What a great conversation with Meghan MacPherson, Massage Therapist and Owner of Aura Massage. Claire Fraser and Meghan talk about reopening after Covid 19 closures and how Aura Massage Therapy and other businesses, particularly those in the Health Industry are adjusting and adapting to the new regulations.
Amy Grace sits down with Elana Camille from Elana Camille Creates to discuss how she has managed her business and life through a pandemic and global tragedy in regards to systemic racism.
Thanks to Screen Nova Scotia, I was able to attend Media Xchanges Storytelling for Screenwriters workshop series with John Yorke.
An honour to be allowed to learn and dig deeper into my storytelling skillset. Something I have been seeking the next right opportunity to grow professionally. This turned out to be exactly what I needed.
I learned to think more in-depth into the structural dynamics of the typical story/screenplay. Many screenwriters and writers, in general, have structures they apply to their work or writing. Three acts, five acts, beat sheets. All commonly used methods of mapping out a story. In this course, we explored not just a five-act structure but the deeper meanings and intentions behind why a structure can boost a story.
We saw this practically through examples and by applying it ourselves to commonly known work and creating our interpretation of a plot in group work. I was amazed by the joy and camaraderie I felt in the group work.
It was apparent everyone was happy to use their creative skill sets, bounce off ideas and work together. Seeing that collaboration is something I need to find and seek out more often. It's easy as a writer/creator to stay insular, but these moments of collaboration remind you why you do what you do.
To connect, share and find meaning. It's what drives storytellers.
John Yorke's Roadmap to Change structure technique was a mind-shift for me. You can know things intuitively, but having the words for them is also essential. That is something that I hope to hone in on and practice more in my craft over the next month and beyond. I believe I have a knack and skill set for a story, but I have lacked the vernacular to discuss the weak points, the strong points and the overall elements of a story.
Gaining this skill set is a massive part of what I have needed and am excited to be growing in.
Until our next session in two weeks, I’ll be putting this knowledge to use.
Claire sits down with local podcast creator and host Ruth McMullen from Optimistically Depressed to chat about being a creative and mother during a pandemic and what that means for productivity, work and the real-life expectations we hold over ourselves.
Amy Grace talks to long-distance bestie, Artist and Community Events Coordinator Jasmine Alexander about how she’s adjusted and found joy in her work and life during the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Claire Fraser sits down with woodworker, entrepreneur, mother and homeowner Denika Coakley from DC Woodworks to talk about how she is navigating her life and business around the social distancing regulations and experience around COVID 19. We get some great insight into navigating business starting new projects and being forgiving to not only ourselves but to those around us.
Amy Grace sits down with Lizane Tan, flight attendant and graphic designer of Lizane Tan to discuss how the social distancing measures have affected her work both in the air and on the ground.
Claire Fraser sits down with Autumn Grant from Flo Meditation and Wellness to talk about how the social distancing measures have affected Autumn both personally and professionally.
Amy Grace sits down with Jenna Oosterholt from The Ville Caffeine Bar to talk about how the social distancing measures during the pandemic has affected Jenna both personally and professionally.
We are so proud of the women we have featured over the past year and a half.
As we came to the end of the interviews we had backlogged before our provincial shut down for social distancing, we discussed how we could serve others and bring support to those we know, those we haven’t met yet, and those who follow us.
*unseen technical difficulties notwithstanding
We will announce and introduce our feature guest of the week.
We will share the exact time of the Instagram live chat
We will host the Instagram live interview / chat
We will share the live video on our feed post-interview
We will share a takeaway from the live chat
Shower the week’s feature guest with love & support!
Follow us on Instagram! <——
Join in celebrating various creative/entrepreneurial women by sharing and liking their work.
Join in on our live chats.
Share with us the various brilliant women you know and love!
IATSE 667 Camera Assistant & Freelance Director of Photography
Halley can be found giving her whole self to her union and freelance work behind the camera, while also finding ways to honour her busy and quieter seasons through various creative outlets.
Halley is passionate about working on projects that have value to the viewer and takes great care in how she prepares approaches her work both physically and mentally.
She also happens to bring a healthy reflection in what she accomplishes and communicates, allowing herself and others to shift perspective and see differently.
I pull on my robe, grab my phone & headphones, turn on a podcast and listen as I let the hot water boil for my coffee or tea.
