Ellipses Thinking...
Ellipsis Thinking lives at the heart of creative life. It invites us to park judgement and perfection, to drive curiosity towards possibility. The ellipsis, alone amongst punctuators holds space for the future…those three dots…build the perfect bridge from where you have been and are now, to where you are next meant to be... Greg Dowler-Coltman, arts educator, theatre director and now executive coach, is fascinated by how creativity shows up in us all. Through conversations with people actively engaged in their own creative adventures, those who identify as artists and those who choose to experience life through an artistic lens, we shed light on relationships that shape and inspire us as we meet the challenges, discoveries, and learnings we make when we courageously invite our creative spirit forth.
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44. Josh Languedoc - Unpacking What We Are Carrying
11/22/2024
44. Josh Languedoc - Unpacking What We Are Carrying
In the case of his first formal play, Rocko and Nakota: Tales From the Land, theatre artist Josh Languedoc has come to realize that while the play was first produced in 2018 professionally, he had been carrying in pieces for many years, being unpacked and revealed gradually along the way. Josh, a proud member of the Saugeen First Nation, now lives as a guest in Treaty 6 Territory as an Anishinaabe playwright, producer, storyteller, and teacher. His most recent production, Civil Blood: A Treaty Story, an immersive contemporary tale inspired by the signing of Treaty 6, the love story of Romeo and Juliet, and the lessons learned about what it means to be treaty people. This intriguing production, co-written by Josh and Neil Kuefler and produced by Thou Art Here and Common Ground Arts onsite at Fort Edmonton this past summer, invited audiences to consider present truth by meditating on our collective past. At the time of our conversation, Josh had also just begun work as an Associate Producer at the National Arts Centre of a project titled #ReconcileThis, one of many topics we had a chance to dive into.
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43. Jenna Rodgers - Practice and Preparation
11/08/2024
43. Jenna Rodgers - Practice and Preparation
The role of mentor suits Jenna Rodgers’ love of partnership whether she’s sitting alongside a playwright in the supportive role of dramaturg, as the leader of an artistic ensemble somewhere in the midst of bringing a story to the stage or in the past few years as a mother of two, learning how to best respond to the wild wonder of early childhood; an improvisation unto itself. While her professional path following her double Science and Arts major led her to a life in the theatre, Jenna remains committed to a practice that embodies the inquisitive curiosity of a creative laboratory. A graduate of the National Theatre School’s Artistic Leadership Residency, the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership Program and a member of the artEquity National Facilitator Training cohort, Jenna also holds an MA in International Performance Research from the universities of Amsterdam and Tampere. Highly committed to shifting the landscape of opportunities in the theatre, Jenna remains an active and passionate advocate for equity in the arts. Most recently Jenna was appointed the Artistic Director of Edmonton’s Concrete Theatre and as she enters into the next scene of her creative narrative, she finds herself in the familiar space of preparation.
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42. Jordan Hart - Letting Go
10/25/2024
42. Jordan Hart - Letting Go
For the past decade, Toronto-based singer songwriter, Jordan Hart has been engaged in an adventure in letting go; no small task for someone who admittedly holds tightly to the controls every time he enters the studio. His tendency to lean towards the idea of perfection, has been anchored in a desire to connect deeply with his listeners. Lately, Jordan has begun to dance more freely with the idea that in letting go, he is able to experience a kind of freedom to be even more fully connected, trusting that every listener, of recordings and performances, is going to define perfect by their own standards and that the music will resonate as it is able given each new moment.
