. He also talked about his new project, An Act of Dog: A Museum of Compassion.

When Tonya Surman took the stage I fell in love a bit. She’s a fantastic speaker, smart and funny and relaxed. Forgive me for swooning a little! Here is a 3:09 video where she describes the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto she helped to found and run. Her message was: “It’s up to us,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Check out Gavin Sheppard’s Instagram account to see his photos of his two weeks in Cape Breton working with youth.

Folks from the Centre Line Studio as well as Youth Art Connection (YAC) were there for the panel discussion, too, to talk about the importance of connecting youth with art that they are passionate about.

I got to meet Mitchell Bailey, a 16-year-old hip-hop artist from the CBRM putting out videos on YouTube. He’s fantastic! You can hear the interview with Gavin Sheppard and some of the Bud Squad on CBC’s Information Morning here (it’s 15:06). In it Gavin says the brilliant line, “There IS nothing to do here, until you decide there is something to do, and then there is a hundred things to do!”

Find out more about getting involved in the National Youth Arts Week happening in May, and one of the sponsors is the Michaelle Jean Foundation, which I hadn’t heard about, but it sounds like they do really neat stuff too.

Sabine Fels of Arts Express (Halifax area) was also there and talked about her program and all the cool stuff they’ve done. (She mentioned in her talk something in Chicago called “After School Matters,” which I’d like to check out when Adam and I visit the city this summer!)

And Brian Riley, an Artist in Residence at the J.L. Ilsley High School, gave a talk about his work. This is his website.

And here is a piece in our very own Cape Breton Post about the Conference.

And this isn’t from the Conference exactly, but it’s a shout-out to my friend and classmate Hollie’s fiancée Matthew, who makes a living from streaming himself playing Minecraft online, in New Waterford. He’s on Twitter here and his Twitch channel is here. I had no idea about Twitch gaming before I met Hollie at NSCC, and have loved seeing Matthew build his dream career. One of these days I’ll get around to having him share his story here on the blog!

So basically, we live in an amazing place with so much talent and potential, and creativity and sustainability is up to us. And it excites me so much.

Have a great weekend!

Posted in Art, Business ideas, Community, Day to Day Life, Education, Leah's thoughts, Sustainability, Towns + communities | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“conference hangover”

Posted on April 17, 2014 by

… is totally a thing.

I got home at 3 from another busy and inspiring day yesterday at the Creative Economy conference and went straight to bed.

I briefly considered going for a walk or doing some yoga but by the time I got in the door I realized just how exhausted I was.

I didn’t even check my Facebook, which I hadn’t looked at all day because I no longer have it on my smart phone. Just pulled the blinds and got in bed and conked out for three hours.

I think, especially for creative community-builders who frequently do things voluntarily, it’s really important to recognize and respect our own physical and mental limits. Not in order to make excuses and say “I can’t do something,” but in order to pay respect to our bodies and minds that work really hard and then need a break.

I was all revved up after the conference and wanted to write six different blog posts, and clean my house, and follow up with the people I had met, but… my body and mind needed to sleep.

So I did. And it was so, so good.

Posted in Day to Day Life, Health, Leah's thoughts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“conferencing”

Posted on April 16, 2014 by

conferenceday1 Anyone who knows me or who has seen me in public will tell you I don’t mind showing my excitement about things.

I forget this truth about myself, until I’m in a big public meeting and then re-realize it around when I start clapping and going “Woo!” and generally embarrassing myself.

I say this because yesterday* I was at the “Growing the Creative Economy” conference yesterday and it was awesome. The folks at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design do such a great job putting the whole thing together and it is such a feast for the mind and soul. conferenceday2

I took copious notes and filled several big pages of my sketchbook, and will be doing so again today, so no doubt I’ll share more of what I took in at the conference in a later post. (There were so many great stories about similarly downtrodden and in-shift-mode sorts of places, like Cape Breton is, using the arts to revitalize their economies, and I’ve got lots of links to share too.) But right now I’m typing this as the chicken for our Caesar salad is grilling, and then after dinner I plan to veg out on the couch with my fellow, who I haven’t seen all day, and watch some “New Girl” and “Mindy Project”, so I’m keeping this short.

(*Well, technically I was attending today actually, as I’m typing this on April 15 and getting ready to schedule it to post tomorrow.)

Anyway, I was just thinking about how I “conference”, if “conference” could be a verb. It’s taken me a while (like, I’ll be thirty next week, so that long) to realize my best method for getting the most out of a conference experience. And it’s actually not to network like crazy and try and chat with every single person I can.

It is to go to the event, and smile, and listen. And write stuff down, and clap and get excited when a speaker says something brave and true. And to eat with the others and smile more. But then I really need to take a break. I need to get outside, and be alone. That is super important to my inner peace, my ability to listen when we go back in for the afternoon sessions, and my ability to keep my excitement and inspiration from turning into “holy crap I’m overwhelmed!”

conferenceday3 conferenceday4 After I got home it was so beautiful out. Warm and windy. I got to walk in my sandals! I was thrilled and so happy to take a long walk around the neighbourhood.

I’d love to know how you network and “conference”, because I definitely think there is more than one way to do it.

Posted in Art, Community, Day to Day Life, Education, Leah's thoughts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment