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The 24th Winter Olympic Games are underway! Already in these Beijing 2022 games, we’ve seen acts of courage, athleticism and the coming together of nations. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with designer, illustrator and all things Olympic-lover, Paul Twa, and I’m excited to share our conversation with you. Paul Twa is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Toronto. Born and raised in Edmonton, Paul graduated from the University of Alberta's Bachelor of Design program, Business/Marketing route. His work has been recognized nationally by the Graphic Designers of Canada, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers, and Applied Arts. With a keen interest in history, Paul enjoys studying the visual culture of the past as a way to inform the work he is making today; blending the magic of maximalism with research and intention. His annual ‘Year in Review’ project documents the memorable events of each year through illustration in a variety of historical styles and has been highlighted by the CBC and CTV. Before Paul shares his fascinating insights and knowledge about the history of the design of the Olympic Games, allow me to provide some context in the form of zooming out to understand the bigger picture of branding as it relates to the Olympic Games. Think of an individual brand – like the Olympic Games – as if it were a set of three nesting dolls: one large doll that contains a smaller doll inside and one more inside of it. The smallest, innermost doll is a brand’s logo; it’s most recognizable emblem. The middle doll represents a brand’s identity; all visual assets that represent the brand (virtual presence, print material, signage, wayfinding and more). Finally, the largest, outermost doll represents the brand as a whole. Broadly speaking, a brand is a reputation, a gut feeling, a culmination of all touch points any user has with an organization. It’s the words that come to mind when you think about a brand. For me, the Olympic Games, as a brand, is full of spirit, athleticism, courage, bravery, passion, teamwork and anticipation. I can't help but also think of the controversy and corruption that’s plagued the games over the years. The Olympics Games, as a brand, is all of these things and more. Furthermore, let’s zoom back in on that innermost nesting doll (the Olympic logo) to learn about its history. The Olympic symbol (or Olympic Rings, as they’re widely known) contains 5 interconnected circles: blue, yellow, black, green and red. According to the International Olympic Committee, these circles depict the 5 continents ‘won over to the cause of Olympism’ as of 1913 when the rings were introduced. The symbol is regarded as one of the most widely known symbols in the world, designed by the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin. It’s remained mostly unchanged since in it’s 100+ year history, having been modified ever-so-slightly throughout the years with minor adjustments in the 1920s (swapping out the blue ring for a second green ring), 1950s (a monochromatic version was introduced where each ring contained varying levels of grey and textured lines within), 1980s (minor spaces were added to intersection points between the rings to make them appear more three dimensional) and then returning to a near-identical version of the original design in 2010. Today, in 2022, there are actually seven official versions of Olympic Rings: The classic 5 rings in 5 colours, all blue, all yellow, all black, all green, all red and a reverse white on black set of rings. The Olympic symbol is highly guarded and protected as a critical cornerstone – the critical link, if you will – to the brand identity of the Olympic Games. It is only allowed to be used in very specific ways by very specific people for very specific purposes. I am excited to get this conversation started and to let Paul’s immense knowledge and passion for the design of the Olympic Games ignite your spirit. Conversation Links: Tokyo Original Olympic Logo/ Plagiarism Milan/Cortina Logo Vote Olympic Games – The Design Olympic Pictogram Archive Animated Beijing 2022 Pictograms Olympic Design video series About Our Guest: Paul Twa is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Toronto. Born and raised in Edmonton, Paul graduated from the University of Alberta's Bachelor of Design program, Business/Marketing route. His work has been recognized nationally by the Graphic Designers of Canada, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers, and Applied Arts. With a keen interest in history, Paul enjoys studying the visual culture of the past as a way to inform the work he is making today; blending the magic of maximalism with research and intention. His annual ‘Year in Review’ project documents the memorable events of each year through illustration in a variety of historical styles and has been highlighted by the CBC and CTV. Website: paultwa.com Instagram: @paultwa Tiktok: @paultwa Music (public domain via Free Music Archive): Scott Holmes Music - Humanity Sound Effect (public domain via Freesound): Makosan - Olympic Cheering Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

In the previous episode, we met Katherine who shared the unique process she uses to paint, the way she manages her time to pursue both artistic projects and graphic design work, and the great story of how she came to work for Rod Stewart on a project. She also discussed how important determination is to be able to do the work that speaks to you and today’s guest agrees. Allow me to officially introduce you to today’s guest: Babette the Builder. Babette is a self-taught furniture builder, designer and DIYer with a strong design aesthetic, experimenting her way through woodworking and power tools. Making sure that her followers don’t make the same mistakes as she does, she shares her failures and success stories, while continuously learning from the wealth of experience the Instagram Community has to offer. Her goal is to show people that you do not need to be an expert to make beautiful things and that you can do more than you think if you just start. In our conversation, Babette and I discuss how she fell into woodworking by accident, the way resourcefulness is an important skill in creative work and her belief that sometimes formal education and training dampens creativity. Key Ideas Discussed: She fell into woodworking by accident at the beginning of the pandemic She had extra wood lying around so she decided to try something Woodworking is much different than her desk job Very determined - so she figured out how to build a couch; had nothing to lose, it's all an experiment Geometric, clean lines, Bauhaus-inspired; clean and angular Spontaneous process; process often takes much longer than she thinks it will The possibilities are endless Resourcefulness - just starting, just playing Creating a lot with a little Sometimes formal education/training in the area dampens creativity There are lots of projects that if she had known ahead of time would have been so challenging she might not have done them (therefore, ignorance can be empowering) She likes big projects - tables, couches Her dining room table is practical and beautiful - she sits at it every day; it uses a lot of materials and processes that she's never used before She doesn't want to take commissions and build for other people - she doesn't want to execute others plans; it's a lovely hobby that she wants to stay a lovely hobby Among many insights gained, Babette reminds us about the spontaneity of her creative process and the joy she finds in the unplanned approach to her work. Closing the loop and bringing this series full circle, spontaneity connects Babette with me, looping back to the very first episode in this series 077: Intersection Primer. While reaching out to the artists in this series stayed true to my typical, spontaneous creative process, everything else was a new experience for me. Over the last 6 months, this process involved: Collection of 17 interviews with diverse female artists spanning 5 countries. Dissection of these episodes to uncover their unique differences and universal commonalities. Reflection about how to fit this giant puzzle of a series together in a meaningful way. Finding connection between the artists, as I settled on my creative constraint of linking one to the next. And, ultimately, intersection of the 17 artists, sharing their stories, as well as the stories between the stories. One of my favourite truisms that I feel deeply and often is Curiosity + Constraint = Creativity. This podcast series was a perfect realization of this idea. Curiosity drew me into each new conversation with a genuine desire to understand these artists and their creative processes. Constraint challenged me to listen below the surface level, peel back the conversations and visually map out each Intersection. About Our Guest: Babette is a self-taught furniture builder, designer and DIYer with a strong design aesthetic, experimenting her way through woodworking and power tools. Making sure that her followers don’t make the same mistakes as she does, she shares her failures and success stories, while continuously learning from the wealth of experience the Instagram Community has to offer. Her goal is to show people that you do not need to be an expert to make beautiful things and that you can do more than you think if you just start. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babettethebuilder/ Music (public domain via Free Music Archive): Chad Crouch - Rainbow Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

In the previous episode, we met Erin who shared the way she uses the app Procreate to add layers and texture to create realistic digital paper creations, how her future will ideally include a blend of engineering and design, as well as learn the subject matter that fuels her. She also discussed the importance of getting into a flow state, carving out time to create when inspiration strikes and today’s guest agrees. Allow me to officially introduce you to today’s guest: Katherine Klimitas. Katherine Klimitas is an artist, speaker, author and graphic designer. She has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, better known as Brittle Bone Disease. But growing up, there was no way she and her parents were going to let this dictate her happiness. Her parents made her want to make something of herself and she decided she was going to be happy doing it—end of story. During her senior year at Loyola University, she started KAK Art & Designs. While her services have changed since 2011, he’s stayed focused on 2 key areas: 1) expanding her reach and capabilities as a watercolor artist; and 2) motivating others to contribute to their communities. After owning her business for nearly a decade, what keeps her striving for something more? She wants her work to bring people joy. In our conversation, Katherine and I discuss the unique process she uses to paint, the way she manages her time to pursue both artistic projects and graphic design work, and the great story of how she came to work for Rod Stewart on a project. Key Ideas Discussed: Watercolour artist and graphic designer Animals are the focus of her work - her parents were both veterinarians She has a bone disease - 500 broken bones by the time she was 10 While her friends were out playing sports, she was inside doing art - she was good at it, she liked doing it, she could do it Physically, it's challenging for her to produce lots of art - which is one of the reasons she chose to switch from fine art to graphic design in college She does a lot of pet portraits She once had someone ask her to paint their pet snail She considers herself a relatively photo realist painter She tried abstract art and didn't like it Practice is important! As she does something over and over, her style develops She paints lying down - sitting up for a long period of time is a challenge She usually sets aside of block of time to paint (several hours, she finds that she needs to get into a rhythm); painting for a single hour doesn't work for her; she usually needs to dedicate at least 2 hours at a time She gets bored really quickly so she always has to have something going on in the background (music or TV) while she's painting A lot of days looks like graphic design for half the day and painting for the other half of the day She loves seeing live music She worked with Rod Stewart a few years ago - went backstage and met him, worked with him on his album art; didn't end up using it but still paid her Doubt can creep in Some life circumstances have made it so that she has looked for other sources of passive income; she's educating herself on art licensing; she started doing public speaking last year She tries to plan but she also wants to live day to day; her plans change all the time Among many insights gained, Katherine reminds us about how important determination is to be able to do the work that speaks to you. In the next (and final!) episode we meet Babette, a woodworker who shares Katherine’s feelings about the role determination plays in pursuing creative work. Stay tuned… About Out Guest: Katherine Klimitas is an artist, speaker, author and graphic designer. She has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, better known as Brittle Bone Disease. But growing up, there was no way she and her parents were going to let this dictate her happiness. Her parents made her want to make something of herself and she decided she was going to be happy doing it—end of story. During her senior year at Loyola University, she started KAK Art & Designs. While her services have changed since 2011, he’s stayed focused on 2 key areas: 1) expanding her reach and capabilities as a watercolor artist; and 2) motivating others to contribute to their communities. After owning her business for nearly a decade, what keeps her striving for something more? She wants her work to bring people joy. Website: kakartnola.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kakartnola Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kakartnola/ Music (public domain via Free Music Archive): Chad Crouch - Rainbow Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

In the previous episode, we met Kate Hunter who shared how she entered into the world of LEGO, the ways she reimagines her favourite famous art pieces in LEGO mosaic and how she’s paving the way for future female art and LEGO enthusiasts to follow their passions and never settle. She also discussed the importance of working creative projects meaningful to her and today’s guest agrees. Allow me to officially introduce you to today’s guest: Erin Sass. Erin is currently in her final year of the mechanical engineering undergraduate program at McGill University in Montreal. She has done freelance and extracurricular graphic design and illustration work for WebMD and several McGill student-run publications and committees (including the Bull & Bear, On the Table magazine, McGill’s chapter of NOBE, and The McGill Tribune). Erin has interned in product development at Canadian Tire over the past two summers, which has reinforced her interest in digital and physical product design. She is now transitioning into the exciting field of user experience (UX) design to apply her artistic talents to creating functional solutions for people's everyday problems. Erin’s hobbies include playing piano, plant-based cooking and baking, dancing Zumba, sewing, and listening to Earth, Wind & Fire! In our conversation, Erin and I discuss the way she uses the app Procreate to add layers and texture to create realistic digital paper creations, how her future will ideally include a blend of engineering and design, as well as learn the subject matter that fuels her. Key Ideas Discussed: Texture and shading, colours, layers is how she achieves this digital paper cutting technique Self-taught - looking at real paper cutting, Procreate artist, YouTube tutorials Her goal was to create art that looked realistic enough to be actual paper cutting Lots of layers! She'll start with the solid shapes, adds texture, more layers for shading, draw in highlights on shapes There isn't too much overlap with her art and her engineering work right now - left brain and right brain (but hopefully her pursuit of industrial design will encompass more of both worlds) She likes word play in her work Her favourite project Slow M-Ocean is one that is deeply personal to her It takes her about 2 hours to complete one piece The days when inspiration and work just flows are the best She's hoping to get into more commercial illustration and