my desk this summer it seems….

I am starting to see a pattern.

In life there are seasons of action, seasons of growth and seasons of waiting.

There are also seasons of constant inturruptions.

I would say that for me, 2020 thus far has been all of that and more.

Most recently, a season of waiting and constant interruptions.

A laptop needing up to two weeks of service, a trip to the E.R., recovering from Kidney stones, scheduling major life changes and appointments (all good changes), and least of all, a cat who most certainly wants to sleep on ones work chair at all hours of the day while one tries to make a borrowed laptop fill the void. (if you do creative work, you know that software, subscription services are all part of ones daily routine. Trying to make do without those programs is a bit of a slog. )

It can feel infuriating when you realize time is being wasted while you wait for things to resolve. A kidney stone to pass, pain to recede, paperwork to go through, a laptop to be fixed and yes, even a house tiger to admit defeat in who gets the chair as she ‘slomps’ away with a chirp of dissapointment.

It can also be an opportunity.

To enjoy life, to think more, and connect with both colleagues and friends alike in a new way.

Things I have enjoyed in the waiting:

Reading. Having the library open again has given me new reading enjoyment and movtivation.

Routine Skype calls | A colleague / good friend of mine started a bi weekly Monday chat routine and it has been huge in helping us suss out our creative energy, thoughts and plans for our projects.

Reordering my thoughts | Forced time away, even if scattered has a way of expanding the mind outside the box. Re-imagining what is, to what could be.

So while I am impatiently waiting for my own laptop, for our life changes to occur and in a time when so much seems to be ‘up in the air’, I will be working on my ability to enjoy the process of the waiting and find growth here. Be it in a hospital bed, at the beach, or simply… admitting defeat and letting the house tiger sleep peacefully while I drag the old borrowed laptop to the floor by the rotating fan.

What a refreshing and positive conversation with Halley Davies.

Halley is a camera assistant, videographer and creative. Through our conversation Halley shares how extended time off Brough on by COVID 19 has allowed her to explore her creativity through water colour, gardening and sharing her gardening tips through her new instagram account. While she awaits to see how things will be different going back to working on film sets next month.

INSTA LIVE LINK <—-

*due to an unfortunate Instagram glitch, part of the audio from the live chat was lost.

Last month was the last week in John Yorke's Storytelling for Screenwriters Workshop through Media Xchange (and for me, also through Screen Nova Scotia). The week focused on characters and their development.

Takeaways

The most relatable and memorable characters are three-dimensional and, therefore, a true reflection of humanity's complexities.

Characters are innately as simple as they are complex.

Understanding the background and fundamentals of psychology can help us better understand why characters do what they do and what their next action may naturally be due to their coping mechanisms in both healthy and unhealthy ways.

Characters deserve to have us as writers, take the time to understand them better to deliver a holistic view of humanity.

Characters are and should be in constant movement towards a change, whatever that change may be.

What I am Revved Up About

A sincere desire to take the characters I develop, be them fictional or based on someone, (e.g. a current project on my paternal grandmother.) and give them the time and depth of understanding they deserve.

Often I focus on making sure I have the wholeness of a story down, but the gaps in the story or the parts that do not flow are resolved once the character themself are brought into the place they are going and need to be. It would seem that both character and story structure are equally as essential and feed each other.

A recognition that discussing characters with other writers and storytellers gives the insight and springboard I need to press on with the work.

At the end of this two-week journey, I feel more comfortable in story creation, inspired and left feeling connected to storytellers on a global scale. One does not have to live in the same country or time zone to share ideas, gain insight and find the gold in a character or the story itself.

Amy Grace sits down with Rebecca Thomas to discuss how she’s been doing during the pandemic, processing the world’s events and communicates her exhaustion with the historical and systemic oppression that First Nations people have faced for centuries and continue to face in Canada.

Link to Live <——-

Conrads Beach, Nova Scotia. 2020

How is it that we are already at the midway point of 2020?

It's safe to say this year was not a year any of us would have expected.

Globally, a pandemic and call to action to address racism, specifically in regards to Black communities.

Nationally, the effects of a pandemic and wake up call to how we work and play.

Provincially, a mass shooting concluded to be our countries largest to date and the very strict lockdown and social distancing measures our government took. Their leadership leading us to have zero cases the past two and a half weeks and to open up to the Atlantic provinces after Canada Day to connect with our maritime families.

Personally, the loss of a grandfather, a delay and unknown time for a memorial service, work being shifted to pre-production and development instead of production and being on sets. Working from home, teaching preschool from home…

I could go on…

I started 2020, embracing the word "Bold'. I wanted to embrace the next right bold moves.

Shockingly despite the blows, this remains true. I may not be hopping on a plane like I thought I would be, or seeing Jeremy off to Israel for a work trip, but we have found that the bold moves can also be the quiet and unseen ones.

Applying for a learning opportunity, saying yes to new initiatives, developing new concepts and working on new collaborations with ongoing projects.

Recognizing a need for our family and stepping out in faith to ask for it. Unknowns all around but feeling strongly that it's the Bold right next step we need to take and patiently see where it takes us.

So far, 2020 has taught me that Boldness and making Bold moves are often not as loud as you think it would be.

It's not the roar the lioness makes, but the way she looks before she does it. Her roar is simply a signal of what is to come. A minor thing in comparison to the action she is about to take.

So, although I thought 2020 would be about me making a big noise in work and life, what I realize is that it's the intent behind the next bold right move that is what get's you places and sometimes the next bold right thing is not what you expected until you are right on top of it.

And then you pull back, look around and prepare to roar before leaping forward and digging into what comes next.

2020 has been a continual shifting and adjusting to the changes type of year. We at Brilliansea have been doing our best to ride these waves and changes.

As we enter into the Summer, we have committed to continue our socially distanced 'insta live' interviews on a bi-weekly basis and continue to share the content of the variety of women that make up the Atlantic provinces and beyond.

Brilliansea continues to seek to be a platform that creates a community of celebration and insight into the inner workings of creative and entrepreneurial women. We are always looking to find new ways to highlight your voices and are continually reassessing how we can do that better and push ourselves to think outside the box.

For Claire and I, Brilliansea is where we find solidarity and connection to something deeper than 'the hustle'.

Less of a business, more of a community.

Although many of our 'communing' and in-person work has had to be on the back burner for the last past few months, the passion for bringing people together remains our true north.

We can’t wait to be in person again and are aiming to reconvene that portion of our work after the summer and as safety measures in our studio/situations allow.

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.

Link to Live <——

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.

A brilliant conversation with a brilliant and deep woman.

INSTA LIVE LINK <——

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.

What I’ve learned so far…

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.

How I am processing it & what I hope to work on in the next month…

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.

INSTA LIVE LINK <——-

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.

INSTA LIVE LINK <——

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.

Insightful thoughts, rebrands, laughter and a cat crashing the chat!

INSTA LIVE LINK <——

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.

Grounded conversation, pups, empathy and a bit on meditation!

Insta Live Link <——

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.

Real talk, coffee, laughter & a healthy dose of optimism!

Insta Live Link <——

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.

How Instagram Live Series will work:

*unseen technical difficulties notwithstanding

On Monday’s

We will announce and introduce our feature guest of the week.
We will share the exact time of the Instagram live chat

On Wednesday’s

We will host the Instagram live interview / chat
We will share the live video on our feed post-interview

On Friday’s

We will share a takeaway from the live chat
Shower the week’s feature guest with love & support!

How you can get involved

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!

Halley Davies

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.

MORE HALLEY

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/halleydavies/

Website

https://www.halleydavies.com/

Since March 19th, I have been getting up Monday - Thursday mornings at 6 am.

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.

Some mornings it comes easy.

Falling out of my fingers like a waterfall.

Other mornings

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.

Sometimes, you have to appreciate what your body, mind and soul are saying.
The skipping is about protecting creativity, not abandoning it.

Find something equally challenging and exciting for you & show up for 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

Aren Morris

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/

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/finearts_haliwestfos/