Whenever I go to work, I learn new things and am inspired by the speakers I hear. This last month or so was particularly inspiring. Here are four events at which I drew some pictures and felt lucky to be in a city where these kinds of things were happening! I hope you enjoy finding out about them as much as I did!
1. Family Violence Prevention Month Kickoff Event
 | I felt very privileged to contribute to an event that is helping to raise awareness of the amazing resources available to people who are affected by domestic and sexual violence. The Calgary Domestic Violence Collective works with community partners to provide a coordinated response to violence prevention in Calgary. (And - they have one of the coolest web addresses I've seen in a while: www.endviolence.ca) |
One of the CDVC's partners, the YWCA of Calgary, invited me to draw some pictures at South Centre Mall on November 1st, for the kickoff to Family Violence Prevention Month. (Of course, EVERY month should be Family Violence Prevention Month! But you can take a look here to find out why November has that special designation in Alberta.)
Albertans have a very rich support network to draw upon when domestic violence affects them or their loved ones; however, affected people are still often silent about the struggles they face. This year's awareness slogan, "Break the Silence - The Change Starts with You," speaks to the need for us to raise our voices!
I was proud to be able to help generate awareness about this important discussion. Especially during a time when so many people are actually speaking out so bravely about this - I'm thinking of Calgary "Bad Portrait" artist Mandy Stobo in particular, who just published a pretty inspiring personal story of survival. I hope Mandy's story, as well as the work of CDVC, inspires many others to speak out!
I was proud to be able to help generate awareness about this important discussion. Especially during a time when so many people are actually speaking out so bravely about this - I'm thinking of Calgary "Bad Portrait" artist Mandy Stobo in particular, who just published a pretty inspiring personal story of survival. I hope Mandy's story, as well as the work of CDVC, inspires many others to speak out!
And Introducing: Hawk!
I just have to add this note. An unexpected contributor to the struggle against domestic violence is... a dog! Hawk, one of the Calgary Police Service's newest recruits, is a four-year-old Labrador retriever who is specially trained as a trauma dog to help his human colleagues in the victim assistance unit. Hawk helps support witnesses and victims of crime - especially children. Hawk was raised and trained by the Pacific Assistance Dog Society (which looks like a pretty cool organization). Apparently, he is only the third trauma dog in Canada to have received this kind of special training.
 Hawk |  Huggily Puggily |
Hawk inspired my five-year-old son to train his own (stuffie) dog as a comfort dog. Here he is in his "uniform," which reads: "Hugaly Pugaly - Comfert Dog. Comferts on C-Trains, Comferts Anywhere!" Sometimes you just need comforting on the C-Train, I guess!
2. Innovate West Conference
Earlier this year I had the chance to record some really interesting keynote talks at Connect Charter School's Innovate West Conference (take a look about halfway down this blog post to find out about that). Their next iteration took place this October, and I was really pleased to be invited back to listen in on the thoughts of more innovative, creative educators! Here's how it shaped up:
| Here are Dan & Erin (conference organizers extraordinaire) who invited me to be part of this event! I hope they got a rest after this weekend.  |  |
This very dramatic space is the University of Calgary's brand-new EEEL Building... pretty cool.
3. Startup Weekend EDU Calgary
 | I met Stephanie Chan at a Chic Geek speaker event. Later, I accidentally sent her a message when I was trying to get in touch with another Stephanie Chan (Edmonton's self-proclaimed "Canadian Queen of Geeks," who was hosting a panel about women in comics at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo). What a lucky mistake for me! The Calgary Stephanie was in the middle of organizing Calgary's first-ever Startup Weekend for youth - ("Startup Weekend Education Edition") after having been inspired by her experience at Startup Weekend Women's Edition (the first Women's Edition in Canada). It turned out there was an opportunity for me to do some graphic recording of the weekend's final pitches. |
Really inspiring to see a bunch of teenagers (and a few pre-teens) giving up their weekend to collaborate, brainstorm, learn, and create! It took me back to my coffee-fueled, adrenaline-filled days of high school debate... but I digress.
Here's Stephanie with co-organizer Angie Tarasoff, at SAIT's lovely old Heritage Hall. This picture was taken by event photographer Victor Panlilio.
4. Social Media Breakfast YYC at SMART Technologies... with a few digressions
This was the first thing I drew on a SMART board.
And now here's the story of how I did something I've never done before.
I haven't done much digital drawing, despite having made it a goal to attempt this high-tech challenge a few months ago, at a Chic Geek "Speak Geek" speaker series event entitled "Challenging your Comfort Zone" (the same event where I met Stephanie Chan!)
I haven't done much digital drawing, despite having made it a goal to attempt this high-tech challenge a few months ago, at a Chic Geek "Speak Geek" speaker series event entitled "Challenging your Comfort Zone" (the same event where I met Stephanie Chan!)
 Donna's Twitter pic! | Drawing on a computer of any kind definitely challenges my comfort zone. But clearly there are so many advantages to digital graphic recording - such as how easy it is to use the image afterwards in print and web. And of course there are disadvantages to "analog" recording, such as having to transport giant rolls of paper that might just tear or wrinkle at the moment I'm getting set up. But anyway, suffice to say I've had my eyes open for opportunities to incorporate technology into my work. And that's when Donna McTaggart invited me to draw some pictures for Social Media Breakfast YYC. |
"SMByyc" holds monthly events that are open to everyone - according to their website, that means everyone: "whether you are a social media expert, a local business looking to improve social media reach, or an individual wondering what a Twitter account is."
 | I am NOT a morning person, so breakfast has never really been my thing (here's a picture I drew of a breakfast I had in about 1999... when getting up early was such a rare thing as to be worth documenting!! Now I have kids, of course, so sleeping in is just something I dream about... but I digress). I discovered that the international Social Media Breakfast (SMB) organization started in 2008. Today, SMB groups are found in all sorts of cities around the world. Calgary's group, which has hosted almost sixty breakfasts, is run entirely by hard-working volunteers. It really seems like a theme for me this month... at each event I attended, I caught a glimpse of how much work the organizers put into their events. These people are so passionate about what they're doing, it is truly inspiring - and also really causing me to hope they'll all get some sleep, whether early or late! |
Anyway. This particular SMByyc event was happening at the SMART Technologies Building in NW Calgary. It just happened that I was quite familiar with the building's location, since it's quite visible from the C-Train line (see above reference to C-Trains in case you didn't know how much my son loves our local LRT). We have ridden on this train so many times, not because we were actually going anywhere, but because it gave Alec the thrill of the train ride, and me the chance to do some work (as depicted here)
 See that big sign at the top of the building? | "SMART" - as seen from Brentwood Station - was one of the first words my son learned to read! But I never thought I'd have occasion to go into the building. I mean, I'm an artist, why would I need any technology, SMART or otherwise? I just thought it was something I'd only ever see from the train. Ok - and now I just have to mention John Henry Cardinal Newman, one of the greatest prose stylists in the English language if my old "Victorian professor" Harvey Kerpneck was to be believed. |
A Ridiculous Digression about Newman
Newman famously switched from being a passionate Anglican to being an even more fervent Catholic. But this wasn't just about backing a different horse, after the manner of, say, local political strategist Stephen Carter, who's kind of made a name for himself as someone who's been able to lend his expertise to candidates of different political stripes. No, this was more of a gigantic foundation-shaking upheaval to Newman's own conscience and to his community. Newman had been one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement (a campaign by a bunch of enthusiastic students to promote their brand of Anglicanism). They went around publishing and promoting their "tracts" - accessible short publications about their cause that were intended to catch the intention of a specific audience. The tracts were immensely popular, often controversial, and succeeded in getting everyone talking. Actually, now that I think about it, the tracts were probably a kind of antiquated social media equivalent. How's that for a Social Media Breakfast thought!
Anyway, why am I thinking of Newman? I was just reminded of the last line of his greatest work, the Apologia Pro Vita Sua (I'm sure you're all familiar with this book, right? Yes, that's what I thought). Newman wrote the autobiographical Apologia essentially to present a defense for his radical switch of allegiance (and it certainly worked - winning him widespread public sympathy for his conversion). At the very end of the tale, he writes about how he left Oxford, his former home, when he went away to follow his new religious pursuits, in this wistful and poignant paragraph:
Anyway, why am I thinking of Newman? I was just reminded of the last line of his greatest work, the Apologia Pro Vita Sua (I'm sure you're all familiar with this book, right? Yes, that's what I thought). Newman wrote the autobiographical Apologia essentially to present a defense for his radical switch of allegiance (and it certainly worked - winning him widespread public sympathy for his conversion). At the very end of the tale, he writes about how he left Oxford, his former home, when he went away to follow his new religious pursuits, in this wistful and poignant paragraph:
 Good old Newman. | I called on Dr. Ogle, one of my very oldest friends, for he was my private Tutor, when I was an Undergraduate. In him I took leave of my first college, Trinity, which was so dear to me, and which held on its foundation so many who had been kind to me both when I was a boy, and all through my Oxford life. Trinity had never been unkind to me. There used to be much snap-dragon growing on the walls opposite my freshman’s rooms there, and I had for years taken it as the emblem of my own residence even unto death in my University. On the morning of the twenty-third I left the Observatory. I have never seen Oxford since, excepting its spires, as they are seen from the railway. |
Ok, so all that has NOTHING to do with SMART, SMByyc, or anything else, but I just had to remember Newman glimpsing Oxford's spires from the railway and knowing that was all he'd ever see of them... just as Alec and I used to read "SMART" from the C-Train and think that this was all we'd ever see of what went on within.
