Making Magic

Send us a textLet’s make magic! In this episode you’ll hear about Diana’s latest collaborative making project (that could involve you!) called Making Magic; a collection of creativity kits that anyone can use to experience a bit of everyday joy and wonder.You’ll hear about the first batch of kits ready to share (Upcycled Zine Kits), as well as the three alternative creative economies on which this project is built (no money need be exchanged!). You’ll also hear about the three nodes of knowledge planted recently in Diana’s mind that fit together to allow this project to come forth, as well as how you can become involved in making magic.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textA home for zines!From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about the exciting medium of zines where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing. This is the 4th and final episode in the series, featuring the Toronto Zine Library.The Toronto Zine Library & Archive (TZL) is a physical library space run by a collective of zine readers, zine makers and librarians who strive to make zines accessible for the Toronto community. They believe that zines are an important medium of communication, and that they should be cherished, protected, and promoted. In this conversation, you’ll hear from Toronto Zine Library volunteers, Silvia and Miles. You’ll hear how the library got started and its goals as a volunteer-run space. You’ll also hear how Sylvia and Miles define ‘zines’ and why zines can be both a stepping stone, as well as an independently-published art form in their own right.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textYesssss zines! From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about the exciting medium of zines where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing. This is the 3rd of 4 episode in the series, featuring Sisley Mark.Sisley is a Chicago-based artist and creative. She primarily works with acrylic or ink on canvas and paper. Her work is deeply rooted in the belief that art isn't about the polished end result. It is about the stories, experiments, and emotions that unfold along the way.In this conversation, you’ll hear about Sisley’s at practice and her summer camp start in zine making as a kid and why sharing physical art is so powerful. You’ll hear her love-hate relationship with boredom (a gateway into noticing), as well as her focus on the process—for better or for worse.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textZines! Zines! Hooray for Zines! From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about the exciting medium of zines where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing. This is the 2nd of 4 episode in the series, featuring Hannah and Sarah of Feels Zine. In this episode, you’ll hear how Feels Zine came to be, as well as hear more about the interdisciplinary nature of the Feels Zine team duo, Hannah and Sarah.You’ll hear what it feels like to produce Feels, including engaging in the more challenging emotional themes, as well as the lighter ones. You’ll hear the process through which each issue travels and why Sarah and Hannah still (mostly) consider Feels a ‘zine’(including why existing in the middle of the publishing spectrum can be beneficial). Finally, you’ll hear how Feels is funded, the live event aspect of each issue, as well as big dreams for the zine.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textWelcome to a 4-part publishing series all about the world of zines! From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about this exciting medium where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing.First up we have Ioana Simion, who is an artist-educator and facilitator based London. She runs community workshops under the artistic identity of Artizine. In this conversation, you’ll hear how to Ioana’s zine making evolved from solitary practice through to creating in community, and how she experiments in her zine making. She shows us what type of magic can happen when we take formal design practice and marketing out of the equation and focus solely on making in a community space.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textMeet emerging typeface designers, Paulina Marin and Darrab Qureshi! Paulina designed a typeface called Funky Pants and Darrab designed an Arabic typeface called Qalam in GCM 806 Advanced Typography at Toronto Metropolitan University. In the following conversation, you'll get to hear about each typeface. You'll also hear their perfect type pairings, sensory descriptions of each (sight, smell, touch, sound and even taste), as well as what was easy and difficult about the process. Let the type geekery begin! I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textWelcome to a thought-provoking and paradigm-shifting conversation with James McCrae, author, poet, and teacher who empowers creators to live with purpose and turn imagination into reality.In this conversation you’ll hear how James’ career has always been rooted in both art and writing, including his navigation through various facets of the design industry. You’ll hear why James believes that social media is an art form in its own right and how making mistakes have been some of his greatest moments of learning.We talk about the role ego plays in creative practice, and the importance of planting intentional seeds, allowing quality ideas to grow and mature in our subconscious. We also talk about trust and control in creative processes.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textToday we have educator, storyteller and Toronto tourism go-to, Alex Sein @BeardedProf416. In this conversation, you’ll hear Alex’s story of becoming a Torontonian, including his link to graffiti culture in the city and how he accidentally became intwined in this community.You’ll hear about the history of graffiti, why it matters and how graffiti is often a collaborative process. You’ll not only hear about physical infrastructure of a place (including the idea of a 15-minute city), but also the emotional infrastructure that signage, advertising and graffiti help shape. You’ll hear the surprising ways that graffiti is deeply-rooted in history of places all over the world and both consciously and subconsciously connect and foster belonging. I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textToday’s conversation features Paige Deasley, photographer, storyteller, and creative strategist passionate about helping people reconnect with nature. In this conversation, you’ll hear about Paige’s life that exists at the intersection of nature and creativity. You’ll hear how she handles working remotely while immersing herself in nature, how she found her photographic voice, as well as what about the natural world inspires her and what it’s like to swim with an octopus. Finally, you’ll hear about Paige’s ideal vision of a life that allows her to explore creativity in the natural world.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Send us a textToday we have the one, the only, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., an American printer, book artist and papermaker who has been puttin’ ink on paper since 1949. He is a citizen printer, which you’ll hear much more about very soon.In this conversation, you’ll hear about Amos’ incredible book, Citizen Printer, including how it came to be, what it means to be a citizen and Amos’ vision for citizenship today and tomorrow. You’ll hear about activism, humanism, materialism, capitalism, environmentalism, and the need for a new system. And in the wise words of Amos, “participation changes the system”.I'm all about interesting projects with interesting people! Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)