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41. Shelley Lepp - Why We Write
10/11/2024
41. Shelley Lepp - Why We Write
The transformative work of the Writer’s Collective of Canada is anchored in the core belief in the power of seeing, hearing and inviting ourselves to know one another better. Shelley Lepp joined the WCC as a volunteer facilitator in 2018, then Co-Executive Director in 2019, and early in 2024 stepped into the role of Chief Executive Officer. Shelley holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Community Development from OISE, University of Toronto. Her academic research has focused on the practice and pedagogy of expressive writing as a non-clinical mental health intervention. She is a passionate writer, mental-health advocate, and community builder. Shelley and the work of WCC, through free writing workshops, accessible to all is deeply rooted in the belief that ‘creative expression nourishes the physical and mental health of individuals and creates more resilient communities. It sparks activism and action, bridges and builds connection, fosters dialogue, helps us make sense of the world and fulfils our innate need to feel seen and heard.” She remains endlessly curious about the power of story to build connection with self and others.
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Season 4 - TRAILER
10/09/2024
Season 4 - TRAILER
New Season Launches Oct 11
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40. Shannon Litzenberger - Artistic State of Emergence
05/17/2024
40. Shannon Litzenberger - Artistic State of Emergence
Shannon Litzenberger is keenly committed to the exploration and rehearsal of new ways in doing and being in the practice of art and living. As a dancer and performance maker, her work explores our relationship to land, the politics of belonging, and the forgotten wisdom of the body. She collaborates frequently with the wind in the leaves collective and has been an invited resident artist with major arts organizations nationwide. As a skilled freelance strategist, leadership developer, and embodiment facilitator, she works with organizations in the arts, academia, and the corporate sector. Sparked by her own experiences and observations of Canada’s cultural reality during and emerging out of the pandemic, Shannon wrote a powerful essay titled, State of Emergence: Why we need artists right now. Anchored in systems and policies shaping society, she asks the question: What would it mean to ambitiously mobilize artists to do their most essential work well and fully, with the aim of catalyzing transformative change? She goes on to ask, Could the chaotic domain of the artist’s creative process be the fertile ground from which a healthier and more sustainable, just, and caring society emerges?
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39. Stephen Nachmanovitch - The Art of Is
05/03/2024
39. Stephen Nachmanovitch - The Art of Is
Stephen Nachmanovitch, an accomplished and classically trained violinist, has for years been espousing the life affirming power of stepping away from the notes on the sheet to explore the freedom of playing between, within and around the notes, of music, art and life as one beautiful composition. He performs and teaches internationally at the intersections of multimedia, performing arts, ecology and philosophy. He is the author of Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art (1990) and The Art of Is: Improvising as a Way of Life (2019); both of which make the compelling argument “that artistic power is available to anyone at any moment. It is not a psychological tool or an artistic one...it is a way of being.” For more information on Stephen and his work, visit
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38. Brent Allan – Living Your Most Fabulous Life!
04/12/2024
38. Brent Allan – Living Your Most Fabulous Life!
Brent Allan has always led with heart, art and a deep passion to make positive impact on the world he encounters. Drawing strength from his early personal experiences during the dark days of the HIV crisis in Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver, Brent has come to be recognized globally as a highly respected and sought after advocate and crusader for people living with HIV, through education, the arts, health policy and practice and industry. The way they have defined and designed life, community and family speaks to a true embodiment of the creative spirit. In fact, Brent often finds themself being sought after by peers and professional colleagues when they are in search of unconventional wisdom and fresh perspective. I caught up to Brent at their home, bearing the wildly saucy name, Buggery Acres on the Da Da Wjurng lands of the Kulin Nation just north of Melbourne, Australia. You can find a documentary on the HIV Science as Art project that Brent curated for the 2023 International HIV Conference in Brisbane by visiting ordinarypodcasts.com and clicking on the Ellipses Thinking page which will take you to this specific episode.
