At Last...

For those of you who have ever felt your just not in the right career, I can totally relate. For the longest time I went from job to job in fact to family, friends and acquaintances it was getting to be rather comical. Every time I ran in to an old friend I was working somewhere new; here, there or on my way to something else. I couldn’t fathom sitting in a desk or environment that was boring, not rewarding and just not me. In November I quit my job yet again and decided to take some time off on the career front. I ended up volunteering, excelling in something I am super passionate about and landed a career that is totally me and great fun!

At last I am in an Art Gallery setting, sharing my passion, background and love for art, culture and education in a contemporary surrounding. The Art Gallery of Calgary is full of laughter, eccentric behaviour and great conversations. I finally have confidence in what I am doing and I find it easy to talk to supporters, guests and colleagues in my new role. I think for those of you who have been struggling in various positions because it’s just not you its time to empower yourself to make a change for the better. Sure, the solution shouldn’t be quitting after reading this article but I think steps in the right direction will help balance your life. Maybe it just means volunteering, joining an exercise class or making time for yourself and those you love. I have had many conversations with friends who hate their jobs and we always circle back to the same conclusion, you can’t have it all! Can you? When I was in one bad job after another I envied everyone who wasn’t miserable going to work everyday and I decided that it must be true, we can’t have it all…

I think the secret to finding your dream job is to really understand the qualities that people love in you. My husband always told me that when I spoke about Art my eyes lit up and people listened to what I had to say. For years I couldn’t get hired anywhere in the arts and it wasn’t until I began interning at an Art Gallery that I finally became a staff member. Now, my eyes are lighting up daily and people around me are finally listening to me in a professional environment. Listen to your inner passion and go after what you’re truly passionate about, don’t hold yourself back by saying we can’t have it all. I think its switching our perspective and trying to make this life the best it can be. Stay positive, consistently challenge your own outlook; want, hope, imagine and dream.

I think we can have it all!

An American Quilt

I recently watched one of my favourite movies “How to Make an American Quilt”. It stars Winona Ryder and came out in 1995. The first time I saw this movie I was just shy of 11 years old. I remember then how beautiful the message was, I didn’t quite get exactly what it meant but seeing it again 15 years later was incredibly enlightening. It’s a movie that has become a sort of classic amongst my rolodex of movies. This movie resurfaces here and there and will continue to in the future. I have a feeling each time I see it, it will become more and more apparent what the message is.

For those who haven’t seen it and for those who have, here goes my explanation as to why it’s such a great film. The concept of a quilting bee seems ancient and yet the first time I watched this movie my own grandmother quilted on a regular basis in fact she would host similar bees in her basement. Women would come over, quilt, tell stories and I would listen. I guess the special thing about this type of group is the finished product had a piece of all your closest friends and could be given to a daughter, family member or friend in the community. Every stitch told a story, every knotted thread unravelled an entire lifetime of love, loss, hurt, laughter, dreams and happiness. Watching this movie just the other day allowed me to reminisce about an old past time that to my knowledge rarely exists now; my daughter will more than likely not inherit a quilt that I make with a group of my closest friends. Stories will still be told but not in the same creative manner…

The movie really showcases typical friendships, real life and the challenges that we or our friends may face one day. It highlights generational gaps and yet bridges them. For many women movies like this can act as guidance and wisdom to learn from mistakes of our older generation. The stories of love are simply ordinary and yet they are told with extraordinary detail, they are full of passion, emotion and things we can all relate to. If you have been in love or hope to fall in love your story from start to finish deserves to be told. Listen to your grandmother, your mother, and their friends tell your daughters and friends the stories they have told you. The wisdom and guidance we can find in one another’s tales unite us in more ways than we know.

I think the quilting bee still exists, its just we rarely give quilts anymore!

Turner Prize '95

Conceptual art has taken a lot of negative critique over the years with comments like anyone could do it, there is no real artistic skill and turning a urinal upside down shouldn’t make you an artist.

Marcel Duchamp- Fountain 1917

A couple days ago a colleague and I were talking about Damien Hirst and other Turner Prize winners. The Turner Prize is a prestigious British title that has been awarded yearly for the past 20 years to an artist who has made waves with their Avant Garde conceptual art. The award has been named in honor of J.M.W Turner the exquisite 18^th-19^th century British painter. The nominated Turner Prize artists are exhibited yearly at the Tate Britain with hype felt from art enthusiasts all over the world.

Venice Canal JMW Turner 1835

In 1995 Damien Hirst was the Turner Prize recipient for Mother and Child. I had the great pleasure of seeing this work at the Turner Prize retrospective which was held in 2007 in London, this exhibition showcased prize winners from the past 20 years. Mother and child was one of the most fascinating works I had seen and before you make judgement about this type of conceptual work please read my experience.

What makes suspending a cow and her calf in formaldehyde so special? I would agree the thought of this chemistry like experiment doesn’t exactly conjure up thoughts of artistic fanfare and yet its one of the most poetic and powerful pieces I have yet to experience. There stood a cow and her calf gently cut in half in the Tate Britain, presented in 4 separate containers strategically positioned a few feet apart. I was able to walk on every side of the two animals; incredibly eerie. 

