Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Second Annual ROCKER FOR STREET SOCCER!!!


Vancouver's street soccer teams are competing in this year's Homeless World Cup in Paris, France and they need your help to get them there!!! On May 20th there will be a fundraiser celebration for the athletes.

Come out and meet the player while enjoying live bands as well as a silent auction (which will have 2 pieces of Sleepy Moon jewellery in it!), wrestlers, burlesque dancers, and street performers.

Doors are at 6pm with the show starting at 7:30.

Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com or call Kailin at 778.997.3930
RSVP on Facebook


Saturday, May 14, 2011

Nas - Rule



We need to stick together, we need equality.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Getting the W2 Media Cafe All Set Up


Find more photos like this on W2: Community Media Arts Vancouver BC

Everything is moved from the W2 Storyeum into the new space which will be the W2 Media Cafe. Everyone at W2 is working hard to get everything organized and ready by mid may to open the media cafe! Above are some photos that I took of the second floor of the W2 Media Cafe.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Goodbye 151 Cordova


Goodbye 151 Cordova!!
Today we cleaned out the last of the dust and stuff that was in the W2 Storyeum.

The emptiness was a drastic change from the Moving Party on Friday.



As we swept up the last trace of our times in the storyuem it started to really set in that we are moving.
I have only been working at W2 for two months and attending events since new years, but the Storyeum has been open since last April! That is one whole year that has been full of amazing events!
And to put the finishing touches on the clean up we all took our turns pulling the W2 logo off the front entrance!

The end has come for the W2 Storyeum, but we are moving across the street to the W2 Media Cafe in the Woodwards building so while we all will miss the Storyeum we are also excited to move into the W2 Media Cafe where we can do so much more!

To find out more about W2 Media Cafe check out the W2 Website.

Monday, May 2, 2011

May Day Vancouver


See more photos on Vancouver Media Coop!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Submedia TV

Raekwon Concert on 420



Thursday, April 21, 2011

April 20th Art Gallery Protest

A busy day! I went to work in the morning as usual on a Wednesday all the way to North Van. I left work at 3:50, but missed the bus, waited and ended up stepping off the bus downtown right at 4:20. I was two blocks away from the art gallery and I was already in a clouds of smoke. I headed towards the gallery despite not wanting to get high and it took me 20 minutes to get through the crowd from one side of the gallery to the other! Half way through I snapped this picture. See the smoke clouds!All in all I was excited to see the cops doing nothing to the people standing next to them lighting joints but, mostly I ended up with the munchies from just being in the smoke. So a few friends and I went to a traditional Saudi Arabian and Lebanese restaurant hidden away at 1065 Granville St. It is seriously good food.

Wednesday night updates of the Reakwon, Snack The Ripped, Evil Ebeneser and Young Sin concert coming next...

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Good Times at the W2 Storyeum






Some not so good videos of a great night last Thursday at the W2 Storyeum!! Some that also played, but that I didn't get any video of was The Librarian check her out on My Space for some good beats!!

Views From The Sky Train

keep out, skytrain, graffiti
graffiti, vancouver, east van
skytrain, tree's, graffiti

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

W2 Members' Film + Music Nite Video Montage

Standing in the Woodward's building listening to Irwin talk about the plans for the W2 Media Cafe while next to us in the atrium teenagers were playing music and break dancing. What Irwin explained to the group and the atmosphere really brought the plans for W2 Media Cafe into perspective for me.

The W2 Cafe will be a multi-media space open for the public to learn about technology, media, music and more. The best part is that it is basically community run, the future of what happens in the W2 Media Cafe is up to the public for suggestions and everyone can bring their skills in to help our community learn new things that they might not have gotten a chance to otherwise.

Take a look at the video montage of the Cafe tour and film night below for a sneak peak of to expect when the W2 Media Cafe opens.


Thursday, April 7, 2011

W2 Members' Film + Music Nite

As the W2 community arts society gets ready to open the new community media arts cafe at Woodward's, they are taking a look back at where we came from threw film, words and music. If you've been to the temporary W2 spaces in the past and want to learn more about what W2 has planned for the future you can get connected, learn about the history and volunteer as W2 builds a collective future!