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37. Vern Thiessen – In Search of the Untold Story
03/29/2024
37. Vern Thiessen – In Search of the Untold Story
Vern Thiessen’s curiosity is forever leading him to the untold story, inspiring plays that have embraced theatres around the world. Thiessen, one of Canada’s most produced playwrights, a recipient of numerous awards and honours, including Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award, for Einstein’s Gift in 2003, continues to seek out those places where a drama might find breath and lead to a life on stage. Beyond his formal writing career, Vern has always supported other writers, formally in classrooms teaching playwrights of all ages and experience and informally, he has brought his mentorship to inspire a new generation of theatre artists in rehearsal halls, workshop readings and mainstages. Our conversation ranged from the importance of authenticity as a writer to some lessons learned from failure to the vitally important reorientation in place and space of an artist with privilege.
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36. Gianna Vacirca – Play...Pasta...Possibilities
03/15/2024
36. Gianna Vacirca – Play...Pasta...Possibilities
Throughout these conversations on the creative process, the idea of play features heavily. There’s an incredible joy in the experience of inviting our imagination to a party of our own making and then hosting it as the guest of honor. If we believe that the innocent creative child we were when we were small, remains alive within us, then play at any age opens the door to our freedom to express ourselves and be fully alive. For Gianna Vacirca, her playful self seems never hidden within, and in her words and in her life, PLAY shows up as a language. And so, a few years ago the much sought-after actor, dancer and choreographer turned inwards not to invite PLAY which was already present, but rather she turned to play to invite new connections to her community, to her family story and to her own creativity...and the playground ... was her kitchen and her pasta.
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35. Fred Keating – Hosting An Open Mindset
03/01/2024
35. Fred Keating – Hosting An Open Mindset
Fred Keating has a long and multi-faceted career in theatre, radio, TV and film in character roles and as a host, motivational speaker and podcast producer/host. I consider Fred to be a dear friend and celebrate him as one of my personal mentors and as someone who left an indelible imprint on me as a young artist and educator. He has always led with generosity, and this was certainly the case in our conversation in which we double-clicked on some of the many learnings that Fred has experienced and continues to gather over a lifetime of living through a creative lens.
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34. Karen Close - The Art of Creative Sage-ing
02/16/2024
34. Karen Close - The Art of Creative Sage-ing
Throughout her career as an educator in Toronto and then Victoria, Karen Close aimed to inspire her students through literature and visual arts; she loved to witness young people become better able to articulate themselves and to share their understanding with others through their writing and art making. Karen passionately believes in the importance of storytelling to give us a way to know ourselves more deeply and share our wisdom. So when she stepped away from the formal classroom, it was no real surprise that she brought this same desire to engage imaginations to her new community of Kelowna. In fact, in an interview with a local newspaper several years ago, she acknowledged her dream of helping to build the city into a centre for creative ageing and has fostered numerous local initiatives with that aim. Her passionate belief in the healing power of the arts and the importance of creativity on individual and community wellness is as strong as ever and her definition of community has widened its reach as the online Journal for Creative Ageing, she created in 2011, aptly named Sage-ing: With Creative Spirit, Grace and Gratitude, now boasts readers and contributors spanning the globe.
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33. Jan Alexandra Smith - “There I Am”...Finding Home Again
02/02/2024
33. Jan Alexandra Smith - “There I Am”...Finding Home Again
When a previous guest recently reached out to say that I simply had to speak with Jan Alexandra Smith, who in his words “is one of Canada’s finest actors and directors”, I thought, “what wonderful idea.” For nearly 35 years, Jan has been stepping onto stages in roles that have entertained, challenged, surprised and thrilled audiences across this country. The work itself has fueled her passion for sharing stories and her love of creative expression. And yet leading up to 2020 and then throughout the pandemic quiet that performing artists were cast in, Jan was becoming aware of what she describes as a dwindling pilot light in her sense of what theatre seemed to be offering to her lifelong passion for it. She began to wonder if the party was over for her and theatre. And then a conversation with a friend and colleague led to her discovery of a highly inventive company whose work felt both exciting and inviting to her imagination, sparking not just a reignition but a bright burst of new flame for her love of movement-based theatre.