But this was not to be!
But this was not to be!
Not only did I come in, I got to take a look all around at the technology this team is coming up with right here in Calgary! And now I want a SMART kapp. Take a look at this demo video - you will want one, too.
My tool belt - left at home!!! Drawing on a SMART board was the coolest thing ever. It wasn't better or worse than my markers and paper - just different. For example, I didn't have as many colour choices - but in some ways, that made things much easier. Also, there's "UNDO" - I could just touch a button and erase a mistake, which is not an option you have with ink. Best of all was the ability to move the image around with your fingers, so I could work on something and then just move it away, instead of moving myself away. Probably one of the biggest challenges for graphic recorders is the strain on the body when trying to reach the top and, even worse, the bottom, of the poster. But for this image, I just got to stand in the same place for the whole time. Now that was a big benefit I really liked.
It really threw me off, though, that I didn't have to bring anything with me. Usually I come to work with a few giant rolls of paper, a bunch of foam core poster boards, and a backpack full of markers, pencils, erasers, etc. And I feel naked without my tool belt. This felt really weird... surely I was forgetting something?? Nope, all I needed was the stylus and I was ready. That really took some getting used to!
It really threw me off, though, that I didn't have to bring anything with me. Usually I come to work with a few giant rolls of paper, a bunch of foam core poster boards, and a backpack full of markers, pencils, erasers, etc. And I feel naked without my tool belt. This felt really weird... surely I was forgetting something?? Nope, all I needed was the stylus and I was ready. That really took some getting used to!
It really threw me off, though, that I didn't have to bring anything with me. Usually I come to work with a few giant rolls of paper, a bunch of foam core poster boards, and a backpack full of markers, pencils, erasers, etc. And I feel naked without my tool belt. This felt really weird... surely I was forgetting something?? Nope, all I needed was the stylus and I was ready. That really took some getting used to!
When I told my brother John about this disconcerting experience, he said it reminded him of the song, "The Baltimores" by Jonathan Richman. In this song, Jonathan extols the virtues of a band he loves (the Baltimores). They're an a cappella group, and according to him:
"They don't play guitar
They just sing
They bring their clothes when they sing
In fact that's all they bring."
Yes - I felt just like the Baltimores. (Here is the song, by the way, and I guarantee you will not hear anything more catchy than this if you search around on YouTube all day!)
Another fun thing about the SMByyc was the opportunity to connect with a few cool and interesting folks - among them Calgary photographer Neil Zeller, who took these pics of the event:
When I told my brother John about this disconcerting experience, he said it reminded him of the song, "The Baltimores" by Jonathan Richman. In this song, Jonathan extols the virtues of a band he loves (the Baltimores). They're an a cappella group, and according to him:
"They don't play guitar
They just sing
They bring their clothes when they sing
In fact that's all they bring."
Yes - I felt just like the Baltimores. (Here is the song, by the way, and I guarantee you will not hear anything more catchy than this if you search around on YouTube all day!)
Another fun thing about the SMByyc was the opportunity to connect with a few cool and interesting folks - among them Calgary photographer Neil Zeller, who took these pics of the event:
Here's Neil's picture of the whole image, minimized down to a tiny size (but at least it lets you see the whole image at once!)
So I challenged my comfort zone and yes, I will admit, I liked digital drawing. I have even started working a bit on a Wacom Cintiq tablet - yikes! But that's another story.
I also found out that there's a lot of cool stuff going on early in the morning - so maybe being an early riser wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. (I'll have to remember that when my kids wake up in four hours...) Ok, wasn't there a theme in this post about getting enough sleep? On that note - bye for now!
I also found out that there's a lot of cool stuff going on early in the morning - so maybe being an early riser wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. (I'll have to remember that when my kids wake up in four hours...) Ok, wasn't there a theme in this post about getting enough sleep? On that note - bye for now!
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