If you are interesting in getting connected Friday's movie night is the perfect time to come down and see what you can offer the community. There will be sign up sheets for the following categories;
  • Communications (Street Team, Digital Media, Video)
  • Fund Raising (Programing and capital projects)
  • Finance (Advisers, Cafe Social Enterprise)
  • Technical (Set ups and take downs, Live trouble shooting, Staffing during events)
  • Education (Advisers on various educational projects, Summer Camp, Media Labs)
  • Warehouse Show Working Group
  • W2 Media Cafe Working Group
A preview of the night...
'With Glowing Hearts' is a feature film about W2, the DTES, 2010 Olympics & Social Media. It followed W2's development for over a year to make this documentary.


'Woodsquat' - where did all this project begin you ask?


Find more videos like this on W2: Community Media Arts Vancouver BC


Friday April 8th
8pm-10pm W2 history and get connected with movies, chatting and enjoy complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres
11pm-3am After Party
Rapid Fire Records presents:
A F T E R - P A R T Y P R O G R A M >>> 11pm-3am
$5 at door (for those arriving after 11pm)
Pari Kishi http://soundcloud.com/parikishi
The PhonoGraff http://soundcloud.com/phonograff
Kaglar Omega http://www.myspace.com/kaglaromega
Elonious Funk http://soundcloud.com/elonious-funk
produced in association with Rapid Fire Records http://www.rfrdigital.com/index.php


ONLY $2 entry for members, $5 for friends/public.

Learn more and rsvp by going to the Face Book event.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

False-O-Ween April Fools at W2 Storyeum

Video By: Sakura Yoshita

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Live, Love, Dream ART

Why do I live, love, dream and dedicate my life to art?

I shot this photo between Pender and Hastings on Abbot st in the DTES. It really caught my eye because there were several crows around it and it was almost at the bottom of the electrical box... so low that I wondered who the person was who drew it and how long it took them to sit there and do it.

Art has been a part of my life since I can remember so it isn't that big of a surprise that I have such a passion for it. But what fuels that passion? Why is art such a great thing? Well I respect an artist who defies the normal way of doing things and takes a chance to do something that they are passionate about. Art is all about passion, dedication and expression. So to see someone doing what they love instead of working 9-5 at a random company that they may not even care about makes me happy. You can tell that even if they are not rich they are satisfied with life because they are doing something that is important to them. Meeting people like this with strong passions and the will to take action truly inspires and amazes me! I remember about 4 years ago knowing that I would never be happy working at a grocery store and thinking to my self that no one would understand that I had to do it differently. I am so glad that I am a stubborn person and held out till I found what a truly wanted to do.

Talent At Home

Woot Woot Vancouver!



Check out some more music by Brendan on Sound Cloud! :)

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Free Speech


I am currently interning for an awesome organization that is all about bringing technology and opportunities to people who might not other wise get a chance to experience those things. Read an article about Irwin of W2 below.


Free Speech

Irwin Oostindie is nothing if not a man of vision. We are both sporting hard hats standing in a dust-filled rectangular room separated from the Woodward’s atrium by a thin layer of glass covered in brown paper. But it’s clear the two of us are gazing at very different scenes.

Whereas, to me, the future home of W2 Community Media Arts is a mere run-of-the-mill construction site, Oostindie, W2’s 44-year-old executive director, is in another world entirely.

Gesturing excitedly to the exposed drywall and heavy steel beams looming overhead, he lists the technological bells and whistles that will eventually enliven the space: multiple TV screens; interactive touch-screen computers; DJ booth; and, casting a glance at what is currently a fairly mundane staircase, a multimedia portal he calls “the video cube.”

“You’ll walk up the stairs and the sensors know — there could be a piano note or your movements could trigger video or lighting in the space,” he says, a little breathless. “So it’s meant to show people what is typically in a university research lab and bring it into public space.”

