Browsing “The Proof”

It’s hard to define Jamie Garratt. He’s a ping-pong champ, surfer, wake boarder, and rock star. He’s also a motorcycle enthusiast, company president and dad. He’s chilled out and hard working, and has no problem telling you exactly what’s on his mind. Jamie’s passionate about all things digital, which prompted him to open Idea Rebel in 2008. His education in business and computer science has helped to earn his company a huge reputation in a short time. What is it like to work with Jamie? It means relaxed staff meetings at the ping-pong table, beer Fridays, and yoga Wednesdays. It also means world-class projects, hard work and strict deadlines.
-Amanda Mc

The Proof

01 One of my favourite watches.  I love watches.

02 Me surfing in Hawaii.  Was there for work for the PipeMaster/ Quiksilver

03 I love Cereal.  A great combo – KitKat and Golden Grahams

04 Pic of me playing my favourite guitar that I got when I was a teenager.  Exit This Side photo shoot.  That guitar actually got stolen at the next show.  Super sad day!

05 One of my favourite Skate spots.  Mini Bowl in Burnaby

06 1977 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD.  My pops bought this bike the year I was born and handed it down to me when I got my license.  My Beauty!

07 My Daily Commute

08 #EddieWouldGo Campaign we helped build for Quiksilver.  You can nominate a #hero or Instagram pics of you taking it to the next level.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
Yaletown

What do you do and where?
I’m President and Lead Strategist at Idea Rebel.  I develop and build Digital Ideas for clients.  I work out of Gastown but sometimes in Toronto and LA.

What are you working on?
If I told you I’d have to kill you.  But for real, I’m working on an app that will push the limits on social and sport.  Will be out in the spring!  Bang, you’re dead. :)  Other than that I’m working on some new music, trying to surf as much as possible and help Idea Rebel grow into new markets.

Where can we find your work?
One stop to check out all my latest work – www.idearebel.com

You probably know Mike Love. He’s been taking great photos and working on film sets for years. He lives the life of a passionate artist and gets noticeably engulfed in his work, whether it’s documenting life with his camera or disappearing to set for days. He’s an intense dude who pulls you into his energy whenever you’re around him. Don’t let the skull on the dash of the Magnum fool you.
- Jessica G

The Proof

01 Another day of film work on location, making the Cobalt look like Seattle or is it L.A? Can’t remember

02 This is my home: the rainbow of East Van.

03 This is what East Van has become… a bit of commercial pride, not knowing how I feel about it, maybe if the t-shirt wasn’t so expensive then the pride might be behind it?

04 This is what I see as East Van pride. Notice the ripe new apple – a little juxtaposition when it comes to our colourful alleyways.

05 Having a late night dinner at one of East Van’s Chinese food restaurants. I’m a sucker for what my fortune might say

06 Driving my 1967 Chevelle. Any time i’m behind the wheel of my classic car the world seems a lot less busy.

07 Photo I took one night with my phone walking up Main Street when I couldn’t sleep.

08 “Proud to be Free in the USA” from my latest photo series “Love’s Fighters”.

The Questions

What neighbourhood do I live in?
I live in East Van right off of Main Street. I’ve been here for 15 years in my live work studio. It has a great view of the city – a constant reminder of how hard I have worked over the years to afford such a spectacular view. I know that at 11pm the lights go out at BC Place ( or what ever it is called now). My neighbourhood has definitely changed over the years. Some parts are for the good but I feel some are for the worst. Might be needing a change soon. I was born in Saskatchewan and grew up in Ladner, but now Van City is my home.

What do you do and where?
I am a filmmaker foremost, a storyteller, a film technician and a photographer. I make music videos, commercials and short films with my production companies Lil’ Devil Productions (www.lildevl.com) and Mr. Love Films www.mrlovefilm.com. I am a longstanding member in the local film industry and have worked as a film technician on television series and feature film projects. It’s a career that has encompassed the past two decades of my life.
You can always find me on a sound stage, a film location, edit suite or behind some kind of camera. I’m a bit of a workaholic when it comes to the film industry. My passion lies in directing (I know every one says that.) I have directed over six short films, fifteen music videos, over a dozen commercials, and one television series. Even when I am a photographer, I want to tell some kind of visual story told with my camera. I’ve been shooting on the Canon 7D and love it and built some custom gear so that I can shoot stills and video on the same equipment. Things sure have changed in the camera world and i’m embracing it.