design work, including children's books; industrial design, sustainability Among many insights gained, Erin reminds us about the importance of getting into a flow state, carving out time to create when inspiration strikes. In the next episode we meet Katherine, a watercolour artist who shares Erin’s feelings about blocking off time to achieve a rhythm in order to do her best creative work. Stay tuned… About Our Guest: Erin Sass is currently in her final year of the mechanical engineering undergraduate program at McGill University in Montreal. She has done freelance and extracurricular graphic design and illustration work for WebMD and several McGill student-run publications and committees (including the Bull & Bear, On the Table magazine, McGill’s chapter of NOBE, and The McGill Tribune). Erin has interned in product development at Canadian Tire over the past two summers, which has reinforced her interest in digital and physical product design. She is now transitioning into the exciting field of user experience (UX) design to apply her artistic talents to creating functional solutions for people's everyday problems. Erin’s hobbies include playing piano, plant-based cooking and baking, dancing Zumba, sewing, and listening to Earth, Wind & Fire! Portfolio Instagram LinkedIn Society6 Music (public domain via Free Music Archive): Chad Crouch - Rainbow Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

In the previous episode, we met Sarah Dennis who shared how she creates her paper cut masterpieces by focusing on negative space, the ways that she works with simple tools and simple materials to make extraordinary creations, as well as the importance of setting time goals in creative work. She also discussed the way in which projects that involve a level of freedom allow for play and today’s guest agrees. Allow me to officially introduce you to today’s guest: Kate Hunter. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Bend Oregon, where she’s lived since 2011, Kate Hunter (The Brick Huntress) has been named in the Top 50 Most Influential Women in the LEGO Community by Jay's Brick Blog, as well as featured on Tips and Bricks Blog for their International Women's Day Blog. She holds a BA in Art History, Minor in Fine Arts and Masters in Counseling Psychology, and she currently works as a licensed School and Mental Health Counselor. Kate returned to LEGO in 2018, when she visited the Art of the Brick and was inspired by the art of Nathan Sawaya. She came home and immediately built her first mosaic, "Girl", never looking back. She has two children, Will (10) and Hunter (5) who she loves building with and learning from everyday as their mother. In our conversation, Kate and I discuss how she entered into the world of LEGO, the ways she reimagines her favourite famous art pieces in LEGO mosaic and how she’s paving the way for future female art and LEGO enthusiasts to follow their passions and never settle. Key Ideas Discussed: Bend, Oregon - originally from San Franscisco Bay area By day she is a mental health counsellor at a local high school She was an art history major in college with an art minor She's always enjoyed mixed media She loves pop art, it's her favourite genre (impressionism too because of colour and light); simple, graphic, electric, connect with it quickly Creating something that moves people - evokes emotion, whether good or bad About 5 years ago she walked into a LEGO exhibit and had a euphoric moment; she had found her happy place; she had an instant reaction that this is what she was meant to be doing She saw many works of art she studied in college but depicted in LEGO She had been out of art for a bit and wanting to get back into it Roy Liechtenstein - girl with the ribbon - she chose to create this piece in LEGO (she's made of 100% recycled LEGO) She would go to her local LEGO shop where she could create baggies of LEGO a couple of times a week for 4-5 months It was a moment of finding herself again LEGO just works for her - it's tangible, modular - to create something magical It's like a mosaic - stepping back to see the bigger picture LEGO is universal and dynamic that allows you to create anything you want Losing her student was one of the most transformative experiences and her piece exemplifies this This piece won People's Choice award She sometimes sees the world in LEGO! Pieces typically take a couple of months to create from start to finish Commissions are the most challenging and take the longest because she doesn't feel an emotional connection to the piece Kate will often work on 2 or 3 pieces at a time, switching back and forth between the pieces Kate uses software to help her understand sizing, proportions, outline, sizing (Photobricks, Bricklink Studio, etc.) She does research at the beginning, but then gets into it The Let's Build Series on Instagram - started off as a closed community and Kate opened it up to everyone with a creative prompt; building community and building a space for people to be creative Meeting people in person after having known them only in a virtual space has been great, never awkward Kate hides weird LEGO pieces in her pieces - she'll often create a 'search and find' list when she displays her pieces; she asks her kids to hide the pieces after she's finished with a piece In 5 years, she just wants to be creating; she currently pursuing collaborations Her goal is to show young girls and women that they can do whatever they're passionate about; don't settle, keep growing as an artist and as a person Among many insights gained, Kate reminds us about the importance of working creative projects meaningful to her. In the next episode we meet Erin, a digital paper cut artist who shares Kate’s feelings about meaning in her work. Stay tuned… About Our Guest: Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Bend Oregon, where she’s lived since 2011, Kate Hunter (The Brick Huntress) has been named in the Top 50 Most Influential Women in the LEGO Community by Jay's Brick Blog, as well as featured on Tips and Bricks Blog for their International Women's Day Blog. She holds a BA in Art History, Minor in Fine Arts and Masters in Counseling Psychology, and she currently works as a licensed School and Mental Health Counselor. Kate returned to LEGO in 2018, when she visited the Art of the Brick and was inspired by the art of Nathan Sawaya. She came home and immediately built her first mosaic, "Girl", never looking back. She has two children, Will (10) and Hunter (5) who she loves building with and learning from everyday as their mother. IG: @brickhuntress #letsbuildseries #createwhatyoulove #brickhuntressmosaics Music (public domain via Free Music Archive): Chad Crouch - Rainbow Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

Dan Alan is a Canadian graphic designer specializing in brand identity design. Passionate about all things design and typography, Dan's studio practice combines a deep knowledge of visual design principles, outside the box thinking, and mathematical precision to produce work that is long-lasting. He’s also the host of the aptly named podcast, Graphic Design is Fun. Dan and I connected via social media and we were both on board for a crossover of sorts; our two worlds coming together over two conversations focused around the topic of teaching and learning graphic design. In this episode, I pick Dan’s brain about what he believes it takes to be a graphic designer and learning graphic design, whether in formal educational settings or free, accessible resources online. He also reveals what’s on his radar right now as a graphic design professional and what it might mean for the future of the industry. After listening to this episode, head over to Dan’s podcast, Graphic Design is Fun., where you’ll hear Dan pick my brain about my teaching origin story (and the foundation of my teaching practice might surprise you), how my understanding of my role as instructor has evolved over the last 10 years, and we dip our toes into topics very close to my heart; namely creative confidence and normalizing failure. About Our Guest: Since 2019, Dan Alan has partnered with businesses big and small from across Canada and beyond, to bring their brand to life through engaging, idea-driven design. Passionate about all things design and typography, Dan's studio practice combines a deep knowledge of visual design principles, outside the box thinking, and mathematical precision to produce work that is long-lasting. As a bilingual Canadian from Moncton, New Brunswick, Dan has worked with clients in both English and French. Dan is the host of the podcast Graphic Design Is Fun. If you’re interested in working together to create something great, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Music: Monplaisir - Jam With Me, public domain music accessed via the Free Music Archive Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