The cool factor will hopefully draw people into W2’s social enterprise café on the main floor of its 8,800-square-foot space in the Woodward’s complex. This is to be the permanent home for W2, which for the last year has been occupying the city-owned Storeyum space across the street. While the cavernous former museum has been a popular venue for W2-hosted conferences and parties, such as the Utopia Festival earlier this month, it will be here, at Woodward’s, where the organization can finally start delivering on its mandate: creating a space where everyone — Downtown Eastside residents, immigrants, students, working-class people and other marginalized individuals — can access communication technology and learn how to use it.

Once completed, Oostindie’s “video cube” will lure visitors up the stairs to a public common area flanked by a technology suite, public washrooms, admin offices, editing bays, free phones and computers, even an original Woodward’s letter press. In the basement, construction is underway on a community TV and radio broadcast centre with satellite stations for SFU’s CJSF and Co-op Radio. It’ll also double as a 200-capacity event space.

“W2 believes communication is a human right,” says Oostindie, a Gen-x-er whose salt-and-pepper hair picks up the silver glints in his multiple ear piercings. It’s that philosophy, blended with a bit of a punk-rock edge, that led Oostindie — along with W2’s co-directors Lianne Payne and Will Stacey — to conceive of a drop-in media centre back in 2003 when the then-unbuilt Woodward’s development was Ground Zero for class conflict in Canada. Not a day went by when squatters weren’t clashing with city officials, developers and police over their tent city, a protest against the gentrifying influence of development. The ongoing saga provided regular fodder for the mainstream media. Oostindie and many other anti-poverty activists felt — and still feel — they didn’t portray the community fairly.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE AT
www.westender.com

Finding A Niche - Tips by Crafting an MBA

I came across this article on finding your niche and it really made me think about focusing my jewellery on a specific and unique aspect of design or materials. So the brainstorming begins.

4 ways to make your products more niche

I hear it at craft shows and trade shows all the time, “You’re so lucky you make X, because I make Y and so does everybody else.”

Regardless of whether you’re a jeweler, potter, or photographer, you probably feel the same way – like you’re in a very crowded product category.

{image via The Great Northern on Etsy}

The great thing about sites like Etsy is that the barrier to entry is so low that you can start a business really easily. But the bad thing is that so can anyone else.

With each passing day, more and more people throw their hat in the ring when it comes to running a craft business.

And as your category gets more and more crowded, it can be a struggle to get your products to stand out.

But getting your products to stand out in the sea of jewelry, soap, photography, or screen printed t-shirts is essential if you want your business to be a success.

So how do you stand out in a crowded product category?

By focusing your products on a niche.

Focusing on a niche means picking out a specialized corner of the market and diving in. It means making products for one special person, instead of making average products for average people.

Diving into a niche can be scary. It can mean alienating a lot of people. But it can also mean endearing yourself to a small, but passionate group of fans.

Making your products more niche doesn’t mean you have to completely abandon everything you’ve designed. Instead, you can make your products more niche by focusing on one of four areas – material, subject matter, aesthetic or style, and branding.

Niche by material

When you look at your product category, are you working with the same material as everyone else? Is there a dominant material in your product category?

While I understand that some categories (like pottery) are more limited in their material options, for others, like jewelry, the sky’s the limit.

And picking one signature, and unusual, material can be a great way to build a niche for your products.

Juliet Ames, who studied craft and jewelry in college, has a wide range of techniques in her repertoire. But she’s built a business working with one unusual material – broken plates.

By embracing an unusual material, Juliet has created plenty of buzz and recognition for her jewelry.

Niche by subject matter

Can you sum up the subject matter of your designs in one sentence? How about one word?

Or does your product line span a dictionary’s worth of topics?

A great way to create a niche product, regardless of the materials you work with, is to focus on one unique subject matter.

At the Etsy Success Symposium a few weeks ago, I was introduced to The Great Northern. After struggling to sell embroidery on Etsy, the designers decided to only create pieces that pertain to the cult classic TV show Twin Peaks.

Now, they have a clear focus for their marketing efforts, and a group of loyal fans.

