Another notch in my Designer's belt

For those of you who don't follow my Facebook page or Twitter account - I've got a new addition to my design portfolio.

Along with leaflets, business cards, brochures, reports, info graphics, posters, invitations and logos I also can also do you a wrap for a vehicle!

Currently the design I did is touring around the UK on a bus.

Inside panel

More inside panels

Inside panel & display screen with a slideshow I produced as well.

Back 

The design I came up with uses actual quotes from people
the Charity has helped. This includes everything from paying
for essential modifications to make their home more accessible
to funding counselling sessions to providing debt management solutions. 

I wanted to convey what the Charity does and because of the breadth of services
and the vast number of people we are there to support, this approach seemed the
best way to capture everything the Charity offers. 

This is the side with the door. The blank white rectangle is a panel
covering an external TV screen that plays the slideshow I produced. 

Book number five

I'm doing quite well with my 2014 reading list. I read five books in January and am working on three at once for February. So many books, so little time!

Today I want to review that fifth book I read: 

I'm a big design nerd and reading this book pushed me right over the edge as far as typography is concerned. It an incredibly fascinating read as Simon Garfield takes us from the early days of hand scribed type to the revolutionary presses of Guttenberg and finally into the modern age where it seems like everyone in their dog has designed a typeface - or at least has one lurking in their imagination.

As a writer and artist I find type absolutely wonderful as it's not just what you communicate but also how you 'dress up' that communication. I felt like a sponge whilst reading this book as I soaked up interesting tie bits about the type that we all see every day. I already knew about the pervasiveness of Helvetica but I didn't really that one of my favourite fonts, Trebuchet, was one designed by the very same who introduced the much reviled Comic Sans to the world. I knew that Times New Roman (What my blog normally publishes in) was created for the Times but I had no idea Futura (Sorry, Blogger doesn't have this one) is nearly 90 years old!

It really was a fun romp to read and I was almost sad to reach the end. If anything it's sparked my curiosity even more and I'll be seeking out similar historical accounts of design.

'G' whiz...

As a nerdling (child of nerds) I grew up in a household that encourages curiosity. I wrote about this in Wise at Any Age - I was told to go find things out and look things up. To further feed this inquisitive nature my parents have always supplied me with an abundance of books. 

Last year, when I began to develop my career as a Graphic Designer, my dad and I had a long discussion about the abundance of fabulous books on the subject. As is often the case for those of us with an insatiable thirst for gathering knowledge through the written word: So many books, so little time. 

Clearly the discussion stuck in my dad's mind as, for Christmas, I was presented with several books on the subject of graphic design. Among the lovely collection sat Just My Type, an entertaining and extremely well-written book by Simon Garfield. It is, as the title implies, about type or, more specifically, the history of typography.

I am not a typographist but I do love type. I believe it's an essential passion to have in the world of design - not to mention the world of writing.

Ah, writing.

As a kid I recall the tedium of filling in lettering worksheets. Despite being able to write since the age of four, I couldn't seem to get my letters 'right' - or at least not according to my teacher at the time. The printed letters were never round or straight enough and my cursive was an utter mess. Not to mention my atrocious spelling…

But I digress.

I remember filling in these sheets and I remember, quite distinctly, the very key differences between 'printed' and 'cursive' text. Letters standing on their own in printed format took on distinctive forms very different from most of the letters surrounding them. Cursive, however, required a 'thread' with which to tie the letters together. The shape, curve and swish of each letter needed to lean in and grab hold of the letter after it.

In the end I gave up on cursive. My own signature is simply a hurried, overly slanted, print with the cross-stroke of the 'T' running through the entire thing. But I haven't forgotten the different look of the letters when compared to cursive.

Recently I was working on a logo for a client and I chose to use a traditional looking cursive typeface. As with cursive writing, the capital 'G' looked similar this:

I thought nothing of it when I sent the initial concept off to the client. I also didn't really think much about it when they came back, confirming that they loved the design but the 'G' didn't 'look like a G'. 

I thought, "Yes, the 'G' does have a rather prominent slant and it's quite narrow, so I widened it, increasing the closed loop of the centre, and sent it back. 

The reply was swift, "It doesn't look any different. It looks like an 'M'. Can you close the top of it?" 

"An M'?"

How could it look like an 'M'? It was a 'G' and it was a closed loop. What was the confusion? 