Before each new semester begins, I take a step back to see the big-picture view of my upcoming courses for the semester. For courses I’ve taught before, I assess: What worked? What should be changed? I find this analysis always fills me with inspiration and the motivation I need to propel my work forward. In reviewing my Interdisciplinary Innovation course, a gap presented itself in the week-by-week schedule and I needed to find a new topic to fill the gap. I typically keep a centralized document that I’m continually adding ideas to when I feel inspired so that I can look back and benefit from my former moments of inspiration. And here’s the cool thing that happened this time: the course lends itself well to talking about this big concept of ‘inspiration’... so I was inspired by inspiration, facilitated by a previous inspired moment. The Interdisciplinary Innovation course is all about communicating, working in teams of diverse individuals and ultimately elevating one another’s ideas into innovative new realms. Communication (talking and listening) is a conduit – a gateway – for inspiration. Working in an interdisciplinary team requires coming up with new ideas all the time and supporting the creative process of one another, part of which is encouraging inspiration. Innovation happens when curiosity meets inspiration meets hard work. Inspiration is an important step in the process of innovating. One thing led to another, that led to another and before I knew it I had mapped out a 3-hour class devoted to this mysterious and often elusive topic of ‘inspiration’. First was a guest speaker from Pinterest on the topic of the intersection of digital media and inspiration. The second part of the class was devoted to a conversation about where inspiration comes from and individuals’ experiences with it. The third and final part of the class was a hands-on inspiration workshop where we tested out ways to make magic happen. While we only scratched the surface of this big topic in class, so many incredible insights were gained that I felt inspired to create this three-part mini series that mirrors the in-class experience. In this first episode, I sit down for a conversation with Reilly Stephens, Creative Strategist at Pinterest, who we had the pleasure of hosting in class a few weeks ago. Reilly has an unrivalled finger on the pulse of all things culture. She leverages her understanding of industry trends, technology and branding to help advertisers devise game-changing marketing strategies. Reilly has worked at agencies such as Sid Lee and Vice Media and been an integral part of national campaign launches for brands and retailers including Coca Cola, General Mills, Ford, Google and lululemon. She has also contributed to CBC radio, giving her perspective on the latest in retail and commerce. Her thinking has also been featured in publications like Bloomberg Business and the Retail is Your Business podcast. Class is about to start! Let’s get into today’s conversation with guest Reilly Stephens. About Our Guest: Reilly Stephens, Creative Strategist, Pinterest Reilly has an unrivalled finger on the pulse of all things culture. As a Creative Strategist at Pinterest she leverages her understanding of industry trends, technology and branding to help advertisers devise game-changing marketing strategies. With over 10 years of experience, Reilly has worked at agencies such as Sid Lee and Vice Media and been an integral part of national campaign launches for brands and retailers including Coca Cola, General Mills, Ford, Google and lululemon. She spent 5 years as Director of Insights at Retail Prophet, a global retail consultancy and delivered keynotes on generational marketing and the future of e-commerce to global organizations such as Saje, Aldo, L Brands and Canada Goose. She has also contributed to CBC radio, giving her perspective on the latest in retail and commerce. Her thinking has also been featured in publications like Bloomberg Business and the Retail is Your Business podcast. Music: Poor, But Happy by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound Effect (school bell): https://freesound.org/s/378394/ Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Artwork: Canva

This is the third and final episode in the series all about inspiration. Here I will share with you my thoughts on the topic of inspiration, marrying my experiences with others’ research. I believe that connecting to inspiration more often and more easily (in other words, controlling the uncontrollable) can be achieved through a set of tools. This episode will include a framework I felt inspired to create all about how to help attract inspiration when you need it most. During our live class, students kindly embraced my eccentricity, workshopping the framework in which you’ll hear about soon. Welcome back to class. Inspiration is a mysterious, elusive and perhaps even divine interconnectedness between everyone and everything. Communication, both through talking and listening, is a gateway for inspiration. When we explain concepts to others it can help clarify our own ideas and facilitate connections in our own minds, as well as in the minds of others. Working in an interdisciplinary team requires coming up with new ideas all the time and supporting the creative process of one another, part of which is encouraging inspiration. Innovation happens when curiosity meets inspiration meets grit. Ultimately, inspiration is an important step in the process of innovating. But first, let’s talk about a common misconception when it comes to inspiration: the lightbulb ‘a-ha!’ moment. Lightbulb Moments A flash of insight. A lightning strike of brilliance. That one moment that defines or redefines a person, place or thing. It arrives in an instant and often we have no idea the source. While it may feel like it happens all of a sudden in the moment, inspired ideas don’t really happen like that. They often take much longer to incubate and materialize and there are invisible idea sources that build and finally connect to make the lightbulb turn on. We often fail to recognize the system behind the moment of inspiration and all of the hard work and people and places that have gone into the ‘a-ha’, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Please close your eyes. Visualize a light bulb inside of a lamp that’s plugged into a wall. With the flick of a switch, the light turns on. The lightbulb moment, if you will. But what we can’t see is the wiring behind the wall. The interconnected series of networks that join the outlet and the switch. Furthermore, we often don’t recognize that the system goes far beyond what’s inside the walls; traveling outside to an entire network of grids that power our homes, feeding the wires and ultimately allowing the lightbulb to illuminate in a way that seems like magic. You can open your eyes. Inspiration Networks Much like our lightbulb example, I believe that there are invisible forces that help see our inspired ideas through to cognition. Here’s the way I like to think about the backbone of the inspiration network, made up of three parts: Nodes of knowledge Imagine a series of dots on a page. The dots are spread out, in no particular pattern or order. These ‘nodes of knowledge’ represent the diverse range of experiences, spaces, people, topics that you’ve come to learn about and experience. We’re collecting unique nodes of knowledge all the time and the more we can remain open to new ideas and new ways of thinking, we can keep all of these nodes active and in play. In his book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, author David Epstein explains that “...breadth of training predicts breadth of transfer. That is, the more contexts in which something is learned, the more the learner creates abstract models, and