I spent a wonderful afternoon with my family in Fort Langley today.
While the egg scramble mayhem and sugar highs rang out outside, I was drawn to the silent interiors.
Form follows function—that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.
– Frank Lloyd Wright
Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.
– Frank Gehry
I don’t enjoy living in a white box flooded with light. I like shadows, small spaces, old furniture.
– Kevin McCloud
Every city is a ghost. New buildings rise upon the bones of the old so that each shiny steel bean, each tower of brick carries within it the memories of what has gone before, an architectural haunting. Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of these former incarnations in the awkward angle of a street or filigreed gate, an old oak door peeking out from a new facade, the plaque commemorating the spot that was once a battleground, which became a saloon and is now a park.
Show attendees, reporters, politicians, historians, authors, social media, voices in the street, voices in the theatre, dancers, actors, musicians, artists, the fans lining up for 100 hours, our hearts are screaming that Hamilton “the most astonishing thing I have ever seen.” Including my household! WE ARE OBSESSED!!!
“It’s fair to say that “Hamilton” is quickly asserting itself as the most important musical of our time. Miranda’s revolutionary musical gets people thinking about race, history, and theater in ways they’re probably not used to. He educates audiences about an important a piece of American history through rap and hip-hop in a work of art so ingenious that it would be brilliant even if there were no message behind it.” – Chris Weller
And yes- the musical is groundbreaking, but for me it is so much more than that! It is about being fully present in creativity, the delirium of creative process, being “young, scrappy and hungry,” the discipline, the clarity of, the belief in and the evolution of a passion project…
For example, check out this creative process and the evolution of the opening song.
From 2009…
to 2016 Grammy’s:
Lin Manuel vibrates with creativity. For me, his years spent making the show with his incredible team are just as intriguing as the show itself. It is about voraciously writing, reading, researching and interpreting and expressing and TRUSTING.
His process inspires me to PUSH FURTHER… THINK BIGGER!
“Anytime you write something, you go through so many phases. You go through the ‘I’m a Fraud’ phase. You go through the ‘I’ll Never Finish’ phase. And every once in a while you think, ‘What if I actually have created what I set out to create, and it’s received as such?’ ” – Lin-Manuel Miranda
Check out Lin Manuel’s take on the creative process:
“Don’t be afraid to take your time.” – Lin Manuel Miranda
GREAT ADVICE!
It is about going farther, doing better, being excellent and being so fucking enthusiastic about the process and sharing freely!!
And not being bound by old ways of thinking and doing. For example:
“The most obvious difference between “Hamilton” and a history textbook is that nobody in the play looks how they actually looked in real life. Miranda, a Puerto Rican from New York, plays Alexander Hamilton, the rags-to-riches protagonist who moved to the US from the Caribbean at just 17 years old. The rest of the cast is made up of black, Hispanic, and Asian-American performers, a choice Miranda has repeatedly said was deliberate. “Our cast looks like America looks now, and that’s certainly intentional,” Miranda told the New York Times last year. “It’s a way of pulling you into the story and allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the founding fathers at the door.” “- Chris Weller
I am so in love with the passion for learning that Hamilton has ignited.
“A transformative teaching moment in America.” – Ron Chernow (Ron Chernow wrote the book about Alexander Hamilton that originally inspired Lin Manuel.)
Check out Ron Chernow on Hamilton: From History to Drama
“History is so subjective. The teller of it determines it.“ – Lin Manuel Miranda
“… a significant evolution in musical theatre.” – Charlie Rose
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Think I’m crazy? Ah, well! I don’t care! I AM A BELIEVER!