What are you working on?
I am currently working on my first feature length documentary titled “450,000.00 Dollar Tent”. It’s about me living without electricity in my condo due to a hydro bill increase of over 106% - www.mrlovedocumentary.com
But between film projects i always go back to my photography. It’s a place where things are simpler as a story teller. I find solace when it’s just me and my camera where the imagination is forefront. The collaborations I’ve had as a photographer seem so much more satisfying of late – the models, and  make-up artist all seem to just want to play, a bit of a contrast from my day job in film a world where 14 hours on a film set is a short day. Time flies when i’m on a photo-shoot.

Where can we find your work?
Like everyone else, I have a bunch of websites to showcase my work:
www.mrlovefilm.com

www.mrlovedocumentary.com

www.mrlovephoto.com ( currently under construction)

Or check out my photography show:

Love’s Fighters
Marshall Pop Up Gallery 644 Kingsway Vancouver

Julia Di Sano is a 27-year-old Canadian artist. She was born, raised, and traditionally trained in art in Ontario before moving to Vancouver in 2007. She has a real passion for vibrant colours, the beauty of Nature, and sharing her passion for art and life with everyone around her. She created Ebi Emporium as a venue to offer her work at an affordable price to Vancouverites and globally-based customers alike. And since doing so, Julia has expanded and grown her shop onto multiple sites; and now offers a wide range of home decor, tech device decor, and prints, in addition to original art pieces! So exciting~

The Proof

01 This is the view from my balcony. Although I work in several places of my home, I do the majority of my painting from upstairs, with this view. SO inspiring, with the mountain backdrop!

02 This is one of my 2 Maine Coon mix cats, Kabby (“Kabocha” – “Pumpkin” in Japanese). He likes to pose.

03 This is my “clean” work area – AKA Where I do my planning for new paintings, draft letters or write cards to clients, wrap up paintings for shipping, etc. Can you tell I like bold colours and patterns? Hehe.

04 This is my OH SO YUMMY (but very unhealthy) typical breakfast of champions: Unlimited coffee with soy milk from my Keurig, and a…uhhh…Snickers bar.

05 This is my “Life’s Blood” – Yes, I would probably shrivel up and DIE without Starbucks.

06 This is PART of my materials “stash.” I can’t claim to be super-tidy with my painting stuff, that’s for sure.

07 This is me with the love of my life- My fiance, Victor.

08 I LOVE to eat out at ethnic food restaurants, and Mexican is one of my faves! My fiance and I do this as our nights out together, when we both get away from work.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
My fiancé, 2 cats and I are currently living in our newly-renovated townhome in Fairview. We lived in the heart of Kitsilano before this, and one day I hope to be back by the beach :)

What do you do and where?
I’m a painter – I typically work with acrylic paints and either high quality canvas board or stretched canvas to create my art. I have a little studio set up at home, since I prefer to work where I am most comfortable and creative. And although I’m located really close to Granville Island, I’ve opted to sell my work online, for greater audience reach and global opportunities.

What are you working on?
Right now?  Hmmm. A million things! A typical day for me consists of about 15 hours of online “work,” including promoting, adding or editing new pieces to my online shops, networking on social media, photo-editing, etc. I also spend about 3 hours each day working on new or ongoing painting projects  AKA: LONG workdays.Oh, I’m ALSO looking into a collaboration with another local artisan to start a necklace line with my paintings!

Where can we find your work?
You can find my work in a number of places. My 2 main venues are Ebi Emporium on Etsy, and Ebi Emporium on Society 6. But I also am very present on a variety of social media sites, including Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Wanelo, WeHeartIt, etc.

MY SHOPS:

www.etsy.com/shop/ebiemporium

http://society6.com/ebiemporium

Please come LIKE and Follow me :D

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
WANELO
PINTEREST
WEHEARTIT
*NEW* TUMBLR BLOG

For close to 8 years now, I have spent more (awake) time with Becki Chan that any other person.  It would be insulting to call her an employee, as it is impossible to describe all the things she does for Cause+Affect and it would be even more impossible to replace her.

