by Melanie | Jul 31, 2017 | art, childhood, creative process, creativity, Imagination Sessions, love, nature, Photography, play
Painting en plein air became popular in the 1840’s with the introduction of paint in tubes. French for outdoors, it means painting outside. French impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir enjoyed painting outdoor scenes while sitting in front of the scene itself....
by Melanie | Jul 24, 2017 | childhood, creativity, Imagination Sessions, love, play
When I was a kid, I never felt “cool”. Maybe the cool kids never really felt cool either. Even as young as 8 years old, I knew who the “popular” or “cool” kids were and did not feel a part of that. I didn’t feel actively excluded, but there was something about my...
by Melanie | Jul 18, 2017 | art, childhood, creativity, Imagination Sessions, love, nature, play
I’m buzzing from a weekend of Mini Imagination Sessions! On Saturday we played, imagined, created, and wondered in High Park. I love doing Imagination Sessions because I get a window into the world of childhood and get to capture moments of wonder with my...
by Melanie | Jul 10, 2017 | children's wisdom, love, stories
My daughter turned 7 last week. We had a busy week of party planning and spending time together. There were many ideas swirling through my head today when I was thinking about what to write and as I was looking through my notes, I found a story I wrote when my...
by Melanie | Jun 26, 2017 | art, creative process, creativity, dance, writing
I just returned from a six day retreat called Big Heart Dance Camp. I was the camp photographer and also got to experience some of the amazing workshops that were offered. My daughter and husband came for the weekend and we all did a writing workshop together with the...
by Melanie | Jun 19, 2017 | art, creative process, creativity, dance, Imagination Sessions, Photography
Creativity is something I care deeply about and have been investigating in practice for my whole life. Leading up to launching Imagination Sessions I began to talk to adults who consider themselves not creative to see if I could tease out why some people identify with...
by Melanie | Jun 12, 2017 | creative process, creativity, dance, Photography, theatre
I’ve always been a positive and optimistic person. I am hopeful and adventurous and expect the best from people. I owe this to my parents, who raised me to trust the world and people around me. I am incredibly grateful to have had a happy and safe childhood. I see my...
by Melanie | Jun 2, 2017 | behind the scenes, creative process, creativity, dance, music, Photography, school, theatre
My daughter’s school had their school show last week, called “Imagine a World”, and I got to photograph it. It was a musical featuring Beatles songs, and it was AMAZING. This school is a true community, where people work together to make a difference and to make art,...
by Melanie | Apr 29, 2017 | creativity, dance, love, Photography
I had the opportunity last week to photograph dancer Caroline Niklas-Gordon’s rehearsal of a piece she is working on with her 5 year old daughter. It’s called Rock. Paper. Scissors. and it’s gorgeous. I feel deeply about the importance and beauty of...
by Melanie | Feb 20, 2017 | giving back, love, Photography
Last week I sent out an email to my community about losing a friend to breast cancer. Jasmin Fiore was one of the most positive, generous and joyful people I knew, even in the face of her struggle with breast cancer. I was fortunate to meet Jasmin in 2013 as a...
by Melanie | May 5, 2016 | art, creativity, Photography
Looking at this picture of a tree on a hill without any other spatial reference, how do you know it is a tree on the hill? Do you assume that trees grow straight up toward the sun? Why? What makes us any different? I’m in San Francisco today for a retreat. Every time...
by Melanie | Apr 8, 2016 | art, giving back, Photography, video
The truth is that we are ALL children. My daughter will be 6 this year. She inspires me daily with her creativity. I am learning so much from her. One of the unexpected gifts of motherhood is that I get to reconnect with my inner child. I’ve been thinking about...
by Melanie | Jan 13, 2016 | art, Photography, stories
Art matters. In the days after the passing of David Bowie, I find myself thinking a lot about the power of art. I feel sad that we lost a great artist who touched people deeply with his music and spoke truths about life and love that are particularly profound now....
by Melanie | Jul 30, 2015 | art, Photography, stories
I love being a photographer. Each time I photograph a family I feel honoured to be invited into their space and emotional lives. I learn about love and relationships. The girls in this family (aged one and a half and three and a half) were comfortable with me right...