the less they rely on any particular example. Learners become better at applying their knowledge to a situation they’ve never seen before, which is the essence of creativity.” Varied experiences, varied opportunities and varied skill sets can cross-pollinate in new and unexpected ways. While I used to see my ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ self at a disadvantage to other, more specialized humans walking alongside me, I now know and appreciate the way that this breadth of knowledge has served me and continues to fuel my creativity. With many nodes of knowledge, there starts to become… Intersections of inspiration Imagine that some of these dots now have lines connecting them to one another. Ideas begin to form when we can remix and reorganize existing ideas, experiences and patterns of knowledge. Steve Jobs once said: "Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. Unfortunately, that's too rare a commodity. A lot of people haven't had very diverse experiences. So they don't have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions." In her book, Do Nothing: How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving, author and journalist Celeste Headlee describes the ‘default mode network’ as a place in our brains that allows us to connect seemingly disparate thoughts and ideas, activated in moments when we’re not asking our brain to do a specific task. In other words, moments of downtime, rest and boredom. The default mode network is “... the part of the brain that sorts through all the new information we’ve received recently and tries to put it into context with what we already know. The default network is integral to learning, insight and imagination. If our minds never come to rest, there is never an opportunity to wander in new directions.” The default mode network is particularly engaged when our bodies are in motion but our brains aren’t. This is why many great moments have been reported when walking, driving, showering and working with our hands. I have found this to be very true for myself that when I’m moving but my brain doesn’t have to think too hard, intersections of inspiration are a-plenty. In fact, if I’m ever stuck on a problem or have some sort of creative block, I simply stop what I’m doing and go for a walk. The dog gets stimulation and so do I. It’s often only a few minutes into a walk before an intersection of inspiration makes itself known to me. Shout out to the default mode network! Finally, when nodes of knowledge supply, anchor and connect our intersections of inspiration. Over time, these turn into... Webs of wisdom One novel idea begets another novel idea, building and intersecting and building and intersecting. Webs of wisdom – true innovation – begin to form through experience and insights over time. To establish an analogy within an analogy (bear with me) your imagination is like a bank. Investing ideas (through experiences, formal and informal learning opportunities and communicating with others) will be the most fruitful if you start early and invest often, consistently over time, interest compounding along the way. Your ideas start building on each other – often unconsciously – working in the background for you. Invest a little time and energy and curiosity and if you do that often enough and for long enough, you’ll end up with a fortune. To illustrate the weaving, non-linear, exciting ride that inspiration can take us on, connecting nodes of knowledge into intersections of inspiration, here’s a glimpse into my head. Specifically, here’s the ideation and inspiration process that I traveled through to arrive at the information contained in this class. I watched a TEDx talk about ‘The Art of Creative Inspiration’ by Victor Shamas that was one of the recommended viewings for students to prepare for this week’s class. Within the first few seconds he talked about the idea of the creative process and getting into a state of creativity. This immediately made me think of the concept of ‘flow’ popularized by the Hungarian-American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I thought about it for a while longer and I remembered the creativity framework that we explore later in this course about divergent, emergent and convergent ideas. I then connected this to another framework that I’ve been refining – nodes of knowledge, intersections of inspiration and webs of wisdom – that was remixed from various other sources in my learning. So this got me thinking about how the concepts of flow and creativity frameworks I discussed above are layered underneath our experiences of inspiration. As momentum picked up speed, I had more questions then I had answers and this is how I knew I was onto something. I don’t plan on finding out all of these answers, as for every answer I will probably have five more questions. But that’s what keeps me interested and engaged and ultimately helps fuel my curiosity, resulting in inspiration. All of this was activated by the default mode network and came to me as I was driving. Needless to say, I pulled over, used my phone’s dictation abilities to get into words as fast as I could and here we are. Inspiration about inspiration, inspired by a variety of inspired moments. Oof (but also I love it). The ACE Framework I believe that connecting to inspiration more often and more easily can be achieved through a set of tools; a framework I created to help attract inspiration when you need it most. Creativity – and entering into a space that fuels creativity – is a muscle to be flexed and strengthened versus innate know-how we’re born with. It’s nurture versus nature. So while I’m not suggesting we, as humans, are in total control of this mysterious thing called ‘inspiration’, I am suggesting that there are ways that we can align ourselves with it to hopefully entice it to come play with us. In her incredible book about brave creative living entitled Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, author Elizabeth Gilbert presents her thoughts on where ideas come from. She firmly believes (and I tend to agree) that ideas are energetic life forces in and of themselves and are only willing to engage with us if we’re open to engaging with them right back. She says this: “I believe that inspiration will always try its best to work with you, but if you are not ready or available it may, indeed, choose to leave you and to search for a different human collaborator… Don’t fret about the irrationality and unpredictability of all this strangeness. Give into it. Such is the bizarre, unearthly contract of creative living. There is no theft. There is no ownership. There is no tragedy. There is no problem. There is no time or space where inspiration comes from and also competition, no ego, no limitations. There is only the stubbornness of the idea itself, refusing to stop searching until it finds an equally stubborn collaborator.” Stubbornly latched onto this idea of being inspired by inspiration, I’ve developed a series of jumping-off points for inspiration to come and play. My framework is all about ‘ACE-ing’ it, which should not be confused with achieving an A-grade or doing something perfectly. Instead it’s about welcoming inspiration to the sandbox through embrace, pace, place, space, interface and chase. Working through this framework with a friend, family member or colleague may prove to reap additional rewards, especially in the latter part of the process. These six ‘ACE’ tools can all be used together or be used independently from one another. Let’s dive in… There you have it. A new, potentially idea-attracting portal through which to open up the communication lines between you and inspiration. Embrace, pace, place, space, interface, chase. So what are you waiting for? Your next great idea? Good, because it’s waiting for you too. Sound Effects (public domain via Freesound): Kids Playing on the School Yard by caquet Cartoon Wink Magic Sparkle by MLaudio Cha Ching by creek23 Crystal Twinkle by LaurenPonder Lightning Strikes by artifact Gates of Heaven Music by TheoTer Switch pressing button click by EricsSoundschmiede Electricity by jeremysykes Music: Poor, But Happy by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