Becki narrowly escaped what would have been, for her, a constrained life as an Architect. She now finds herself at a complicated nexus of Art, Design and Community, blending her evening pursuits of private art and design commissions, her daily life at Cause+Affect and her blossoming alter ego, The Grand Dame of Pecha Kucha Night.

When not getting her hands dirty working to improve the cultural potency of Vancouver as a recently named member of the City of Vancouver’s Arts and Culture Policy Advisory Council, Becki blogs about her cat (http://hannagrey.tumblr.com/)
- Steven Cox, Creative Director 
Cause+Affect

The Proof

01 Gastown. This is my hood.  I’ve been working around here for 7 years now. So many things have changed –  some good, some bad. Things change, but Six Acres will always be there – my Friday after work hang out. Photo: Josiane Marquis.

02 Hanna . Hanna keeps me company while I’m working late at night. Love her to death.

03 Me, sitting on a parking chock in San Francisco. The reason I build functional sculptures in the city, so people can have a place to chill and really look at our city. Instead of always just go go go.

04 Cause+Affect. I’ve spent a huge part of my life there. I have learnt a lot from Steven &  Jane. Along the way I got to work with MANY AMAZING graphic designers. I’m very lucky to get to work on PechaKucha as part of my job, as I’ve met so many talented and inspiring Vancouverites through the event.  Photo: King Kabuz Media.

05 Making things. I’m a workaholic. If I’m not in front of my computer, I need to be making things.

06 We work out from a garage in East Van, sometime we need to expand into the back alley and hope we don’t get run over.  This is Milos in the photo, my partner in crime.

07 Paper house mobile. I’ve thought of designing just about anything, even toys.

08 In my chair. The one that got away. I’ve designed many built projects. This is the one that I want to build the most, and I have not yet found a site to allow it.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
Downtown. Across the street from the Orpheum Theater, a block away from the Vogue and the Commodore, and a block away from Japadog!

What do you do and where?
Sr. Spatial Designer at Cause+Affect

A producer of PechaKucha Night Vancouver

Member of the City of Vancouver Art and Culture Advisory Council

Visual artist who creates site specific public art installations

What are you working on?
PechaKucha Night Vol.24, Nov 23rd. Woohoo

Interior of Vancouver’s first whiskey distillery in East Van

A public art installation for the new Edmonton Public Library Branch

A few public art installation proposals in North America

Where can we find your work?
You can find my work at causeandaffect.com and some of my personal work at beckichan.com and milbec.ca

Here’s the thing about Rikia. She has this energy. You know about magnetism? She walks into a room and you feel it, that energy. You’re drawn to it. You’re not surprised she has 986 Facebook friends. (And they really are friends. You meet them at Saddy-McClellan tri-annual cheese n’ olive parties, where you can always count on glorious food, fabulous drinks and kickass company.) Rikia is that person you would be ragingly jealous of, but that energy –– you just want to be part of the ride. And what a trip it’s been so far. Blazing smarts at the University of Alberta. Parlayed into one-and-a-half years at the Thunderbird School of Management, the top-ranked international business school in the United States. (Translation: annual reunions in the likes of Barcelona and Berlin, and brilliant friends absolutely everywhere. This woman is connected.) Then 15 years experience working for international companies advising other international companies on key positioning and strategic communications issues. Rikia was very, very good at it. (Just ask Joe Clark.) Until she left to have babies: two boys and one marketing strategy firm. From her international studio headquarters attached to an über-cool mid-century modern Southlands post-and-beamer, Rikia has lasered an entrepreneurial focus on to the business objectives of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations worldwide, encouraged her sons to live interesting lives, rarely missed a Tuesday date night at Vij’s with Cam and used her powerful voice to engage in politics and social change. Read her book, people. It’s deliciously subversive, so simple, yet containing powerful truths about our country. She is awesome, our Rikia.
- Su T Fitterman

The Proof

01 The Church of the Endowment Lands. The perfect Sunday morning.

02 Last year I switched to Nordic. Lost Lake is the only place I ski, after I read the paper and drink a cup of chai. This is a colour photo.

03 Our kitchen, where everything seems to happen. The house was designed by Thompson Berwick Pratt, renovated by D’Arcy Jones, and shot by Sterling Lorence– three awesome Vancouver gems. We saved it from the wrecking ball, and hope to find a new family to pass it on to. It’s a magical little house in the woods.