I light a candle, sit down with my warm drink, switch from podcast to music and write.
So far, during these write mornings over the past three weeks, I have edited and arranged 21 pages of a project I am passionate about & drafted up half of a short film.
Falling out of my fingers like a waterfall.
I stare at the window beside my desk and seek the light that comes brighter every minute.
I have learned that there are some moments in these sessions that I should listen to my antsy body.
One of those times, I made myself sit through the two hours with cramps distracting me.
I should have taken my laptop, tea and settled on the couch. I should not have worried about the potential of being found out by my four-year-old and just embrace what needed to happen that morning.
Another time, up at all hours with a fevered child, I told my spirit that today was not the day to wake up at 6 am and force it.
“In every job that must be done,
there is an element of fun.
You find the fun and Snap!
The job’s a game.” - Mary Poppins
I didn’t realize that as we introduced our almost five-year-old to the musical Mary Poppins that the songs would become something of a little lesson to our hearts. Finding our lives restricted and altered by a death in the family and COVID-19 pandemic shutting our provinces and cities down on unprecedented levels.
There is an air of unknowns and worries. There are also many things that I am doing to further my work.
I have made a few commitments this spring to help me with the honouring of and getting a handle on specific projects I have on the go.
Getting up at six am four mornings a week and writing for two hours.
Learning how to use a Sony A77.
Learning how to use Final Cut Pro editing software.
Setting aside time for the creative muscle to be challenged differently: daily walks, ukulele and piano practice, weekly baking.
If there were an overarching intention for this new season of Spring 2020, it would be to embrace my love for creativity. To renew how I interact with it in all, it’s forms. In all it’s expressions.
“The honey bee that fetch the nectar
from the flowers to the comb
Never tire of ever buzzing to and fro
Because they take a little nip
From every flower that they sip
And hence
They find
Their task is not a grind.” - Mary Poppins
Fine Arts Specialist, Facilitator, Writer, Mom & Wife
Aren can be found working with schools to create space for students to explore fine arts, facilitating the 'Creating Space' retreats, while also embracing her role as a wife of fifteen years and mother to two young boys.
Aren is wholehearted about channelling creativity in all that she does as an arts specialist, writer, and especially as a mother where she takes great care and energy in helping to create an atmosphere for her children to grow and discover who they are.
She also happens to carry a fantastic ability to ground herself in the present moment and find words and concepts to share that bring awareness, creative ideas and insight to the surface of all that she does and to everyone she interacts with.
MORE AREN
WEBSITES
https://sites.google.com/gnspes.ca/fineartspecialists-halifaxwest/
https://www.facebook.com/creatingspaceretreats/
for what it means to connect, find solidarity and hone in on one’s own personal and professional directive.
Every single woman (and man) who attends this conference brings their own unique skills and experience to the table. To witness this communing and celebrating what each of us brings is something I continue to be amazed by. This year was no different.
This is the first year I have been able to attend the add on workshops that kick start the conference. I had so many personal and professional takeaways from my time in the sessions I attended.
Sharon approaches the industry in a unique and relaxed way. She is passionate about the work and also practical in her thinking about it. She does have an immense amount of experience behind her, which I believe is also why she can approach the journey with insight as well as a healthy dose of practicality. My take away’s from Sharon is the tenacity and how she doesn’t approach the industry with a clad iron fist of ‘now or never’ but with consistency, love for the work and showing up to continue pushing boundaries that have come against women for decades.
Having the opportunity to interview Amy Cameron for the Tidings a month before her coming allowed me the knowledge of what this woman brings to the table. Insight, discernment and a passion for the creative drive. You can see that with all the work she has done in the past and all the work she is pushing forward now lines up with her values and determination to create projects and storytelling that gives a hearty edgy wink while also making us think deeper than the mere surface.
Meredith made us laugh and she also made us think. I was most surprised and elated by her because admittedly I am behind in watching her sketch comedy and previous work. Her story is a story that although we might not all have, we can all relate to it. To hear her carve out space for the many elements of her life both personal and professional is refreshing and something we all need to hear again and again. It makes me less ashamed to have put my young daughter a focus the past few years and celebrate that by honouring my desire and need to be her primary caregiver I will also be able to grow into the professional and woman I need to be.