“They went in very skeptical but they came out true believers, like everyone does when they see the show.” – Michelle Obama
The 10 dollar founding father without a father. My fan art #hamart today, imagining Lin manuel as Hamilton on the ten dollar bill. (china marker on newsprint)
Update September 5, 2016:
My $10 bill drawing showed up on-
Need some more convincing why Hamilton is so fucking awesome? Check out:
“When people talk about the role of the arts in our national life, the conversation tends to be dominated by the culture wars, the flashpoints when some outré performance starts everybody screaming. But as the broad embrace of Hamilton demonstrates, artistic expression more often, and more powerfully, has been an integrating force in American life. The founders set E pluribus unum as the national creed without explaining how, exactly, “one” was supposed to arise from “many.” Through artistic expression, the many have found ways to relate to each other, to understand each other, to imagine what it might be like to be one, in spite of political or regional or ethnic divides.” – Jeremy McCarter
And of course:
“You have to live with the notion of, If I don’t write this, no one’s going to write it. If I die, this idea dies with me.” – LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
So the theme of the month of May was, according to the Power Path, NEW ALIGNMENT.
We have been shaken, rattled, taken apart, and sideswiped by the unexpected. We have had to accept change and embrace the unknown. The eclipses of March and April affected us on a very deep level, with core issues needing to be acknowledged, forgiven and cleared. We all agree that this is a new time with new possibilities and yet the clarity of what’s to come is just beyond our reach. We have glimpsed the potential of more power, but how do we integrate it into our lives?
These times are amazing, unsettled, a bit overwhelming and confusing, scary but awesome at the same time, and full of new opportunities. What is needed now is integration and assimilation that will help create a new alignment serving as a new platform from which we can move forward.
– The Power Path
OK. It’s the end of the month. And that month was a bit of a shit show- it really made me question my abilities and directions and choices that have brought me to this point.
I am finishing up other projects and redirecting my energy.
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Aligning. I am aligning.
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I have dug back, dug deep, let go and released. [Recall the metaphor of the slingshot.]
I am moving further away from the old patterns, and the old distractions, old hesitations.
I am working more and more on MOLLY. My goal is to move to an 85% mode of living– i.e. that soon 85% of my time will be spent on her. I am preparing to be shameless at making this work. Ruthless. Raising funds. Contacting publishers. Doing it right.
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SYNOPSIS:
To escape the shackles of circumstance, she takes the darkest path.
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Initially this project was all about: Who were the Babes in the Wood?
I present a new angle to this historical Vancouver mystery through crime scene reconstruction, forensic taphonomy, historical archives, genealogical records, behavior evidence analysis, circumstantial connections and artistic interpretation.
The initial goal of my research was to identify the children whose skeletal remains were found in Stanley Park on January 15, 1953, but Molly- a Graphic Novel is more a portrait of a city as told through the lens of one troubled young woman in post-war Vancouver.
I first immersed myself in the investigation in 2003 when I volunteered as a researcher with the Babes in the Wood Task Force. I have remained dedicated to the case ever since. Using a combination of text, primary sources, illustrations and photographs, I will present my research journey, equivocal findings and creative process to the reader.
NOTE: this is a work of creative non-fiction inspired by true facts, evidence and events. It is an artistic interpretation and no more than that.
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I am elated that I have a treatment with a structure that allows me to present the 12 + years of research.
This journey began in August 2003.
It has taken longer that expected but is taking exactly the time it needs.
I am grateful to have the gift of creativity and I now need to push my artistic expression further, bigger, fuller.
And I am grateful for my support network of family and friends who literally kept me on this planet. I’m still here and ready to DO THIS! To tell Molly’s story.
She’s guiding and I’m following direction. I am grateful she chose me!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Nobody creates a criminal profile on their own. – Brent Turvey
I want to thank the following people who have helped me in various ways to be able to research Molly’s story.