04 Jamie Kowal perfectly captured my life in a house of boys.  The one on the far left illustrated my book. You may know him as a musician from Hinterland or Solarists.

05 The Hotel Georgia in gingerbread.  I love how they’ve created a myriad of different spaces, filled with art, that are perfect for everything from working quietly to meeting friends. All the people who create little environments build a city.

06 A very little book I wrote on Canadian History. It starts at the end of the last ice age with “Once upon a time…” and tells the story of Canada in 80 pages.

07 The steps to Gordon Smith’s house in West Vancouver, built right into the natural rock.  I would love to paint like Gordon Smith, and I’d happily live in his house beside my favourite park. He has such an amazing curiosity and zest for life, and I wish I worked as hard now as he does at 92.  Instead, I named my dog Gordon Smith.

08 Gordon Smith II, Esquire

The Questions

Where do you live?
At the top of Southlands. We can’t have a goat.

What do you do and where?
I work in a studio just steps from my front door. I develop marketing strategy for interesting projects like Pearson United World College and the Canadian Cancer Society’s Centre for Prevention. I also try to get intelligent political candidates elected, and spend a lot of time writing and thinking about a higher vision for Canada in the world.

What are you working on?
I just finished a little book called We Are Canada, for those of us who would like to know more about who we are and what we’ve built together without reading a kilo of Canadian history. When I travel this country I’m always amazed how our history is told differently from province to province.  Several years ago, I went to Quebec with the CBC and interviewed Gilles Duceppe, Andre Boisclair, and Justin Trudeau among others.  I returned with a mind full of questions about Canada, and discovered that most of what we’ve been led to believe isn’t even true. We’ve built something amazing here.

Where can we find your work?
In bookstores September 1st.

Sophia is a talented illustrator, reliable worker, good writer, and has a fun and adventurous personality. I worked with Sophia for several years at Langara College where I got to see her grow as both an individual and artist. I believe people should regularly challenge themselves, embrace learning, and be open to new opportunities – I’m happy to say I see all of these qualities in Sophia. As a fan of Vancouver is Awesome, I look forward to seeing Sophia contribute to the great work you produce.
- Marie Chattertion, Director, Community Engagement at Ayoudo

The Proof

01 The view from my bedroom window, where I do most of my work and illustrations. Its quite peaceful and can provide much inspiration.

02 This is my dog Kairo. I love him to death! He has a big heart and has brought a lot of joy and love into my life. Whenever I am stuck in a rut he always ends up tossing me a tennis ball, reminding me that life is meant to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously.

03 I just discovered a place called Lucky’s Doughnuts on Main Street (via a few friends of mine). This is a sneaky shot of the staff making coffee and fresh doughnuts! Yummiest doughnuts I have ever had. The PB&J is my favorite!

04 My most recent illustration called “Decaying Heart”. The illustration is meant to depict a decaying heart being eaten/hollowed out by flesh eating flies. Its apart of a series of illustrations I am working on called “OF Flesh & Bone.”

05 Captured a dandelion during my evening run. It was one of those quite cool spring evenings where everything just stands still, as if the world was just frozen in time.

06 One of my favorite movies is The Godfather. This is the scene right after Michael Corleone shoots Virgil Sollozzo (a drug smuggling gangster) in the head.

07 On April, 01 2012 I got my first tattoo. The praying hands! I couldn’t be happier with it.

08 I lived in Melbourne, Australia for about a year and every evening while returning home from work I would stop by one of the lane ways and take a look at the graffiti artists painting and drawing on the walls. It was just fantastic!

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in East Van right between Main and Commercial. Its a great place to be!

What do you do and where?
I am a Graphic Designer & Illustrator. I work on freelance projects for studios and design firms in and around Vancouver. I have a rather small “studio” space where I work. I like to keep it small and quiet.

What are you working on?
At the moment I am working on a number of illustrations for an design agency as well as my own personal illustration series which I hope to have on display during the fall/winter of this year.

Where can we find your work?
You can find my most recent illustration works at http://www.thecreativefinder.com/sophiaahamed
Also check out http://www.allied-art.ca & blog.allied-art.ca