Vancouver’s New Resident: Pecha Kucha Vancouver

May 2, 2012
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Pecha Kucha is a fascinating presentation style where people talk alongside 20 slides that are shown for 20 seconds each. In a world full of short quips the length of the presentation doesn’t seem short at all, and for some it’s too long. By shortening the presentation time and allowing the visuals to play an important part, 1 part timing mechanism and 1 part visual aide, you get more information in one sitting.

I learned several things from the 12 presentations that took place at the Vogue Theatre for Pecha Kucha Vancouver. This is a very raw presentation style – and the tone of the presentation is quickly established. Some were there to inform about the admirable work they were doing in the community. Some were there to entertain us and let us glimpse deep into their personality. And some were there to boast a bit, but that’s okay because we were there to listen.

I noticed that the best presentations struck a fine balance. The people on stage were inspirational, and yet remained accessible. They were equal parts preaching a philosophy and humbled by life. They were honest about themselves and who they were within the time constraint of a few minutes. I was really invigorated by some of these people.

My Top 3 Pecha Kucha Vancouver Presenters

Andy Dixon

Andy Dixon is a local Vancouver artist that paints and, more recently, DJs. Images of his paintings flashed behind him as he spoke about how he creates them. It was clear from his paintings and his presentation style that this man lives in the moment.

Dixon talked about his un-process of creating paintings, like how everything he makes is a genuine representation of the moment in time that he is creating it. After saying this he realized he wasn’t sure what else he could say for the remainder of the time he had. Naturally, he had not rehearsed or timed what he was going to say that night because that would be too inauthentic. In his art and in his Pecha Kucha talk you are allowed to be aware of his mistakes and the roughness and rawness surrounding everything that he does and it was very interesting.

Dina Goldstein

Dina Goldstein is an Israeli-born photographer living in Vancouver. She was the most relaxed person on stage being the only one who sat down while speaking about her work. She described her many travels but it was the work she’s done in Vancouver that I found fascinating.

Goldstein has had several photograph exhibitions that started in Vancouver and made their way around the world. ‘Fallen Princesses’ is a set of wonderfully satiric photographs depicting Disney princesses in a pessimistic way. An alcoholic Cinderella and a pregnant Snow White are just witty enough to make you wonder why you didn’t think of this.

The images that Goldstein displayed during the presentation that I found absolutely captivating were a set of portraits that she took at the race track on Hastings St. The charming, eclectic faces that were projected on that screen light up parts of my brain that really make me feel something. I will never forget the image of that sweet, little-old woman holding the ice cream cone.

Alex Usow

Alex Usow was the final presenter of the evening and he was the most dynamic and entertaining. His speech weaved loosely between the images he showed so that the talk was cohesive without being structured. He is an impressive serial entrepreneur and a designer with a kooky illustrative flair. People like Alex Usow are a rare animal among a world full of procrastinators and average joe’s. His drive and ambition are so incredible that for just a moment I feel disheartened. I’m nothing like this man – with his unbridled energy and ability to turn his creative ideas into sushi restaurants and clothing stores.

That is, until I remember that there are many paths and personalities that are suited for success. There is something deeper that connects all the people on stage that I think explains their creative success a little more than their portfolio and enthusiasm. These people are the opposite of afraid of failure. Failure doesn’t even register on their radar, even when they are dangerously close to it. Instead, they just work. The Pecha Kucha presenters work hard and keep working until the world finally comes to it’s senses and notices what they are doing.

If you’re new, or old, to Vancouver try to check out Pecha Kucha – it will definitely open your eyes up to some of the hardest working people in the city.

Bringing Attention to Mental Health

April 27, 2012
Psychology, Self-Improvement
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In the past year I have come across more mental health campaigns than I have in the past 5 years. In our hyper-connected times we are able to communicate daily with people all over the world, so it’s no surprise that we’re beginning to tackle widespread issues. There are two issues that prevent people living with mental health issues from getting the assistance they need: stigma and misinformation. By bringing those issues into the spotlight we can begin to work toward a world where everyone has the ability to be happy and healthy.

The Not Myself Today Campaign

Photo Credit: Partners for Mental Health Facebook page

Given the prevalence of mental illness it’s astounding that there is any stigma associated with requiring mental health assistance at all. The WHO cites that 1 in 4 people report mental illness during their lifetime. Anxiety, substance abuse and mood disorders are common around the world, and yet, we regularly mock and shame public instances of mental illness. For example, we avoid the shabby-looking man on the corner because he talks to himself and we mocked Britney Spears on a grand scale when she shaved her head.

I’m not completely innocent here – I have caught myself avoiding certain people or laughing at what could very likely be an illness. In those moments I should remind myself that I have had my fair share of days where I felt not quite like myself. I was impressed with the way the “Not Myself Today” campaign has addressed a widespread, and often hidden, issue like mental health and brought it to the surface in a way that most people understand. It can be hard to face issues like depression or anxiety, but knowing that thousands of other people have bad days too can mean a world of difference to someone who might think they’re the only one who feels that way.

Impressively this campaign has already amassed over 13,000 digital signatures of Canadians willing to pledge their support for improving mental health. The goals of the campaign include bringing attention to the prevalence of mental health issues in order to break down some of the stigma. By making people realize there is no shame in admitting that help is needed hopefully more people will come forward and get the help they deserve. Do your part and take the pledge to support mental health improvement, and remember – that also means your own.

Get BRAINscreened

We go to the dentist to get our teeth checked and cleaned regularly, we go to our doctor often and update our eye prescription every year or two, but who’s looking after our brain? We know so much about it and we still can’t even say why it works – it’s a fascinating mystery. But, psychology and neuroscience has enabled us to be able to tell when the brain isn’t working properly – and yet many of us just don’t have access to that information.

I know, I know – brain doctors that you can just drop in on are hard to come by. That might be why the Hemisphere Centre for Mental Health and Wellness is encouraging Canadians of all ages to take their online brain health test, BRAINscreen. With their 15 minute cognitive test people will be able to see whether their brain is in perfect working order – or whether they might be showing early warning signs of cognitive issues – like Alzheimer’s or even the effects of a bump to the head.

I encourage everyone to take the test, whether you believe you’re at risk for brain injury of any sort (I did it!). A few years ago I was knocked unconscious after falling and hitting my head on the cement. I often forgot about the incident and didn’t fully realize until later how much damage that mild brain injury may have done. If I had been able to take a test like BRAINscreen then I may have been able to recognize and mitigate some of the effects. Even if you find that your brain is perfectly fine, they do offer some tips for optimal brain health:

  • Get your exercise! People who exercise have significantly more connections between brain cells compared to people who don’t exercise
  • “Use it or lose it!” – keep your brain active by reading and exercising your creativity. Don’t stop drawing monsters just because your not a kid anymore.
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I see a future where we are not ashamed to admit that we’re not perfect human beings. We get depressed, we get anxious and sometimes our brains don’t do what we want them to. With an understanding of what’s really going on in your brain and a desire to live a free life – free from addiction, uncontrollable behaviour and judgement – I don’t see why we all can’t flourish.

Vancouver Opera: The Barber of Seville

April 16, 2012
Film & Literature
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Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver

Fountain outside of Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver

I was lucky enough to catch Vancouver Opera‘s final matinee performance of ‘The Barber of Seville’ (or Il Barbiere di Siviglia as it was originally called). This was my second time at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a Vancouver Opera production, the first was for a showing of ‘La Traviata’.

My interest in opera was one that I sought, without knowing that I would end up being interested in it at all.  During university I took a music history course simply titled ‘Opera’. I didn’t need to know how to sing or play an instrument – all that was required was an open mind. I took the course having zero appreciation for opera as entertainment, but I left with a newfound interest and hobby.

I have studied a handful of operas and that includes the most famous opera buffa (buffa = comedy) of all time ‘The Barber of Seville’. Vancouver Opera’s production was no different. The opera was very funny and Figaro and Rosina’s success are rooted for as they charm audiences with their wits and their voice. The setting received a refreshing update into a 1940′s movie set that gently enhanced without obscuring the original plot. But, the shining star of the entire show was the orchestra. From the beginning overture to the necessary dramatic wedding at the end – the orchestra was aurally captivating.

I cannot wait for the next Vancouver Opera production. I’m so there.

Tips for the Opera Novice

If you consider yourself among those people who don’t like opera but are interested in learning more about it here are my tips for getting into opera:

  1. Before watching an opera read the synopsis of it, which can usually be found on Wikipedia. Not to spoil the ending but often the operas are in foreign languages with subtitles and it’s much easier to follow along when you know the plot.
  2. Remember that the singing and music isn’t just there for fun – it all enhances the drama in some way. Pay attention to how everything sounds when something sad is happening onstage. What about when something funny is happening?
  3. Learn some of the lingo around the opera so that it becomes easier to discuss it with other opera lovers.
  4. Check out some of my favourite operas for starters: Tosca (melodramatic), Porgy & Bess (English language opera) and Lucia di Lammermoor (tragic)
Queen Elizabeth Theatre ceiling

Hanging light fixtures in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Vancouver’s New Resident: Living in Deep Cove

April 9, 2012
Society
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Deep Cove, located in North Vancouver, is my new home, and a veritable paradise. Driving down Mt. Seymour, before I turn left and shortly arrive at my front door, I can see a pine tree-covered mountain just across an ocean-fed cove. It’s breathtaking and evokes that sublime feeling that those 18th-century English romantics were always yapping about.

Image of Deep CoveI live at the foot of a snow-capped mountain where I was able to go for my first ski this season. There will always be a soft spot in my heart now for Mt. Seymour because I can genuinely say it was the first time I had ever had fun while skiing, rather than being slightly terrified before forcing myself to “just do it”.

I’m just around the corner from Panorama Dr., where I have yet to see one of Canada’s most expensive homes. There is also a bundle of shops and restaurants lining the street right near the water. It’s one of those quaint villages where the stores sell cute, handmade items for way-too-much and all the restaurants close early. It’s miles away from the diversity and hustle of the downtown east side, but it shares that laidback west coast vibe that I like (and sometimes hate).

Image taken in Deep Cove

It rains often and the fog is thick and ominous, making me feel as if I’m a character in some gothic novel set on the Scottish moors. You can practically feel the water droplets in the air and you can clearly see the lush, thriving plant life all around; it’s the Canadian rainforest.

I yearn for sunny days sometimes but I have never felt so close to nature. It reminds me of wandering around the forest behind my grandparent’s house as a kid. Lacking the self-awareness and compulsion to analyze everything that adults do – it just felt natural to explore the slices of sun between the trees. Deep Cove has brought me closer to that feeling that I have ever been before.

Vancouver’s New Resident: Hastings Street (by @terakristen)

February 25, 2012
Psychology, Society
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Hastings Street is a paraoxical street that runs through the middle of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. The office where I work is located on Hastings Street just east of Cambie. When I told my father where I would be working, and what I knew about the area, he told me that the street has been infamous for decades.

Hastings St & Cambie St intersection, 1896

Hastings St & Cambie St, 1896

The Paradox of Hastings Street

Hastings is an open air drug market where addicts and drug dealers connect in the daylight or the nightlight. It is always bustling with people walking, some aimlessly and some with purpose, on it’s busy sidewalks. Yet, you will be amazed by how many people are just standing; waiting for the bus or waiting for Godot. The poor, the mentally ill and those looking to score have all been welcomed in and abandoned to Hastings Street.

Then there are the young people, many of them are starting their own businesses and attempting to forge their own career path through life. Whatever their motivations are they seem to wear them, eat them and talk about them. They are dressed in new clothes that were deliberately bought and deliberately put on that morning. They hurriedly step around the man slumped over on the sidewalk as they make their way over to one of the countless tasty, slightly-overpriced restaurants in the area. They conduct their meetings in jam-packed slow-coffee shops where the coffee is stirred through a strainer for the smoothest taste.

These two different worlds seem to be lain one on top of the other, as if they are right next to each other without ever touching. The phrase “melting pot” does not accurately describe what it’s like on Hastings Street. As someone who identifies much more strongly with the second type of person on Hastings Street the deepest insight that I get into the first type of person’s life is when they ask me for change on the sidewalk. I know that there’s much more to the inhabitants of the Downtown East Side than meets the eye but, for reasons that are difficult to put into words, I am a mere spectator to the Hastings locals.

Giving Back in Vancouver

The people of Hastings Street affect me emotionally. I want to point them in the direction of the help they need. I want to make sure they have healthy food and water. I want to empower them to believe in their ability to change and I want to teach them to unlearn helplessness and start to take control of their lives. Mostly I just want them to be happy and free of regret.

I don’t really know where to start with such a task. Is this something that should be done one-by-one or do I simply make a difference by volunteering with local organizations? Or maybe this question is not able to be answered until I have already started helping. I want to help people and the best way to begin is to begin:

  • I will continue to show compassion and genuine kindness to every person that I encounter in my daily life
  • I will not give money to people that ask me for change on the street but I will begin to ask more often what the money is for in case I can help in another way
  • I will volunteer my time to help people that I consider to need help – there are a great number of organizations that are already doing good in the community that need the help of volunteers:

Like the landscape of Hastings Street I too face a paradox. I am completely obsessed with the counter-culture and the seedy lifestyles that I am able to witness on Hastings Street. I have never before seen anything like it and I appreciate it as representing the multitude of possibilities in life. At the same time I don’t think any of the Hastings locals want to be in the position where sex work, drug addiction and rampant mental illness are personal motifs. I want these people to get help and take control of their lives. At the intersection of my desire to look and my desire to help I just want to see us all take one step, however small, in the right direction.

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