[details about their various involvements will appear in the graphic novel acknowledgments section]
Roar Thorsen
Karin Thorsen
Fredrik Thorsen
Babes in the Wood task force: Sgt. Brian Honeybourn, Dr. David Sweet, George Garret
Grant Rainsley
Paul Young
Brent Turvey
Staff at the following archives: Vancouver Police Centennial Museum, Pier 21 Society, BC Archives, Mountainview Cemetery, Vancouver Public Library: Special Collections, Vancouver Public Library: microfilm section, City of Vancouver Archives, Mission City Archives, Mission City Record, Toronto Children’s Aid Society, Japanese Canadian National Museum, Alberta Genealogical Society, Alberta Families Histories Society, City of Edmonton Archive, Provincial Archives of Alberta, Glenbow Archives
Helen Ritchey, Celtic Creations
Solvig Olsson
Cher Thorsen
Anders Thorsen
Charmaine Crooks
Julian Bowers
Anna Thorsen
Patti Henderson
Kickstarter backers including: Anthony Siress, Dustin Christensen, Paul Marquis, Laura Mack, Joanna Harks, Rob Bucci, Nelda Hinds, Victor Mendoza, Brad Slater, Selina Crammond, Henry Denander, Nancy Mortifee, Joseph Killian, Rebecca Rawlinson, Nathan Parker, Sandra Garcia, Sairah Hearns, Ian Powell, Steve Podborski, Warren Te Brugge, Brad Lawrence, John Demuynck, Robert Nadeau, Lynn Gosnell, Maud Kerzendörfer, Cecile Cowley, Eric Damon Walters
Jocelyn Louise (the model for Molly)
Jay Fisher (the stylist)
Rick Legal
Nancy Kirkpatrick
Pamela Post
Eve Lazarus
Anne Banner
Matthew Roy
Owen McEwen
Jen MacDonald
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Want to help me tell this story?
Please consider:
1. Purchasing my art. I regularly post product and sales on this blog!
2. Donating (all donors and sales customers will be included in acknowledgments):
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TODAY’S SALE: The Molly Paper Dress
If you are interested in purchasing this one-of-a-kind double-sided item featuring ORIGINAL embroidered drawings (wearable art– size 4 to 6 A-frame or wallhanging), that will be photographed for the graphic novel, contact me at britakatarina@gmail.com
$675 CAD
(free shipping- allow 4 weeks for delivery)
Payment via email transfer to britakatarina@gmail.com
I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive. A year ago, six months ago, I thought I was an artist. I no longer think about it, I am. Everything that was literature has fallen from me. There are no more books to be written, thank God.
This then? This is not a book. This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a book, in the ordinary sense of the word…
I have been thinking about where I come from and the story is a long and complicated one. But also very short. I am simply a product of my mother and father. To connect with that simple concept, I paid a visit to my father’s residential care facility and spent the afternoon creating art. It was delightful and humbling to feel how the power of art can lead to new connections and deepen conversations. The afternoon also allowed me to feel a connection to my parents. When I worked with the residents I felt the presence of my Mom. I was always so impressed by her ability to connect fully with the elderly. And helping facilitate art, I felt like I was working with my Dad again. It was a joyous time with lots of laughter and delight.
I am a great believer in sharing my creative process! That is how Drawn Together was created in the first place- through journals and blogposts.
As I build the journal series, I will be sharing my notes and process here and welcome your feedback and your photos! Your contribution is invaluable and may find its way to my book! Contact me at Email.
All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted.
Saint Teresa of Avila
Collect and immerse yourself in photos/images that reflect your roots. The images need not be your actual roots. They can be images that allow you to reflect on your past, on your ancestors.
Enjoy savouring what the photos do for you. Just let them be with you. Feel how the exercise makes you extend your connections into the past and thus, into your future.
I am a great believer in sharing my creative process! That is how Drawn Together was created in the first place- through journals and blogposts.
As I build the journal series, I will be sharing my notes and process here and welcome your feedback and your photos! Your contribution is invaluable and may find its way to my book! Contact me at Email.
This particular exercise was inspired by my original piece, which I found very healing to create while struggling through major life changes:
1. WRITE IN YOUR JOURNAL 15 MINUTES (STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS, NO STOPPING)- focus on your life timeline. Where you were you born? What are some things that stick out for you?
2. DRAW A CROW; CUT IT OUT
You can sign up for a “drawing a crow” tutorial at LINK if you like. You’ll need to sign up on VIMEO, paper, charcoal, dry Pastel, eraser, scissors, white Acrylic Paint, fine brush ($2 for 72 hours access!)
