Author: Miranda Campbell

In our final episode, we’re going to sum up our exploration of making a living from creative work with one final overarching theme: HUSTLING. This episode’s focus is on the day to day grind. Young people are holding down multiple jobs and are always on the lookout for the next gig. What do you do between contracts when times are lean? And what about long hours in busy times? How do you find time for yourself when every day you’re hustling?

 Guest:

Emma Healey is a freelance writer and poet. Her first book of poems, Begin with the End in Mind, was published by Arbeiter Ring in 2012. Emma was the recipient of the Irving Layton Award for poetry in 2010 and 2013, as well as a National Magazine Award nominee in 2015. She’s also the Globe & Mail‘s poetry critic, and a regular contributor to the Toronto Star and music blog Said the Gramophone. Emma’s currently working on a new manuscript of poetry.

 Cultural Correspondent Segment:

Aleem Khan is a Calgary-based musician. In 2016 he released his second solo LP, Urbana Champaign.

Aleem on Basecamp | Slow Release Records’ Website

A lot of young people today want to work in creative fields. These industries often have a less diverse profile than the labour market as a whole. This episode, we discuss MAKING SPACE through alternative ways of living and creating. How do you carve out new opportunities where they don’t exist? What are young people doing to make the creative industries a more accessible and fair place to earn a living?

Guests:

 Merray Gerges is a writer and art critic. She was the 2016 recipient of the editorial residency at Canadian Art magazine. Merray came into her residency at Canadian Art well versed in publishing. As an undergraduate art history student at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, she co-founded Crit Paper, a magazine focused on contemporary criticism.

April Aliermo has played bass in Hooded Fang since 2007. With musical collaborator, Daniel Lee, she’s started Phedre and Tonkapuma, as well as independent label Daps Records. In September 2015, April wrote an article for Exclaim! magazine criticizing Calgary rock band Viet Cong for its name choice. She subsequently organized a panel called “Music: Racism, Power, and Privilege 101” at the Music Gallery in Toronto to address issues of racism in the mostly white indie music scene. April is committed to demystifying music making and creating accessibility within scenes. She’s an active volunteer with Girls Rock Camp in Toronto and in the Yukon. Daps Records’ website provides information about how to release your own music independently.

Cultural Correspondent Segment:

Heather Kai Smith is an artist, animator and illustrator from Calgary, AB, Canada, currently living and working in Vancouver, BC. She is currently completing her Master’s of Applied Arts at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Heather’s Website | Heather on Tumblr | Heather on Vimeo

This episode, we look at SHIFTING GEARS and working in more than one artistic discipline. Many young people have talent and interest in a lot of different creative fields. Making a living from creative work often means diversifying your output.  But this can also mean doubling your workload, and finding your way in different kinds of business realities. How do you shift gears between these different roles? Does personal life even fit into the mix?

Guest:

Lido Pimienta is a visual artist, illustrator, musician, and mom. Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Lido now lives and works in Toronto. In addition to balancing art and music in her career,  she’s also an advocate for the fair treatment and compensation of women in the creative industries. Lido hosted a workshop called “Get Your Coin Gurl” at Xpace Cultural Centre in Toronto, instructing a mostly female audience on when to say no to unpaid gigs and how to get paid a fair rate.

Cultural Correspondent Segment:

Jess Taylor is a Toronto writer and poet. She founded The Emerging Writers Reading Series in 2012 and is the fiction editor of Little Brother Magazine. Her first collection of short stories, Pauls, was released by BookThug in 2015.

Jess Taylor’s Website

Young people aren’t just going it alone making a living from creative work. They’re  also reaching out to others. Young people feel like they’re in it together. And this means supporting instead of competing with each other. On this episode, we’ll discuss CREWING UP and working collaboratively. How does running a joint enterprise fit into the individual career?

Guests:

Layne Hinton is the co-curator and administrator of Art Spin, the Toronto bike tour that takes riders to galleries and art installations.  Art Spin was founded by Rui Pimenta in 2009, and in 2010 Layne and her sister Casey came on board to flesh out the concept.  Art Spin is now run as a collaboration between Rui and Layne. Layne has a BFA from OCAD and her multidisciplinary art practice includes elements of installation, film/video, performance, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and collage.We talked to Layne as Art Spin was gearing up to put on its largest initiative yet, called in/ Future, an art and music festival at Ontario Place.

Humboldt Magnussen is the co-founder of Younger than Beyonce Gallery. YTB opened in 2015 with a mandate to feature emerging artists younger than Queen B.  Humboldt is also an interdisciplinary artist who works in painting, performance, and sculpture. Originally from Saskatchewan,  Humboldt completed a BFA at Concordia. He met his YTB co-founder Marjan Verstappen while doing a MFA at the Ontario College of Art and Design. The pair felt that there was a need for more spaces to exclusively feature young and emerging artists, and so the concept for YTB was born.

Cultural Correspondent Segment:

Krista Belle Stewart is a multi-disciplinary artist, working in video, photography, textile, and more. She holds a BFA from Emily Carr University and is currently an MFA candidate at Bard College in New York. She is a member of the Upper Nicola Band of the Okanagan Nation, and lives and works in Vancouver and Brooklyn.
Krista Belle’s Website | Krista Belle on Twitter

On this episode, we’ll discuss BREAKING OUT and starting your own creative business. How do you become a creative entrepreneur if you never went to business school? Our guests discuss how they found their niche and learned how to manage a growing enterprise. Not having a traditional 9-5 is one of the biggest perks but also one of the biggest challenges of running your own business. Our guests tell us how they are managing.

Guests:

After Nafisa Kaptownwala graduated with an art history degree from Concordia, she set her sights abroad. While working at the Ace Hotel in London, she found herself surrounded by people working in fashion. She also noticed a lack of people of colour getting work in the industry. So in 2013 she founded Lorde Modelling Inc, the first modelling agency to exclusively represent people of colour. Lorde Inc  now operates out of Toronto, New York and London.

Kiana “Rookz” Eastmondis the owner and director of Sandbox Studios, a recording studio located in Toronto’s Regent Park. Despite dropping out of school at the age of 14, Kiana has a long track record of entrepreneurship, including artist management and independent consulting. A self-proclaimed activator, Kiana has dedicated herself to community service, working with organizations like East Metro Youth Services and Nia Center for the Arts. She’s now opening a second location of Sandbox in Scarborough.

Cultural Correspondent Segment:

Clairmont the Second is a Toronto-based rapper and producer. In 2016 he released his third full-length album Quest for Milk and Honey.

Clairmont’s Website | Clairmont onSoundcloud | Clairmont on Twitter | Clairmont on Instagram