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32. Roseanne Supernault - Story is Medicine
01/19/2024
32. Roseanne Supernault - Story is Medicine
From early childhood as a member of the Whitefish Lake Atikameg First Nation in Treaty 8 territory, Roseanne Supernault has held the medicinal impact of story as a deep, core belief; one that guides and strengthens her in both life and art. In honoring her own storytellers, wisdom keepers, mentors and teachers she gratefully acknowledges the shoulders she stands upon and is coming to understand her role in providing the same for those who are following her lead. On the heels of starring in a terrifying new thriller, Cold Road, and beginning the post production process on her first feature film, Dusk & Dawn.as writer, director and producer, Rose continues to navigate her creative adventure with courage and compassion. Roseanne has been acting since childhood and has appeared in numerous Film and TV productions, including Blackstone, Maina, Rhymes for Young Ghouls and most recently on the CTV comedy series, Acting Good and in the feature Cold Road, directed by Kelvin Redvers, slated for streaming on CRAVE later this year.
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31. Christy Morin - The Alchemy of the Arts
01/05/2024
31. Christy Morin - The Alchemy of the Arts
Since 2005, Christy Morin has been the heart of Arts on the Ave in Edmonton, Alberta. Arts on the Ave actively celebrates its unique neighbourhood community north of the downtown core as “a place whose “personality” is vividly expressed through the arts; possessing a dynamic momentum, “an arts pulse” where the artist and community continually engage.” At the core of the organization, or more accurately, the movement, lives a deep commitment “to the community through the cultivation of positive urban renewal. It is through culture-led urban regeneration initiatives, a vision of creative spaces and place-making that these art-infused communities have begun to flourish and provide a safe, nurturing environment for artists to thrive.” From the earliest days of its dreaming and the establishment of a dedicated creator-centric community coffee house, The Carrot, to expanding to its current scale, hosting two much loved festivals, Kaleido, a fall festival of the arts and its winter companion, Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival about to take to the streets later this month, Christy and her team have embraced the Arts as the alchemical element spinning gold through community development and acting as a transformative agent in advocating for the healthy lifestyle of the whole neighbourhood and beyond.
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30. Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks - Riding the Waves
12/22/2023
30. Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks - Riding the Waves
For the past decade theatre artist, Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks has been surfing some incredibly wild waves, fuelling her love of what she refers to as creative chaos. Since graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada in 2015, she has appeared across North America on stages of all sizes, hopping confidently from comedy to drama. From the soul building and edifying work of bringing the seed of an idea to life on the smallest of stages to the high-flying adventure of hitching on to an internationally recognized sensation as a member of the San Francisco company of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Cynthia’s understanding of what it means to stay present to self, art and life has continued to expand. We sat down together days after it was announced that she would be heading to the Stratford Festival this season in the role of Wendy in the premiere production of Ella Hickson’s, Wendy and Peter, the latest iteration of the J.M Barrie classic.
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29. Cassandra Lemoine – In Translation
12/08/2023
29. Cassandra Lemoine – In Translation
For as long as she can remember, Cassandra Lemoine had been surrounded by pop music and show tunes. Inspired by the acclaimed Canadian tenor, Benjamin Butterfield during a master class he delivered at her high school, she soon found herself in a classical music program at the University of Victoria, where much to her delight everything was new! She delighted in the adventure of living in a kind of translation, not simply of language, as much as the classical opera repertoire demands but of a complete newness of her experience of learning and of music. Sitting in a lecture hall or concert venue with classmates that appeared to her to have been immersed in classical music from infancy, cast her in this intriguing and welcomed space of curiosity. Over the past decade, Cassandra, has established herself as a highly sought after soprano living in Copenhagen, loving living in a constant state of translation, performing roles ranging from Mozart to Puccini and Sondheim to Lloyd Webber.
