Just a small town girl...
Born and raised in the little town of Duncan, I've called British Columbia's beautiful Cowichan Valley (nestled near the middle of Vancouver Island) my home for my entire life. Though there are still many parts of the world I would like to see, I've seen enough to know that this place will always have my heart (and will therefore always be home). I am greatly influenced by the immense natural beauty that surrounds me and, when life winds me up, I know I can always look to the trees or to the sea for a bit of grounding and inspiration.
I have a wonderfully close family that means the absolute world to me. My parents opened a super-popular local eatery in town before I was even born and soon began their amazing [and slightly insane] legacy of dominating the local craft food and drink culture, expertly steering the area's small business/community standards (in both commerce and ethics), and constantly raising the bar for just overall excellence in our valley - at least in my eyes. I obviously could not help being empowered while having these absolute icons in my corner throughout every aspect of my life... And so it didn't take long for me to want to follow a little in their footsteps. I began working with [for] my parents sometime in middle school. Between working a handful of different positions at all three restaurants, plenty of caterings and events, as well as a micro production brewery, I’ve familiarized myself with the concepts of hard work and long days, and service over everything. I’ve met a lot of great people and I’ve learned so, so much - not only about the industry (and business in general), but also about myself.
Right now, you’ll find me working between 3 locations of my family’s restaurants and pubs, managing the office operations and all that super fun money stuff. My crafting has fallen a bit to the wayside as I continue my self-exploration and manage my mental well-being in this tumultuous world, but it never leaves my mind. I’d say I’m in the relationship- and family- building phase of my life. My partner and I have been together for going on twelve years and have finally decided to tie the knot and throw the wedding of our dreams - which is not for the faint of heart! Though it really excited my creative side. Through this phase of life when we consider our futures, our family, and our home, we’ve reconnected on such a deep level. It’s not lost on me how truly lucky I am to have such a fabulously supportive partner who believes in whatever I set out to do, and can even match my desire to create with his own (incredibly freaking cool) creative endeavours including woodworking and blacksmithing!
Well-kept habits...
Throughout my whole life, the art of crafting has been a near-addiction. I've always had many different creative interests... I have a huge affinity for books and writing. The art of the word (written or spoken) is one of this life's greatest gifts, in my opinion. I've also always enjoyed photography and visual art. My Nikon is one of my most prized possessions. Cooking and experimenting with food and hosting parties is, not surprisingly, a huge part of my life and is always something I've deeply enjoyed. I've dabbled in giftables relative to painting, sewing, knitting. I went through a long card-making/scrapbooking phase starting in my late teens. I've even tried my hand at drawing a little, but I have enough self-awareness to know where my strengths are [not]. And so, as such, the most prominent thing I've learned about myself throughout the years is that I just love to create.
Even as a kid, I always wanted to invent - to turn something into something else, to find the most something-est of somethings out of what seemed like nothing - and I felt insatiably bored when I couldn't do so. I can vividly recall many childhood moments of utter despair, staring at my hands with a feeling that can only be described as 'creative withdrawal' - like a physical force pulsing through me that said, "Make something, damnit!!!!" Inspired/awoken/maddened by old kids' TV shows like 'Crazy Quilt', 'Art Attack', and 'Out of the Box,' I'd kind of just walk around, not knowing what to do with myself until I could get my hands on some crayons or pipe-cleaners or toilet paper tubes or paint and just go wild! All that still rings true for me today, but maybe now for slightly different reasons: all the things in which I've dabbled for my whole life have now changed in motivation from 'keep busy' to 'keep happy.' Some of the materials have even stayed the same - beads, string, sticks, paint... but it now means so much more.
As my hobbies (read: habits) continued and my skills became more honed in on certain types of projects, I suppose people started noticing... So, I started Myriad Mind because of growing interest by friends and acquaintances to see more of my creative projects come to life and to create the opportunity for my work to be purchased [by those same friends, as well as] by the rest of our community if there is interest.