So I ran a quick Internet search of cursive 'G's and found a lot more of this: 

But then I thought about the book I was reading. I considered the digitization of type and I did a quick scan of the incredible collection of fonts available on my design programmes. Of the hundreds of fonts I have to choose from only two have the classic cursive 'G' with it's elaborate loops and whorls used to tie it in with its companion letters. 

And thus my answer was found. I chose a typeface which is endangered. Of course my client was baffled! 

I don't think the idea of endangered or extinct letterforms had occurred to me before. Not unless we were considering the crossed 'S' or run together 'A' and 'E' of Gutenberg lineage. But there you have it. A letterform which, in fewer than ten years, may be completely unrecognizable to anyone once they've left school. 

Design *glee*

I created a logo for the Calgary TransHub last year and posted about it shortly after they launched their Facebook page. But there's been a little something else I've been holding back on because it was 'Top Secret'...ish.

They were working to put together a website full of fabulous resources and asked me to help out with the design. I'm not a programmer and have no interest in it so the extent of my contribution was creating the layout and the graphics for the buttons. It was super fun to do though and I'm really happy to see they've finally been able to launch it!

www.CalgaryTransHub.com

lynbree Photography

Last year I had the great privilege of working on two logos for one client. One was for a community support organisation for the trans community in Calgary (More of that in a future post - I promise) and the other was a logo for their photography business.

Both were very fun projects and the client was so happy with the logo designs that they requested a website design too. Now, I am NOT a web designer. I don't do code and probably never will. My own site is a complete WYSIWYG set-up and that suits me just fine - but it still requires a bit of work. I told this client about the provider I use and they requested a site built by me via the provider.

This was a lot of fun to work on and a lot of it also involved Skype tutorials to help my client gain confidence in using the platform so they can manage their own site. In the end they were extremely happy with what they were able to make and whilst I designed many of the headers as well as the watermark and logo, they really did take the site and make it totally their own.

The client has since launched the site and it's great to see them so happy with the tools they have to promote their fantastic photography. 

Merry Christmas 2013!

It's Christmas! Whether you celebrate it or not I hope you're spending time with the people who matter most to you and keeping warm and safe. 

Because few, if any, people will be checking blogs during the hols I'm only publishing a single entry this week. 

It's nothing fancy or special (check back for my Year End Summary on the 31st!) - just some delightful shoes which will have been given as a gift today. They were a super fun project, one of so very many over the course of the last year. I finished them back in October so I'm giddy to finally get to share them. 

I hope they are well received.

Merry Christmas to all! 

I was given free reign with these, told only to make them 'Christmassy'

They were a lot of fun to design and paint. Especially the baubles. 

Finding LED shoelaces was just a bonus, really. 

May your Christmas be full of light, love and laughter. 

Round-up!

Full-time work means that my blogging has been greatly reduced - at least whilst I sort out my schedule and what I'm doing in my 'free' time. I have a lot of freelance projects on the go and they take priority after the day job.

It's funny referring to it as the day job though. Unlike all my past jobs this isn't merely something that pays the bills. This is me actually in a position that uses the skills I love and allows me to express myself creatively. I love it, truly, and look forward to Mondays!

That being said, I'm still getting loads of other stuff done on evenings and weekends.

Aside from branding work for a few clients, I've recently been approached to do some more shoe designs. I've not done custom shoes for clients for some time so it's a nice change. The bonus is that shoe design gets me away from a computer screen. My eyes appreciate the break and my hands love working with brushes and pens rather than a mouse all the time.

Both shoe designs will be given as gifts so I am unable to post progress photos as my clients want them to remain secret, of course. Once they have been delivered and gifted I promise to share both designs.

In the mean time, if you'd like to see a bit of what I'm up to you can visit my shop! I've been drawing a lot lately and turning my drawings into designs for various products. I'll continue to upload more in the coming weeks so drop by my shop regularly to see what's new.

Also - if there is a particular design you'd like to see leave a comment or post your thoughts to my Facebook page. I love new ideas and am always up for taking requests.

Typography rules

The Component parts of Delirium

Adventures in book writing!

I am a polymath and that means I have many talents and many interests - but if someone told me I had to specialise, that my choice was an early death or a long life doing one single thing - I would write. Always, always, always. I would never touch a paintbrush again. I would refrain from doodling. I would cease any sculpture.

But I would create with the written word and that in itself would be enough. 