This is the second year of the musical chairs networking lunch, (where everyone is given two numbers on two different coloured papers, sits at one table that corresponds to one number for the first twenty minutes of lunch and then a second table the last twenty mins.) Although I was hosting a table this year, I still gained the benefits of it. I would never have met the women and man who sat at my table if not for this unique way of getting us talking, connecting and celebrating the work we do.
Ending the night with friends and, new connections with food drink and celebrating the work of others is all apart of creating a healthy and dynamic growing industry. A lot of exhaling was happening around the table I sat at & I was so thankful for that time.
To have something in the Maritimes with this amount of accessibility is phenomenal. From the New Waves program which introduced me to the industry, to writing for the Tidings here and there, joining the board, finding my way and connecting with women who want to see me grow and be challenged has been life-changing. We have so much to thank the founding members for spearheading this WIFT chapter form the very beginning. If anything, I hope to lift up and celebrate as many women as they continue to do.
Creator / Storyteller / Founder of Storybook-Entertainment
Erica can be found working at Screen Nova Scotia as their membership coordinator, while also running and growing her recently launched platform, ‘Storybook-Entertainment.’
Erica is passionate about the large format and possibilities in storytelling and is continually finding new ways to bring various communities, cultures and creative mediums together.
She also happens to bring a sense of thankfulness and appreciation for the collaborations she is apart of and seeks to uplift and celebrate others in every corner of her work.
Story-book Entertainment Platform
Story-Book Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/storybook.ca/
Erica’s Instagram
For my interest and light professional development, I took up ‘The Beautiful No’ by Sheri Salata, Executive Producer of the Oprah Show, for five years.
Entering into my journey in the film and television industry the last four years as a writer and producer have me interested in taking in the stories of others who have journeyed into the film industry later, rather than straight from university.
Sheri comes into her experience as a producer after an eclectic series of professional roles and choices.
Everyone hits moments where they are entering a new chapter of their life and need to re-evaluate. No matter how successful.
Making the next right choice matters over worrying about what you haven’t done yet.
If something is telling you that you want something, it’s probably not wrong; it just may not be the right time yet.
Welcome the no’s and keep going.
Songwriter, Performer, Music Educator / Therapist & Visual Artist
Rachel Bruch can be found using her vast musical skills in a broad spectrum of platforms and is learning to adjust and balance, raising her one-year-old daughter amidst it all.
Rachel seeks to remain grounded in her creative entrepreneurship and aims to find connections with others through the projects she pursues.
She also happens to carry a genuine and peaceful presence with her that enters into her conversations with others and the music she creates.
Website
https://bluelobelia.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/bluelobeliamusic/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/bluelobeliamusic/posts/?ref=page_internal
Not only does the conference land on the weekend leading up to International Women's Day, but it's also the association's tenth anniversary.
WMW. 2019. photo: Claire Fraser Photo video
It's where I saw, felt and heard that writing for the film and television industry is possible. I have started describing my experience with WIFT-AT akin to an open door. I wasn't aware that it was there, but when I found it and attempted to step in, there was an instant acceptance and making room for the new. This conference also does this. It brings top-level professionals to the Maritimes and seeks to create unity, growth and conversation to the women who work here. For me, it succeeds every time.
Especially the WIFT-AT executive board members. For myself, I have been advance interviewing a handful of the women flying in to give talks and workshops, seeking out silent auction donations, and committing to 'hosting/facilitating' different sessions.
During one of my recent interviews, it was pointed out to me how miraculous WIFT-AT is as an association. With only one paid staff, spanning and providing opportunities for four provinces, a yearly conference, a five-week crash course on the industry, and so much else, all for women in the film and television industry.
I am proud to be serving on the board. To have a chance to find my place in the association, meet and interview the women who make our industry thrive and to learn as I go. It's an honour to be alongside these women who serve on the board, have created WIFT-AT to be what it is today and to continue to find my place in it.
Entrepreneur
Jenna can be found running the Ville Caffeine Bar in downtown Halifax, N.S., while also harnessing her passion for people by working to bring an element of entertainment to those who frequent her establishment.
Jenna is enthusiastic about bringing others a unique take on coffee, community and foodservice and remains grounded by working on her entrepreneurial goals by reminding herself of her core values in creativity and people.
She also happens to carry unique energy that brings her closer to others and continues to propel her forward in all that she does.
https://www.instagram.com/thevillecaffeinebar/
Website