There I pondered a young artist, studying a Turner Prize recipient with tourists from all over the world walking nonchalantly beside a severed cow and calf. My initial reaction was a feeling of anxiety as I saw the mother cow; she was statuesque, poised and confident. The preservation of both the animals was grotesque yet delicate. Walking along side the containers gave me the ability to see every interior detail which left the cow exposed, vulnerable and defenceless. Near her was the calf who appeared unsure and youthful. I felt quite nauseous as I cautiously examined the calf, it seemed exploited, it was unusual and uncomfortable. Just as I started to think this was the most horrifying artwork I had seen, a miraculous emotion fell upon me.

There was a moment in this piece while walking in between the mother and child where I finally understood what was going on. There I was; breathing, alive, calm and warm as if to be the connection and life that had been taken from the two animals. The viewer became the missing link in this circuit which appeared to be broken. We the viewers were the connection that so easily gave life back to the animals. The mere acknowledgement of their misfortune and being alive in their presence was what made the work so evocative. Hirst is by no means one of my favorite artists and yet this piece allowed me to really understand conceptual art and respect the processes involved in creating works like Mother and Child.  Until you have actually experienced conceptual art you cannot make a sound judgement on its artistic air, you need to be placed in front of it and then decide.

“I don’t wear watches so I can work outside of time” Gregory Colbert

Gregory Colbert, the Canadian artist who prefers to be called a story teller rather an artist has created one of the most beautiful art exhibitions in history. His work caught the attention of millions after first exhibiting in Venice in 2005. Colbert is very special to me, his perception and aptitude for capturing life beyond humans is nothing less than spectacular. Colbert succeeds in his artistic advocacy for animals and tells their story better than any other documentary, film or movie. Colbert left on a cinematic journey years ago where he literally moved in with the animal kingdom. His nomadic exhibition entitled Ashes and Snow documents his relationship with the world around us.  His work has been made in to films and photographic monuments depicting the raw beauty, spiritual connection and purest story of man and nature. I think in this time where so much of nature is being destroyed and ruined Colbert’s perspective is crucial. Many critics have said that this work is staged and contrived. Colbert claims that he became attached to his subjects, waited years to be accepted by the animal kingdom and this is what was produced. In an interview he says “Celebrity is a mask that eats your face”, he has no ulterior motives and his humility is admirable.

There are many videos and photographs that fell out of this exhibition but here are some of my favorites:

Wish I may, Wish I might…

Today I was being bombarded with stories from friends who are currently in transition periods in their lives. New jobs, new relationships-no relationships, vacations on the horizon and internal conflicts you wish would just go away!

My mother once reminded me that the most tragic thought we can have as women is wishing away our days. While reminiscing, she told me that you reach a point in your life where you start wishing you had more days; you wish you could go back to certain points in your life and savour them all over again.  My mother is youthful, patient, content and happy but more than anything I recognize how truly wise she is. Recently, I have been thinking about what our older generations have to say and this is something I want to share with all of you. There is so much wisdom in having patience; it’s no surprise that we hear about it all the time as being a virtue. We are all guilty of being in a vicious cycle of wishing for something else when we already have so much. Let’s stop this pattern and start encouraging one another to be ok with right now.

I know we have all had awful days where we wish the day would just end. We wish away weeks, months, even years anticipating what will come next. We find ourselves saying, I wish I would meet a guy, I wish I had a better job, I wish he would propose, I wish I could get pregnant, I wish we had that house! These feelings and questions circulate in our minds way too often. Sometimes our thoughts get away with what’s to come and sadly we end up forgetting how fortunate we are today. I wanted to post this little reminder on my blog for all of us who have been wishing away our days lately.

Be thankful for today, be hopeful for tomorrow and let’s wish only to enjoy right now!

Et puis il y a eu Chanel...

and then there was...Chanel

Well ladies, if you haven’t already made the effort to seek out the spring/summer 2011 runway show for Chanel then you’re truly missing out!

This just takes runway style and design to a whole new level of fashion extravagance. From catwalk models to live orchestra stage left this dramatic show is a must see.

Unfortunately, I have to say the shoes were more than disappointing but with the architecture and theatrical presence of this show it’s hard not to fall mad in love all over again for Chanel...

Wynken, Blynken and Mod!

Wynken, Blynken, and Mod one night
   Sailed off in a pink Chanel shoe

Sailed on a river of Swarovski crystal,
   Into a sea of blue.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
   The Dior clerk asked the Three.
"We have come to search for the couture we wish
   That live in this beautiful store;
   Nets of Visa and Amex have we!"
   Said Wynken, Blynken And Mod

The cheeky clerk  laughed and worked those red heels,
   As the girls rocked out in their new frocks,
And the Visa that sped them all night long
   Ruffled their lacy locks.
The little threads that made that dress
   That lived in that beautiful store
"Now cast your Birkin wherever you wish
   Never afeard are we";
   So cried the men of the best dressed three:
   Wynken, Blynken and Mod…

Re-created by: Talia Antonopoulos

As many of you know I adore online shopping!

Below are some of my favourite looks from http://www.modcloth.com/ which is one of my favourite online shops.

Please check them out and take a look at this super cute and girly store. It was created by highschool sweethearts Eric Koger and Susan Gregg Koger. All the items are cleverly named taking this online shopping experience to a whole new level of fun and entertainment. They also have a feature on their blog where you can choose the inventory and be the buyer for future merchandise.

From top to bottom: The Eliza, Extra Flare , Frill of the Chase and Whipped butter