I felt inspired to focus on the topic of inspiration for an entire class, based on a previously inspired moment. Welcome to Part 2 of our inspiration discussion that mirrors a recent in-class experience in the Master of Digital Media Program’s Interdisciplinary Innovation course. We dove into the big, mysterious, elusive, alluring topic of inspiration. While we only scratched the surface of this big topic in class, so many incredible insights were gained that I felt inspired to create this three-part mini series that aligns with that in-class experience. In the first episode (#131), we met Reilly Stephens, Creative Strategist, Pinterest, where she explored the topic of inspiration and digital media. We’ve arrived at the second part of the class, devoted to a conversation about where inspiration comes from and individuals’ experiences with it. Over the next forty minutes or so, you’ll hear my conversation with five Master of Digital Media (MDM) students as I pick their brains about what inspiration means to them. I asked these particular five students to join me because they were the most actively engaged and interested during our in-class discussion. I’m excited for you to hear what they have to say in a panel discussion format. Before we hear each of their thoughts on the topic, allow me to introduce you to the panel (photos and bios featured below). In the following discussion, students weigh in on what inspires them, where they find inspiration, ‘authentic’ and ‘inauthentic’ forms of inspiration, the connection between creative output and self-worth, what the concept of ‘flow’ means in the context of inspiration and the role of rest in the creative process. Welcome back to class… About Our Panel: Atif has a long-spanning career in technology strategy and management. He is Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT and a winner of the National Business Intelligence Award from Teradata. He is passionate and inquisitive about customer-centric technology strategy and user design. To explore this further, he has recently taken a break from his career and is back into academic work. Riddhi Chopra is a multidisciplinary, multipassionate creative who loves turning big visions into tangible productions. She is most interested in the areas of creative direction, product design, and entrepreneurship in the fashion and film industries, but applies her skills to anything that piques her interest. Her ultimate personal and professional goal is to find the optimal intersection of business and creativity that keeps her inspired and jumping out of bed every morning. Oludara is an Actor, Producer, Casting Associate and Ex banker amongst other things. She is currently getting a masters in Digital media in a bid to ensure she’s not left behind in an increasingly digital world. A natural explorer who is driven to explore new desires and horizons, Oludara loves travelling, cooking, hosting and believes that “normal is too mainstream”. Hunter is a student pursuing his Master of Digital Media at TMU. He has a background in sports media production, graduating with a degree in it in 2022 and is very passionate about storytelling through all digital platforms. While in school, he currently works in the social media world, where he helps coordinate partnerships with influencers. Hey! I'm Mustafa Siddiqi. I'm a Game Development major from Ontario Tech University and am now attending TMU full time for a Master's in Digital Media. Along with my coursework, I also stream and pursue content creation on the side. Music: Poor, But Happy by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound Effect (school bell): https://freesound.org/s/378394/ Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Artwork: Canva

What do you get when you pair an Austrian type geek with a Canadian type nerd? Answer: Episode 134 of Talk Paper Scissors (talking all about pairing type no less!). The universe kerned Oliver (creator of Pimp My Type) and I together. As we learned more about one another, we learned that we truly lead parallel lives in our careers, family life and type passion projects where we’re both bold (never regular). In this episode you’ll hear Oliver’s approach to pairing type a helpful framework to think about categorizing type in a different way, rethinking font classification systems for ‘finding’ type versus for ‘filing’ type. Finally, you’ll hear Oliver’s favourite pairing right now, the typeface he would choose if he could only choose one and so much more. If you can’t get enough of our witty banter, I was also a guest on Oliver’s YouTube channel and he’s releasing our episode today too, so when you’re finished listening here, check out Pimp My Type. (Also, I’m living for this music, it just feels right for this episode. Retro Synths for lifeeeeee.) On with the show! About Our Guest: Oliver Schöndorfer is a user interface and app designer from Austria. He runs his own design business by day, and is a typography YouTuber by night. Oliver’s vision is to make the world more beautiful and diverse through typography. He shares his knowledge and passion in a weekly newsletter, online course, speaks at conferences and podcasts, gives workshops, and most of all on the YouTube channel “Pimp my Type”. Oliver's Font pairing course: https://pairingtype.pro 10% off (until the end of December) Coupon Code: DIANA (does not matter if in caps or mixed case) 😉 Font Matrix Article & Video: https://pimpmytype.com/font-matrix/ Desert Island Typeface: ABC Arizona by Dinamo Newsletter with a weekly font recommendation: https://pimpmytype.com/newsletter Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/glyphe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pimp_my_type/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pimpmytype Link to Diana's Appearance on Pimp My Type's YouTube Channel: https://pimpmytype.com/talk05/ Music: Retro Synths by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

As the calendar turns its final page in 2022 and I settle in for a long winter’s nap, it’s fun to look back at some of the Talk Paper Scissors statistics from this year. 51 episodes 53 guests and co-creators 8 series and mini-series 6000+ downloads 1500+ minutes of content (25 hours) Although the numbers help paint a picture of the year, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Not even close. For me, it’s much less about the stats and much more about how good it feels to share conversations I care about. Getting to work with 53 people this year (many of whom I met for the first time because of this podcast) was incredible. Getting to dive into new topics that I care deeply about — from artistic expression to the power of listening to Indigenous type preservation to big emotions in creative living to magazine publishing — this year has been nothing short of magic. And there’s SO MUCH MORE planned for 2023. I can’t wait to share some of the projects I’ve been working on that will come to fruition shortly. I’m also excited to continue collaborating and creating with great people. Thank you, Talk Paper Scissors listeners! We’re a small and mighty community exploring visual topics in a decidedly non-visual format. Ha! As final food for thought to add to your inspired holiday feast, I leave you with an excerpt all about creative confidence from a forthcoming article I contributed to for the RGD. In an effort to continue sowing seeds of confidence, normalizing decoupling Failure from our identities. This feels like an ideal way to end my final episode of 2022 and bridge into 2023; with a topic near and dear to my heart that I will revisit often in the new year. Here goes… Making Friends with Failure What stops us from being our most creatively confident selves? Failure. Failure to perform. Failure to succeed. Failure to live up to the expectations we place on ourselves and others place on us. Failure is relative: it can be big or small, drop in for a quick visit or stay for a while. And while Failure may choose to walk alongside us during our creative lives, we are not Failure. It’s establishing this healthy boundary with Failure – as a separate, external entity from oneself – that I believe is at the core of becoming more creatively confident. It helps to define how you currently experience Failure’s presence. What does Failure look like? Sound like? Smell, taste and feel like? Understanding how you experience the sensations of Failure can help bring awareness when it pays a visit and you can