Frekkel Designing

Cassandra Bazos is a jewellery designer from Oakville, Ontario.  She lives with a neurological disorder called Tourette Syndrome.  Tourettes is an inherited disorder that is characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic.  Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada estimates that as many as 1 in 100 people may present symptoms of the disease.  The cause has not been established, although current research presents considerable evidence that the disorder stems from the abnormal metabolism of at least one brain chemical (neurotransmitter) called dopamine. Very likely other neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, are also involved.  Despite the apparent frequency of this disease at mild to severe levels, there are many misunderstandings and mysteries surrounding the symptoms, which have created a stigma.  As we think about courage, it's important to look at the type that emerges from our own fears, and in the face of the fear of others.  Here is what Cassandra has t

The first thing I would like to say about this topic is that it has taken me a long time to differentiate between courage and recklessness.  I will forgo posting wikipedia definitions of each, and say that I believe the deciding factor is in the measurement, concern, and knowledge of risk.  I have come to believe that if a person has no concern of any risk, or refuses to consider it before throwing himself into a ridiculous situation, he is reckless.  As adorable as it is, I firmly believe it does no good but to serve as a warning to others.  Courage, for me is when you know the risks, you know how hard it is going to be, but there is a lot depending on your success, so you push through a ridiculous situation, trying to cause as little damage as possible, with your drive focused on a larger good.  My confession is that my greatest moments of courage have come after moments of recklessness, when I've been clobbered with the consequences of my actions and had to work my way out and o

Lindsay Bess is a visual artist from Scarborough, ON.  She is also an Art Teacher who has worked with local community initiatives (Elevated Grounds, Por Amor, CKLN 88.1FM) for over a decade, and is fully vested in the uplifting of her audience and her students. The work she does is never very far removed from the issues going on locally and internationally, and shes consider her work to be functional, artistic social commentary. She has done work all over the world, mostly murals – and shes believes mural-making to be one of the best ways to engage the public in art making and appreciation. Lindsay Bess lives by an aphorism, “The artistic education of those unfamiliar with art relies on its practitioners and how well they convey their ideas – and that is a reflection on how well the practitioners understand themselves and their roles as artists.” What/who inspires you? Many things inspire me, but right now it's my late mother. All of her struggles with l

 What have I been up to?  Here is what I've been up to: This is Maehem, bgirl/owner/instructor/awesome person, and now, pendant.  She is doing a freeze on one hand while holding her foot with the other hand.  She is made of Sterling silver and is suspended from a Sterling silver cable chain.  To make mini-Maehem, I started with a sheet of silver, a few pics of the real Maehem, and her permission to use her image.  Then, I released her from her paper prison...  And glued her to the silver sheet.   A-sawing we will go.  Very, very carefully, the edges needed to be filed and smoothed with emery paper.  No snags required or desired. Both front and back also got the emery treatment, and the front was polished to a mirror shine. After I pierced the pendant, I used wire to create tiny rings that could attach the pendant to a Sterling silver cable chain.  The rings need to be soldered to ensure strength and durability.   Maehem in action  Maehem, modeled

Gillian E. Batcher owns Jewel Envy, a collaborative studio, where she designs and makes jewellery. In addition to making jewellery she teaches classes from her studio, George Brown College, and the Ontario College of Art and Design. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a certificate in Jewellery Arts from George Brown College, graduating from both with distinction. In addition to studying at George Brown she took an intensive jewellery course in Florence, Italy. Upon completing her training she was accepted into Harbourfront Centre’s   residency program where she worked as an artist in residence for three years. She has participated in numerous art shows and exhibitions in Canada and the United States and has been the recipient of various awards for both technical and artistic achievement. Her work is about re-establishing a connection to the roots of craftsmanship. Techniques previously used for their working properties are used today for

We're still on Inspiration, and I have a couple more interviews coming (hint, hint, contributors!).  Until those are posted, here is a little book review: Just before the new year, I started to read a book I picked up in September, called "She Inc." by Kelly Keehn.  It was a "Word on the Street" remainder find, which is sometimes a treasure, and sometimes... well, just a remainder.  I was excited at first about the prospect of handling my business and life as the sole CEO of my own corporation, ME Inc.  It makes sense, to be fully aware of all of the financial possibilities out there for yourself, and be able to handle it all on your own.  As a single mom and business owner, I was open to the idea of utilizing my skills in every aspect of my life and be truly independent, not waiting for something to come along and complete me.  The single mom's battle cry, it seems. I'm not sure if it is because I am a person of faith, or if I am not completely willi

Artist Erin Groff of Newark, Ohio, creates with fiber that is cotton mixed with various recycled fibers, dyes, and botanicals from the garden. The cotton and additives are soaked, possibly dyed, and beat into a pulp. Once this pulp (slurry) is created, it goes through a screening and pressing process and then left to dry.  Erin built on the education she received from Columbus College of Art and Design, played, experimented, and now sells her art and sculpture online.  This is what she has to say about Inspiration... What insipres you? Ahhh, a timeless question, "what inspires me?" Sometimes it seems so difficult to find and other days I can find it in the way the sun hits the trees, the way a child plays, or even as simply as the taste of really good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When have you had your greatest "A-ha" moments? Keep in mind artists, that sometimes it isn't about how GREAT your art is, it's about how GREAT YOU BELIEV

Ah, Inspiration. As a poet, people and social interaction used to inspire me.  I guess it makes sense, after all, poetry is a form of communication, and I enjoy communicating with people on a level of cryptic-ness that borders on stealth.  That is to say, I often enjoy throwing things out of my brain in a way that amuses me, whether or not anyone else understands.  So, I would park myself on a subway, a public bench, a coffee shop booth, for hours at a time to observe and make my own observations, stories, or silently give advice to the characters surrounding me.  As the "hours at a time" possibility faded, so did the poetry. With jewellery, I am inspired from many, many, more perspectives.   It still takes a lot of time, but I find the combination of physical, mental, emotional, and... sometimes spiritual... effort put into those hours much more rewarding.  At the moment, I am working on a pair of wedding bands, inspired by a very romantic story.  The couple knew of each