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28. Max Wyman – The Compassionate Imagination
11/24/2023
28. Max Wyman – The Compassionate Imagination
Max Wyman’s most recent book, “The Compassionate Imagination: How the Arts are Central to a Functioning Democracy” serves as an invitation to consider what might be possible, not if, but when we embrace culture, and creative imagination at the core of what it means to be a member of a thriving, growing, curious, healthy and functioning society. Wyman who worked as an arts critic and columnist for The Vancouver Sun and CBC Radio for over 30 years is the author of 7 books on the arts in Canada. He has served on the board of the Canada Council for the Arts and as President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, is an officer of the Order of Canada and holds the Queen’s 25th, 50th and 60th Jubilee Medals. Considered “a timely book that expertly shows how the arts contribute to human flourishing in all its manifestations” by Anne Bamford the Strategic Director of Education, Culture and Skills for the City of London. From its announcement at being named a finalist for the 2023 Basillie Prize in Public Policy, the jury called the book “a profound and beautifully written examination” in which “Wyman offers deep insights into how and why arts and cultural funding is vital to safeguarding Canada’s present and future.” And finally, from Angela Elster, President and CEO of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, “At a time when our world is in crisis, this stellar book brings clear vision and strategy. The Compassionate Imagination presents a beacon of hope.” Hope: An image that matched perfectly how I felt upon finishing the book myself.
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27. Leo Chan – Innovation
11/10/2023
27. Leo Chan – Innovation
“Innovation = Transforming Ideas into Value” Leo Chan firmly believes that everyone is an innovator and his mission is to create space, opportunity and practice so that everyone might believe it to be true as well and then to make it so in their lives. Leo is a people and heart-first entrepreneur and the founder of Abound Innovation Inc. An innovator himself, Leo holds 55 US patents and over 20 years of experience supporting organizations looking to unleash the innovative potential of their employees by transforming them into confident innovators. A glance at Leo’s schedule of appearances speaking at conferences and delivering hands-on workshops is evidence of the value placed upon innovation and creativity in the world today. For more information on Leo and his work, visit: https://aboundinnovation.ca/
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26. Diana Hayes – Language of Light
10/27/2023
26. Diana Hayes – Language of Light
Poet Diana Hayes has walked with grief for over 20 years since the death of her mother. The fact that both she and her mother, whom she remembers as her confidant, muse and dearest friend, were both facing a breast cancer diagnosis at the same time, added even greater complexity to her grieving process. Diana’s collection of poetry, The Language of Light serves as her tribute to her mother and has been alongside and within Diana as a central part of her creative and grieving process. Since 1981, she has made her home on Salt Spring Island where she divides her time between writing, photography, producing literary events and festivals, and when possible, travel. In 2002, she founded the Salt Spring Seals, an open-water swim team that swims year-round in the bays around Salt Spring and the Gulf Islands.
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Season 3... Trailer
10/25/2023
Season 3... Trailer
Season 3 - Oct 27, 2023
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25. Storyteller - Jeremy Schonfeld
06/19/2023
25. Storyteller - Jeremy Schonfeld
Jeremy Schonfeld’s powerful storytelling voice, reveals the heart of a man on a journey, vulnerably seeking to understand himself, his family and friends and his community. Weaving across the story-threads of Jeremy’s musical tome, is his own deeply genuine exploration of fatherhood. Having been moved by his music since it first landed in my ears over a decade ago, I continue to be drawn to this recurring theme of what it means to have a father and be a father; reflective of the joys and sorrows, dreams and regrets, times of absence and presence and above all, the wisdom gathered from both sides of the role. An award-winning Billboard-charting singer/songwriter, composer/lyricist, producer and performer, Jeremy is also co-founder of the Beacon Bonfire Music and Art Festival, held annually in Beacon, New York. As a bonus to end Season 2, on Father’s Day, Jeremy joined me in conversation about his creative process, his life as a storyteller and fatherhood.