So I have written a few books and I have, for the past year and a half, focused on getting one of them ready for publication. It's been edited, reviewed, and critiqued. It's been chopped, reworked, and tweaked. It's been laid out, redesigned, and redesigned again.

And this week I finished the final touches to the cover - the last bit of the entire project.

So it's ready. 

Now the question is, when do I set it free? 

Japan - Beautiful Design

I’m on a very tight budget while in Japan - which is challenging because there are some amazing and wondrous things I’d like to bring back with me. For example, I went into a department store in Kyoto where they had thousands upon thousands of cases for iPhones. Some of them were made to look like Japanese wood cut art, others like folded paper envelopes, and others were clear with little characters that ‘interact’ with the apple on the back - like a worm taking a bite or the apple acting as the eye for some silly cartoon character. 

Then there are the shops full of Tenugui, a traditional Japanese cloth dating back to the 8th century. 
 

The designs are extremely diverse. Some of unbelievably elegant whilst others are bold and bright. 

And the pottery! I’ve been snapping shots of the pottery every chance I get. Stunning bowls, cups and plates covered in cherry blossoms, bold coi or intricate dragons. 

Needless to say, I’m getting flooded with ideas. So many patterns I can design and play with. So many different materials they can be applied to. So many different functions. 

I will be expanding on the few experimental designs I’ve already done for my shop. I’m definitely letting Japanese art influence my work from here on in. 

Self taught design

I'm off to Japan soon! I know everyone thinks this makes me a major jet-setter because I was in Canada just last week - actually technically this week - but actually I just had some air miles that were gonna expire and wedging a visit home at the end of April worked for a multitude of reasons: Surprising my best friend for her birthday, seeing my family for my birthday, stocking up on vitamin D because Calgary is the sunniest city in Canada, and getting another edit done on my manuscript so it's even closer to publication!

Anyhoo - Japan has been a trip in the planning for several months and one which I'm looking forward to not because it's a holiday but because it's going to be a whole new culture for me to explore. I'm a huge fan of Japanese art and design. Visiting a country is a fantastic way to get exposure to different ideas and styles and I'm looking forward to how it will influence my work.

For that reason I'm looking at this trip as a working holiday. I've got a lot of personal design projects to work on and I figure, with all the long train journeys, this is going to be the perfect chance for me to get stuck in on them. I'll get to work on my skills with 'Ideas' - the fabulous new app from Adobe that allows a designer to do vector sketches on a tablet.

I've been playing around with it a little bit already. It's super fun but quite a learning curve when I'm used to drawing directly on a paper or canvas surface. It's just adapting to the artificial environment it creates. I will never abandon sketching things by hand but it's nice to know I can create artwork directly on my iPad and then move that into Illustrator to refine.

P.S. I did a few designs for the TrollBeads people's choice contest and have just found out I'm a finalist! My design - Two Peas in a Pod - is up for voting and voting ends May 5th. So please help me out by popping over and voting for my bead!
Thank you!

Impressive Ladies

A few weeks back I had the privilege of meeting Jana, a highly energetic and super enthusiastic woman  and founder of Ladies Who Impress. The idea behind LWI is that there are some pretty impressive women out there who juggle a multitude of responsibilities, have a huge range of interests and are generally pretty damn inspiring.

As a self identified polymath and someone who cringes at the gender limiting term 'Renaissance Man' - I really admire Jana for what she's done and was all too happy to offer my design services to getting her Twitter page branded to match her website. Jana is an incredible impressive lady herself, having come up with the concept and design for her own site. I wanted to keep true to what she'd made - carrying the look and feel over into her twitter page.

I'm very pleased with the end result but more importantly, so is Jana.

I've also designed my own Twitter header and background and just recently updated my Facebook page design. If you'd like a custom Social Media design you can contact me through my website.

London Journal - Just because you're broke doesn't mean you can't find art to appreciate

I've written entries before about London's incredible public art collection. One of my favourite things about this city is coming across little gems. Some pieces are obvious but others might go entirely unnoticed if you don't have a wander. 

I went for a wander to the Design Museum, despite being completely broke (Having spent all my money on fantastic courses that will help me to improve my design skills so I can follow my bliss) and knowing full well I couldn't afford the £11.50 concession. I decided against dipping into my savings and confined my visit to the gift shop. Being a Design Museum the gift shop had a lot of interesting stuff to look at. I will be back when I'm not skint as I'm quite looking forward to seeing the exhibitions.  