reaffirm its separateness. A world of opportunities — brimming with greater self-worth — fills the newly-found space between ourselves and Failure. But Failure is also misunderstood. While often seen as an enemy upon first meeting, making friends with Failure can allow us to grow in unexpected ways. Once we’ve established a healthy boundary with Failure — acknowledging that it’s part of the process but not a fundamental part of our identity — we can welcome it with open arms, asking it to play with us in our creative endeavours. Failure becomes a co-creator, a confidant and a valued member of the team. Making friends with Failure means that we’re exploring uncharted territory, open to whatever is on the other side. Breaking our explorations into small, low-stakes chunks, each with the opportunity to succeed or fail and then learn from either outcome, means that we are never only ‘as good as our last work’; instead we are the sum of all of our work and so much more. When we fear Failure to the point where we’re afraid to even try, we sell our creative selves short and stunt our growth. Getting curious, experimenting, trying, doing, observing, acknowledging, embracing, learning and growing results when we make friends with Failure. When we start to unravel our complex conditioning and unlearn that ‘we’re only as good as our outputs’, we uncouple work and worth. We give ourselves permission to experience Failure, finding strength and quiet confidence knowing that we’re worthy because we’re divine human beings, irrespective of our creative pursuits. Merry everything and happy always, dear friends. Here’s to savouring the last of 2022 and looking ahead to 2023! Music: Happy happy is super happy yes by chien•ne errant•e is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Episode Artwork: Canva Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash

Serendipity [noun]: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Chance, fluke, luck. There is an incredible book by author Elizabeth Gilbert called Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. In it, Liz takes a deep dive into the world of creativity and what it means to live to your fullest creative potential. It contains beautifully thoughtful advice and anecdotes and stories about living creatively and the mysteries inherent in the process. One of the stories Liz shares in this book is one of my all-time favourites. Ever. It gives me chills when she starts to tell it in her audiobook and sometimes, when I’m in need of a really good story, I will open it on a whim and listen. She describes the story as the single most magical thing that’s ever happened to her and without giving it all away, the story goes something like this: Liz gets an idea for a new book, a book about the Amazon Jungle. She has the feeling of inspiration, the unmistakable physiological and emotional sensations that signal the arrival of a new idea. She commits to the idea, devoting significant time and energy to it, including making the idea official through a publishing contract. However, soon Liz’s personal life takes a twist she didn’t see coming and she sets the idea down and doesn’t touch it for nearly two years. When she returned to the idea she found that the idea was gone. Not in the material sense (she still had all of her research and files), but the idea seemed no longer willing to collaborate with her. It was around this same time that Liz met a new friend, the celebrated novelist, Ann Patchett. While Liz’s Amazon Jungle novel had up and left, Liz learned that Ann recently had come up with an idea for a new novel herself, one that involved… the Amazon Jungle. You see, Ann had no idea, no way of knowing, about Liz’s Amazon Jungle novel so this news surprised and intrigued Liz, to say the least. When the two finally shared each Amazon Jungle novel with the other, it was pure magic. Big Magic. I’ll just say that. (If this sounds cryptic, it is, so go listen or read it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!) I experienced some big magic of my own last year while in New York City filming my forthcoming Domestika course about boosting creative confidence. And it just so happens that the big magic moments happened with Liz’s book packed in my suitcase, ready to be shared on film as part of the course... I arrived on a Sunday and left on a Thursday and throughout my time in the city, the universe kept leaving me easter eggs in the form of books all week. The Sunday that I arrived was a beautiful and sunny warm day in June. My week of work would start on Monday but before then I vowed to take in as much of the city as possible. I did a few touristy things like stand outside the Friends apartment and head over to the steps of Carrie Bradshaw’s brownstone (both are just around the corner from one another). I traveled to my favourite dress store and I had a drink on the patio of the Stonewall Inn, trying to soak up as much of the beautiful weather and city and magic as possible. I was feeling hungry and instead of doing what I might normally do in a new city (search for a restaurant online, comparing reviews, prices and getting lost in the details), I decided to follow my gut – get lost in my intuition – to find a restaurant that felt right at that moment. I landed at an un-fussy pasta restaurant with a beautiful little patio. I was the only one on the patio for a long while and then an older gentleman (perhaps in his early 70’s) sat at a table a few over from me, he looked like he was waiting for friends. Our eyes caught one another and he smiled and I smiled. He asked me how I was and we struck up a conversation as he walked over to join me for a few minutes. I told him the reason I was in New York, as well as my professional background in books and printing and he told me that he’d written a book with his late wife. It turns out that the man sitting across the table from me had not only written a book with his late wife, but it was also a bestseller. And his late wife was none other than B.Smith, a restaurateur, magazine publisher, celebrity chef, and nationally known lifestyle maven. We talked about publishing and books and the travels he would be soon embarking on to South America. So on my first day in New York, that’s how I landed a one-on-one chat with a delightful best selling author. This sure felt like Big Magic. In Big Magic, Liz describes how she believes ideas work: “I should explain at this point that I’ve spent my entire life in devotion to creativity and along the way I’ve developed a set of beliefs about how it works and how to work with it that is entirely and unapologetically based upon magical thinking. And when I refer to magic here, I mean it literally. Like in the ‘Hogwarts’ sense. I am referring to the supernatural, the mystical, the inexplicable, the surreal, the divine, the transcendent, the other-worldly. Because the truth is I believe that creativity is a force of enchantment, not entirely human in its origins.” I arrived on set on Monday morning, wearing my yellow dress covered in magenta books (naturally!), which was the dress chosen by Domestika’s team out of the options I’d provided. It was a really lovely experience working with Domestika in the weeks leading up to the shoot because they provided lots of consultation and opportunities to make the set feel like it represented my personality. I consulted with a set designer to coordinate props that I’d bring with what they had already. I walked onto the set and it was SO COOL. It felt like my goofy little office back home had been given a chic makeover and had been transported here. There was a bookshelf of books in rainbow order (perfect!) and in my waiting between scenes, I peeked at the book titles on the shelf that the Domestika team had arranged before my arrival. And there it was. A book that looked incredibly familiar. I pulled it from the shelf and asked the team “Where did you get this?”