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24. The Magic of Awe - Zohreh Gervais
06/14/2023
24. The Magic of Awe - Zohreh Gervais
As a musician and producer of musical performances, Zohreh Gervais is fascinated by those all too rare moments within a musical performance, when an undeniably powerful, even transcendent experience occurred within audience members as they received the power of the art. It is her pursuit of these moments of awe that get her up and out of bed every day. Having spent most of her life on stage connecting with audiences, Zohreh is convinced that the universal human language is not math or music alone, but the emotional resonance that they can inspire. She loves exploring the intersections and overlaps between different fields and cultures. Regardless of the medium or discipline, Zohreh is on the hunt for the common threads that connect us all and allow her to build community and beauty in every project. She and her team of innovators across multiple disciplines have recently launched the Winnipeg based company Neon Venus Productions, with the goal of creating the opportunity for audiences to experience the Magic of Awe.
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23. Creating Worlds - Bob Bonniol
05/31/2023
23. Creating Worlds - Bob Bonniol
When Bob Bonniol’s mother took him to the opening weekend of the very first Stars Wars movie (and then every Saturday for the next 20 weeks), something stuck. While he laughs at the memory, his obsession for all things Star Wars was hardwired as a child and this core memory, well seeded would remain dormant for many years he discovered his own pathway to what has become a thrilling professional journey, working with major entertainment giants, including LucasFilm. An Emmy Award winning Director, Production Designer, and Producer, Bob has built a reputation for his implementation of extensive media and interactive features in his productions and installations. His inter-disciplinary practice draws inspiration from traditional and groundbreaking storytelling conventions of theater, broadcast media, opera, visual art installation, and architecture. Most recently, Bob has been deploying and integrating new interactive technology and AI to elevate live concert production, with tour designs for Billy Joel, Blake Shelton, Megan Thee Stallion, and the One Night Houston Festival. It seems that Bob finds joy in every stage of the creative process, and has, since realizing early in his professional theatre career, that with or without the actual building, the experience of theatre exists everywhere and in all our storytelling. Just as Bob imagined himself to be George Lucas, a genius at creating a whole world picture through storytelling, he has himself come to set and expect Lucas-level standards in his own commitment to creating richly layered, and fully realized experiences that invite audiences to enter a creative space with their own imaginations firing on all cylinders.
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22. What Comes Next? – Christina Dempsey
05/17/2023
22. What Comes Next? – Christina Dempsey
Christina Dempsey studied in the professional division of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School while still in high school, after which she went on to graduate from the Juilliard School in New York City in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Christina’s professional career included performing with Koresh Dance Company in Philadelphia for two seasons before returning home to Canada in 2007, to join Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, with whom she toured the world for eight seasons. In 2015, Christina relocated to Los Angeles to join BODYTRAFFIC, dancing until she stepped away from the floor two just years later. To a dancer, like an elite athlete, the realization that the end of the lane that you chose to commit your life’s passion and pursuit to from a very young age is coming to an end and that the choice to merge, while inevitable, can appear as wildly unfamiliar territory. In our conversation, Christina shares the moments of clarity as she came to realize that her professional life of a contemporary dancer, the role she had always identified with was soon to be eclipsed by her next; and how her challenge lay in defining the ‘next’ when she had always lived in the ‘now’. Her willingness to step in and stay in the discomfort long enough to remain open to possibility, led her to discover her passion for new roles including teacher, yoga instructor and Mom.