But on this particular visit I left after perusing what the shop had to offer and went in search of a place where I could sit and do some concept sketches whilst enjoying a hot beverage. 

Displayed just outside the museum on the North bank of the Thames

I find I can never go very far in London before seeing some new and wonderful bit of art I've not encountered before. I was on the East side of Tower Bridge, a bit of the Thames bank I'd not yet explored. Not far from the museum I encountered this delightful block of textured something. 

I also happened across a random sign. I didn't follow it although I may go back and do so on another day. I find these 'street art' signs pop up now and again - an indication of someone being creative or clever or possibly just surreal.

 The walk along the Shad was very enjoyable. The twisting street and tall shipping buildings converted to flats has a sense of being out of time. I also suspect this was the area which inspired the well known 'Shades' to any Pratchett fans out there. Something to look up, I suppose.

 But my favourite discovery of the day was after I'd spent some time sketching in a coffee shop. I was warmed up and ready to head home. Though my surroundings were unfamiliar I knew exactly where I needed to head to get to London Bridge underground. I was about to hit my commuter pace stride when I spotted this fountain down a little cobbled street to my left.

The centrepiece has women moulded into it, but it's this one on the edge, with her pen and notebook, which pleases me to no end. I also love the small collection of abandoned personal items that surround the edge of the fountain.

The watch looks very real. I suspect it's simply coated in metal.

I thought that would be the end of the surprises for the day as I quickly found myself on the familiar route past Foster's incredible London City Hall, but then I spotted the distinctive work of Julian Opie. He's probably best known for the cover work he did for Blur. An artist that walks that line between design and art, if it can be argued that such a line exists.

I may not have been able to go to the Design Museum this time around but I feel that I had a very cultured and productive afternoon, none-the-less.

From concept to design

 I've been building the logo side of my design portfolio since the start of the year. I've had some great project to work on and wanted to share a bit of my creative process.

Personally, I don't like jumping straight onto a computer. I find it much easier when I can doodle my ideas on a piece of paper before tackling a project with mouse in hand. I'm a strong believer in figuring out your own way of working and sticking to it but I have to admit, I did a bit of a happy dance when I came across Von Glitschka, an incredible talented designer who firmly believes leaving analog (sketching) methods behind will only hinder you as a designer.

This sort of validation, like when I started the Intermediate Graphic design course at Saint Martins, helps boost my confidence and acts as a strong motivation. I have a lot to learn, we all do no matter what field we're in, but I already have a strong foundation to start with. 

Below is one of my recent projects, from concept to the finished product that the customer is now happily using to promote their business.

Concept sketches. This is for a painter/decorator

The brief included a suggested colour palette to work with. I wanted to incorporate the tools of the trade into the 'NBH' of the company name.

I came up with A few sketches and refined those into a selection of logo concepts for them to choose from. 

Mock-up #1
Simple, clean design

Mock up #4
I got the idea for this one
from looking at parquet flooring

Mock up #2
One way of working a roller
into the logo was to have
one painting the logo.
This was probably the most 'fun'
concept I came up with

Mock up #3
It was easy to imagine the
'H' as a paint brush

The client loved #1 but wanted to see it from a slightly different perspective. They really liked the look of MC Escher's signature on his lithograph drawings and requested something inspired by this. 

I modified the first design and ended up with what you see below, as the final product. 

The chosen logo

What I like about it is that the NBH can be used on its own or with the handle, depending on the context. I love the palette I was given to work with and the final product communicates the professionalism and artistic nature of the business owner.

The Brief

My experience as an in house designer was quite happenstantial. The short of it was that my manager set me up with CS5 (Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop) so I could do the fundraising support material development. Very quickly I became the person they came to for pretty much every design project, including project management of the website branding and development.

I loved when I got to wear my designer hat on that job. I was learning and getting a lot of really good experience but I was also considered the office expert on design. The only frustration was that I rarely worked with a brief.

For those of you who are not familiar with this term, a brief is a way for the customer to communicate what they want to the designer. The designer translates the brief into the final design. Designing without a brief is like being asked to bake a cake but not being told what kind. So you go away and bake a cheese cake and when you bring it back they go, "Oh! No, we were thinking more of a Black Forest Gateau."

I did get a brief once, and it was amazing because the staff member who wrote it was married to a designer and had done a similar project before. That project was a dream, and that was probably the first time I thought maybe I should do this full-time. Of course, I was still really stuck on the idea of life coaching and at the time that was where my focus was.

My focus is design now, which is why I'm taking this Graphic Design course at Saint Martin's. I'm enjoying it because I'm realising how much I already know and where my talent lays currently, but I'm also picking up a lot and seeing my skills develop and improve with each class.

Each class we receive a new brief after presenting the work we'd done on the brief from the week before. The briefs vary quite a bit so we're getting to work on some pretty awesome stuff. The thing is, the brief isn't even that long or complicated. It doesn't have to be a wordy thing. It just needs to capture key elements that need to be included in the final design.

So far my favourite brief has been working on 'branding' one of my fellow classmates. After interviewing each other we then had to go away and create a graphic expression of that person. When I paint my shoes or have done commissioned work for people this is my exact method to make sure that what I'm creating will suit the customer.

Brief #2, Intermediate Graphic Design
at Central Saint Martin's

As it was, she really liked all my designs (I did three) but definitely loved this one the best.

All you will gain

This week marks several new and exciting developments.

1. I've handed in my notice and as of the end of February will officially be available as a full-time Freelance Graphic Designer.

2. I'm now currently studying psychology part-time through the Open University.

There's a comfort in having a routine, even if it's one which leaves you dissatisfied or unfulfilled. 'Better the Devil you know...' and that sort of thing. Hugh MacLeod over at GapingVoid published a great cartoon about this. I'll wait while you go have a look-see...

Back? Brilliant.

So, it's all very well and good doing the same things over and over because:
1. That's the way the world works
2. We all have to take responsibility and work isn't/shouldn't be/can't be fun
3. If you're good at something you should persist, even if you don't enjoy it
4. We all have to make do
...and so on.

I think it's all a bit pants.

2013 marks my tenth year since graduating high school. In those ten years I've worked in the not-for-profit and charity sector almost exclusively, with a few tangents into retail, restaurants and, gloriously, being an animator.

I assessed the many roles I've had and my favourite bits of any of the jobs I've done. I've got a strong work ethic, excellent organisational skills and an abundance of enthusiasm - all skills that have helped me immensely in any job I've done.

It's my love of the undiscovered that has always produced my best work. I love figuring something out, finding solutions and creating something that works. For this reason I set up a not-for-profit organisation to support gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans youth find sustainable safe spaces. Once it was established and it reached the point of general operation, I was ready to move on.

So it was with my work at Pancreatic Cancer UK, a two and a half week temp job that turned into a two and a half year permanent position involving project management, staff training, system development, marketing and design. There was so much to do to make it work and I was able to tackle multiple problems and develop successful, long lasting solutions. Once that was done though it became day-to-day maintenance and I was, once again, looking for my next opportunity.

I don't think it's ever too late to retrain, although I don't actually feel like that's what I'm doing. I feel more like I'm shifting my focus from one skill to another. I'm taking all my passion, enthusiasm and imagination that has helped me successfully develop websites, write policies and procedures, or set up data entry systems, and looking at it from the perspective of Designer, instead of Administrator.

The brilliant thing about graphic design is that every project is a new problem that has to be solved. How to brand a company that works with inner city youth? How to brand a product that is being marketed to 30-somethings? How to make a logo that clearly conveys a professional but fun organisation?

I love it, entirely, because every day is different and every day my skills are becoming more and more refined. I am not stagnating and I'm not bored - two states I simply cannot tolerate. Instead I'm switching tracks, changing directions, and starting to build momentum. I've no idea where it might take me but I can and do think of all the possibilities and that is what makes it worth it.

Three years in London!

Double Decker buses are the best way to see London

Three years ago today I arrived in London with two full suitcases and my rucksack. At the time I was over on a two year ‘Mobility Scheme’ visa - one which was costly but quite easy to get because of my ‘under thirty’ status. 

 

The two years seemed like acres of time which I planned to fill with travel to places more easily accessible from the UK, time in museums (I had a list to work off of), and a chance to launch myself as an artist in one of the best cities in the world to do so. 

I did spend much of my first six months exploring the easily accessible museums of London, ticking each one off my list as I did so, going back to visit some more than once. This is a city full of ideas, history, and an incredible amount of art. 

My curiosity has always been relatively insatiable. I credit my parents and many incredibly good teachers with this. I’ve been raised to believe that, if you want to find something out, you should go ahead and do it. 

St. Paul's Cathedral in the spring

In London I have been able to explore and learn like never before. The city is my classroom and the architecture, advertising, design and artwork is mine to soak up and study. 

There has been some formal study as well, (because it’s so accessible and the schools here are world renowned and worth a visit) in the form of of short courses. I’m continuing to attend such opportunities as they arrive and my budget can account for it. 

Ah, the budget. When I made up my mind to come to London many people warned me of the cost. It’s true that this is an expensive place to live and when I first arrived my meagre Canadian funds were worth far less than I could manage on. I had to take a job as quickly as possible and in my desperation I took the first one offered to me. It lasted four brief days before I handed in my notice. Retail employment could be anywhere in the world for all you’d get to see of it between unreasonably long shifts with few breaks.

My next job was a post through a temp agency and one which would work out fortuitously for me. In the end two and a half weeks of temporary placement turned into nearly two and a half years of permanent employment on a salary like nothing I’d ever made before. I was given the opportunity to develop my skills as a designer, did a lot of project management, and was even involved in hiring and training staff. 

It was still expensive living in London but when you start earning the currency other benefits quickly make themselves known. When pressed for why I’d chosen London I had often told people ‘just because’ or asked ‘why not?’, but travel was a big part of it. 

Graffiti! 

Coming to London in the first place was making up for two and a half years of not doing what I wanted when it came to seeing the world. With my new found steady income I was suddenly able to visit places I’d only dreamed of. Not to mention the sacred status holiday time holds to UK citizens. 

My job earned me twenty-five day holiday a year, not including bank holidays. I quickly learned that this was standard and even someone working part-time can expect up to fifteen days holiday per year. This was in stark contrast to any job I’d had before where two weeks was considered lucky and the idea of twenty five days was only available to those employed for as many years in one place. 

My 2011 Gallery show

The result has been (in addition to visits home to Canada) seeing Paris, Amsterdam, the south of France, Jersey, Scotland, Wales, the lake district, Kent, Dorset, Cambridge, York, Thailand and most recently, Cuba. Japan is in the works for later this year, and weekend trips to Greece or Italy are always in the cards - possibilities should a cheap package present itself, which they often do. 

Other accomplishments in the past three years have included obtaining my UK Driver’s License (An intense commitment of time, money and patience given the fact that I’ve been licensed in Canada for eight years and a very confident driver when not across the pond), holding a successful gallery showing of my artwork including the sale of four originals, and obtaining my temporary leave to remain with the help of my partner. 

Getting married was not something I intended to do. In fact, when I first decided to move to London I had also made up my mind that I was going to be single for the rest of my life as I no longer had any interest in a deep and meaningful relationship with anyone but myself. Of course the Universe loves it when you make up your mind about something because it can then throw in a challenge or curve ball. As it was, a few weeks after making my mind up to move, I met and quickly fell in love with the woman who is now my lawfully wedded sprout - as we like to call ourselves. 

My favourite wedding photo

Our wedded status allows me to remain in the UK but also caused a significant change to the conditions on which I live here. I am no longer bound by the necessity to work for someone else. I am allowed to act on my entrepreneurial spirit by embarking into the world of self employment, and embark I have. 

2012 was spent working towards setting myself up as a life coach - a career choice I am still enamoured with but no longer focused on as I had been. I am the sort of person to jump in the deep end with both feet. Such enthusiasm is why I’m in London at all, but has proven not to be the most effective choice when it comes to self employment as someone who helps others to see their full potential. 

Instead I’m now taking things slowly and from a different direction. I’m starting where I am with what skills I can use right away because my reputation is already there. My art, my creativity, my design work, my writing. 

Representing Canada at the Paralympic opening ceremonies

As I begin my fourth year in London I am not entirely certain as to how long I will stay here. This year is my chance to apply for my permanent leave to remain, which will allow me to stay indefinitely should that be my choice. I do love London and will always want to have a home here, but Canada is where my heart lies and I must admit, while it’s not as acute as it once was, homesickness is still a regular occurrence for me. 

In the mean time I am happy to be continuing my self-directed studies, building on my creative portfolio, and achieving dreams which I had once abandoned or thought too far reaching to be realistic. It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do. I may miss Calgary, but I wouldn’t change where I am right now for anything. London has provided me with so much and continues to do so. 

I don’t know what will happen in the next year but I have to say, if it’s anything like the last three it’s bound to be worth writing about.