Niche by aesthetic or style

Is there a dominant aesthetic in your product category? Does your work have a similar style to just about everything else on the market?

Another way to get your products to stand out is to find the dominant style in your niche, and do the opposite.

A quick browse through the photography listings on Etsy reveals soft, vintage-y images. It’s not surprising – the photographers who originiated that style saw a lot of early success, leading to a wave of copycats.

But if I was a photographer looking to stand out, I would focus on dark, hard-edged images.

Niche by branding

Even if you love everything about your products, and don’t want to change, there’s still a way to carve out a niche for yourself through your branding.

On the surface, the I Believe in Myself bracelets from Pincurl Girls are just simple beaded bracelets. But paired with fun characters and informational booklets, they become tools for empowering pre-teen girls. It’s not the product, but the message behind it, that gives the brand a definitive niche.

Standing out in your product category doesn’t mean you have to niche your products in every way I’ve just described. In fact, niche by all of them is probably overkill.

Instead, look at your current products and skill sets and ask yourself if there’s a way to dive deeper into a niche in one of these areas.

As makers, we have a seemingly infinite number of skills, techniques, and ideas at our disposal. But as business people, it’s critical that we focus our attention on something a little narrower in order to make our products stand out.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

OOAK Pink Jasper Necklace



Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Coyote Alert

A photo I took last Sunday at the park with my son.

I love walking around the city on a nice sunny day just seeing the sites. When I find a treasure like this coyote sign it makes the walk even better. Instead of looking at the cars and the street signs and what have you else to look at while walking down the street I am looking out for graffiti, checking out the art on the back of street signs and finding treasures. :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Shock Doctrine

It is shocking some of the things that go on in this world and even more shocking that some of us can go about our daily lives without showing any concern.

The Shock Doctrine is a documentary and book that covers both man made and natural disasters around the world ad how political and economic changes are forced on the week when vulnerable.

Watch the full movie at Think Tank Documentaries.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Beauty Within Hip Hop

The following are songs from some of my favourite hip hop groups. I not only like them for their amazing beats, but for what they have to say!

Dead Prez - The Beauty Within


"Just keep doing you baby!"

Jedi Mind Tricks - Trial of Lies


"In the land of make belief"

Immortal Technique - No Me Importa

"If you don't respect your self don't expect it from anyone else."

Monday, February 21, 2011

I love leaves!

pearl leaf necklaceYeah spring will be here soon, I can feel it. Other than the fact that I really need to go snowboarding a couple more times before the season ends I can't wait to feel the warm sun on my skin and see all of the greenery popping up from the ground and leaves on the trees!

topaz spring leaf necklaceI love incorporating leaves into my designs. They are so pretty and each one is always different so there is always that mysterious, natural, unrefined look to the jewellery when I am doing a leaf piece. By far my favourite jewellery to create is all of the pieces with leaves in them!

 vancouver made gemstone leaf necklace

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day!

It is definitely evident that it is Valentines day today. This morning the skytrain was riddled with bright pink, heart covered newspapers in everyone's hands. If anyone forgot the date they will definitely be reminded just stepping outside today! (So no excuses men!) hehe

I spent the morning going through my etsy shop and gathered some of my top pieces for Valentines day. There is definitely a red, pink and heart theme here!

Vibe Necklace in Hot Pink Chalcedony
and Oxidized Silver


Vampire Tear Earrings Red Garnet
and Sterling Silver

As Simple as Love Necklace

in Sterling Silver

Purple Essence Necklace in Amethyst

and Sterling silver


Eternal Love Necklace in Sterling silver

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Spring 2011 Inspiration

2011
pantone colour forecast

Some of my favourite shades from this seasons colour forecast are Honeysuckle, Beeswax, Russet, Blue Curacao and Silver Cloud. Below are some of the photos that I am using for inspiration with the jewellery I am making for spring and summer this year.



Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Just 12 Days Left

...To order for Valentines day.

Red Garnet Drop Earrings

Order by February 1st to get your jewellery by Valentines day.
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