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21. All of Me – Lisa Strogal
05/03/2023
21. All of Me – Lisa Strogal
An in your bones belief that each of us can live, lead, learn and be our best version of All Of Me, is the powerful frame that anchors Lisa Strogal firmly through her unique frame of Whole Person Intelligence™. While we might think of harnessing the energies of which we as humans are a part of, it seems for Lisa more important to listen deeply to the energies and focus on harnessing the wisdom to be gleaned from them. As CEO and Founder of ShadowLight Consulting, Lisa Strogal brings over 20 years of leadership and consulting experience at a variety of Fortune 100 companies. She blends her diverse background and knowledge for leaders, teams, and individuals to support Whole Person Intelligence™ for those who are willing to explore and challenge outdated paradigms, belief structures, and assumptions. Doing the work at the subconscious level, her clients quickly build the competence and necessary awareness required to support goal achievement while integrating change at the conscious level. Lisa’s approach to life resonates through her calm, witty, and meaningful interactions. For more information on Lisa and her work with Whole Person Intelligence™ check out her website: See Lisa set up and demonstrate the Sound Bowl experience:
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20. A Dancer's Pilgrimage– Lolla Devindisch
04/19/2023
20. A Dancer's Pilgrimage– Lolla Devindisch
Lolla Devindisch’s life has been a creative quest to “live fully and authentically” and through it all, she has held a channel open, at first intuitive and then intentional; a space to more fully be at peace with the little girl who left her home at 7, left a life she loved and a father she adored. In her self-published memoir, A Dancer’s Pilgrimage, she acknowledges the journey has been one of seeking understanding redemption and finally serenity. Always a performer, Lolla has now found a new stage on which to express her heart’s voice on the page as writer of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Learn More: &
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19. Raising the Spirits – John Ullyatt
04/05/2023
19. Raising the Spirits – John Ullyatt
On stages across Canada for over 30 years, John Ullyatt has been fortunate to build a career as actor, worthy of being considered by any measure, successful. He has played leading roles in multiple genres, singing, dancing and entertaining audiences while earning high praise and respect from his fellow artists. The joy he brings into a collaborative community is as infectious as his laughter. And yet, the title of ‘artist’ is one that he has grappled with assuming throughout his career. This theme wove itself throughout our conversation, which began however, not focused on theatre, but rather the art of making spirits, a role he was cast in during the pandemic shut down.
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18. From Mastery to Mystery – Krista Monson
03/22/2023
18. From Mastery to Mystery – Krista Monson
For Krista Monson, a shift from mastery to mystery feels almost seismic as she has been committed to creating breathtaking, masterful performances of virtuosity on stages around the globe. For many artists, the work of creativity can often feel both precarious and dangerously precipitous...It’s not uncommon to feel caught in the pendulum swinging between pure artistic, passionate joy and the pressure or expectation to meet conventional, external definitions of success. And while you might imagine that to be the perspective of the artist who is striving to keep the work going steadily and build their practice, who might be heard saying they feel caught in the grind, the wheel or the hustle, it may be a surprise to discover this is often felt just as powerfully by someone at the top of their game and with a very full resume of successes and an equally full docket of opportunities on the horizon. For the past 13 years (and counting) with Cirque du Soleil, Krista has served as Artistic Director of the renowned production “O” at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, as Casting Director for Cirque du Soleil’s resident shows worldwide and most currently, as a writer, stage and creative director with the company. Her resume of outstanding productions and unique one-off creative adventures with and beyond Cirque, reads like a storybook and yet in this moment in her path, she looks to fully invest in meaningful relationships and projects that “make (her) heart fly!” and the mystery that lives in that promise.
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17. Piece by Piece - Theo Harasymiw
03/08/2023
17. Piece by Piece - Theo Harasymiw
If you live in Edmonton, Alberta, have been in any number of schools, community centres and places where people meet, you have likely passed by, hopefully admired some of Theo Harasymiw’s visual art. She is best known for her large colourful, graphic, and often whimsical murals found all over the city. Her visual palette includes equally vivid collections of acrylic paint and assembled bits and pieces of porcelain, bone china, artifacts and the miscellany that will find new meaning and pattern in the creation of one of her mosaics. She draws much inspiration from her travels to Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, but is perhaps most influenced by her strong Ukrainian heritage and the various forms of traditional craft. Theo describes herself as seeker of all things creative, nurturer of Art in others, mother, and life enthusiast; all of which our conversation touched upon and more.
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