. They told me it was just a book they had in the studio to use on sets and the like. It turned out that this book was one that I helped print and bring to life in around 2008 when I worked in the book printing industry. The book was 14 years old at that point and had nothing to do with the topic or really even creativity that Domestika is known for. Why it was there I’ll never know. Except that I do know: Big Magic. In Big Magic, Liz goes on to reveal: “I believe that our planet is inhabited not only by animals and plants and bacteria and viruses, but also by ideas. Ideas are a disembodied energetic life form that are completely separate from us but capable of interacting with us, albeit strangely.” During the time of filming I was also teaching a virtual course in Toronto and so I arrived to class in my hotel room on Tuesday night. After the class was over, a student asked if she could receive some additional feedback on her assignment so she stayed after class to meet one-on-one. After we chatted for about 20 minutes, she mentioned offhand that she had lived in New York City for eight years and that she would love to send me some recommendations based on the area I was staying in. She sent the email later that evening and on her list of ‘low-key favourites’ she mentioned a bookstore in the area that she just so happened to be married in. What are the chances that I would be speaking with someone with whom I have only recently met who happened to live in the city I was currently visiting and was married nearby in a bookstore. She is my people. And who gets married in a bookstore? I didn’t even do that! What are the chances?! Well, pretty good because Big Magic. I love Liz‘s attitude and sure held beliefs about inspiration that she details in her book. One of my favourite sentiments is this: “I choose to trust that inspiration is always nearby, the whole time I’m working, trying it’s damndest to impart assistance. It’s just that inspiration come from another world, you see, and it speaks in language entirely unlike my own so sometimes we have trouble understanding each other. But inspiration is still sitting right there beside me and it is trying. Inspiration is trying to send me messages in every form it can: through dreams, through portends, through clues, through coincidences, through déjà vous, through kismet, through surprising waves of attraction and reaction, through the chills that run up my arms, through the hair that stands up on the back of my neck, through the pleasure of something new and surprising, through stubborn ideas that keep me awake all night long. Whatever works. Inspiration is always trying to work with me so I sit there and I work too. That’s the deal. I trust it, it trusts me.” Also on Tuesday, as part of filming one of the final units and lessons was all about dreaming big and planning small, I talked about the ways in which creating micro, bite-size action items is the way to make a big dream happen over time while simultaneously keeping our day jobs. As part of this exercise I filled out a worksheet all about dreaming big. We were filming and I began filling it out. But I stopped and looked up at the producer and asked her “Should I fill this in with my actual big dreams?” I’d created the worksheet but neglected to think about what I might actually fill in when given the chance. And now was that chance, it seemed. So as vulnerable as ever, I dug into the recesses of my brain to locate and pull forward some of my big dreams. These big dreams include giving a TED talk, creating a university level course all about creative confidence and publishing a book. The next step in the exercise was to choose one of these big dreams – the one that feels like the next right thing – and say it out loud, giving the idea voice to transform it from an abstract idea existing only in your head to your next concrete idea to share with the world. In that moment, the one that felt most right was publishing a book. I gave voice to the idea which I’m hoping will be the catalyst needed to make it happen. Big Magic. In her book, Liz continues: “...sometimes, rarely, but magnificently there comes a day when you’re open and relaxed enough to actually receive something. Your defences might slacken and your anxieties might ease and then magic can slip through. The idea, sensing your openness, will start to do its work on you. It will send the universal physical and emotional signals of inspiration: the chills of the arms, the hairs standing up on the back of your neck, the nervous stomach, the buzzy thoughts, that feeling of falling into love or obsession. The idea will organize coincidence and portents to tumble across your path to keep your interest keen. You’ll start to notice all sorts of signs pointing you toward the idea. Everything you see and touch and you will remind you of the idea. The idea will wake you up in the middle of the night and distract you from your everyday routine. The idea will not leave you alone until it has your fullest attention. And then, in a quiet moment it will ask: Do you want to work with me?” Yes. Yes, I do. As my incredible week of filming in the bustling big city was coming to an end, I had an afternoon free to explore the city before flying home. I walked something like 40 blocks pulling a 30 pound rolly bag behind me, walking up towards Times Square and then a few blocks further to the southernmost part of Central Park. My producer suggested that I visit one of New York City’s most famous independent bookstores before I leave, called Strand Books. However, time was running low and my dogs were barking, blisters beginning to form on my hands from dragging a ridiculous suitcase around behind me. So as I got in the cab headed towards LaGuardia airport I knew that I would save my visit to Strand Books for my next visit to New York. When I got to the airport I cleared security and I made a beeline for the gift shop; I promised my three and five-year-old something upon my return and I didn’t want to show up empty-handed. I dilly-dallied because I had lots of time before my flight, which was delayed. I then looked across the large, open shop and noticed a bookstore. It wasn’t just any bookstore: it was Strand Books bookstore. And the entire shop was set upon a backdrop of floor-to-ceiling bookcases at least 20 feet high, containing an array of books organized in a rainbow. From red to orange to yellow. And then green, blue and purple. Rainbow bookshelves are my jam and the team at Domestika had been awesome in planning sets with a rainbow bookshelf incorporated into each one. A strange and powerful serendipity unfolded at the airport bookstore. I thought to myself, “This is a sign! Thanks New York!” And then immediately below me – at the end of the rainbow – was a new book I’d never seen before but I immediately recognized as part of a series of kids books that are my girls’ favourites. It was an Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems (of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus fame). This new book sitting in front of me compliments a series of kids books that I specifically mention in the Domestika course. And the title of the book? The book is literally called ‘It’s a Sign!’ I picked it up, shocked at the immense intersection of coincidences unfolding in front of me. The characters work together to create a club dedicated to paper folding, letter writing and word forming (basically me, in a nutshell). And then on the second last page of this very familiar book, the Pigeon is there, drawing a picture… using his foot, just like I’d done in the course earlier that week! What?!? A little pot of reassuring gold sitting below a rainbow of books. BIG FREAKING MAGIC. I wrote a note to my producer about this incredible thing that had just happened and while typing an email arrived… a video of my student’s wedding set in a New York City bookstore. I became the weirdo weeping in the middle of Laguardia airport. It was all too much in the best way possible. I still don’t quite know what to make of all of these books that came into my life in serendipitous ways that week, but as the launch of my Domestika course draws nearer, I’m excited to think about the possibilities and what-ifs and could-be’s. Thank you Domestika and thanks New York and thanks Liz Gilbert and thanks Mo Willems and thanks to my NYC student and thanks to you for sticking around and listening as this story unfolded. Here’s to more Big Magic moments for everyone. Music: Rusty Bicycle by John Bartmann licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. Freesound: Chimes on Wind Robinhood76Book Big Magic Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Episode Artwork: Canva Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash