Valerie Boucher

“I like shooting places as people,” says Ottawa photographer Mai-Lan Tomkins. “When I take a picture of a place, I don't want to simply document it–I’m trying to capture my connection to the moment and its place in time.” It was around 2013/2014 when Mai-Lan started pursuing photography projects. She’d just finished university, where she explored painting, wood shop, sculpture, film and photography - a blend of creative interests. “I wanted to see better photos on Facebook,” Mai-Lan says.

“I love love love race weekend,” says Vivian Luk, who will be running to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in memory of her two-year-old nephew Harrison. “Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend brings so much energy to the city,” she adds. “The whole city, running community, and people in the neighborhoods come together. I love that people come out on the lawn with a glass of wine and cheer. It’s not just about participating in the race, it’s about cheering people on, and that’s what got me into running.”

Stop Looking for Zebras is a no-nonsense, engaging and practical guide to keeping your job and sanity in this ever-changing world of creative communications. Over twenty years in the making, it is a deep dive into the creative process providing observations, exercises and anecdotes to help you better communicate in a shorter time frame. Robert Smith is a creative director, agency owner, author, creativity professor and a founding member of RGD (Association of Registered Graphic Designers). Over over 25 years in the industry, his clients have included Warner Brothers, DC Comics and Farm Boy.

Starting a business is risky. That’s why many people prefer working for an employer. At the end of the day, if you want it to survive, let alone grow, your business needs to be profitable. While there’s never any guarantee of how something will go, there are steps you can take to figure out if your business will be able to make money and give you the confidence to keep moving forward through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

Creating a business plan is the first step to getting any kind of funding. They can be simple and concise or detailed with hundreds of pages. There are countless samples out there, but the options can make getting started overwhelming. This will give you an understanding of how to approach the business planning process and set you up with free resources to get started.

“I generally don’t draw out designs and stick to a plan,” says Anne Dahl, an Ottawa-based jewelry maker and metalsmith whose background in painting, music, and sculpting impacts her process.

Website design and copy to help an Ottawa piano teacher promote their services.

Horseplay is a true crime memoir by first-time author Norm Boucher. I managed communications efforts including web design, copywriting, social media management and public relations in collaboration with the publisher to support the launch.

The Canadian Music Publishers Association is proud to announce the first cohort of its innovative and one-of-a-kind mentorship program Women in the Studio will be working with world-renowned producer/songwriter Linda Perry during Canadian Music Week.

As it turns out, twenty years in investigations can better prepare a person for handling the media than any communications training ever could.