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“I make patterns that are meaningful.”

Name: Jenna Fenwick Location: Lanark Highlands Occupation: Textile Designer 

Jenna Fenwick comes from a long line of seamstresses and quilters. In high school she sewed her own clothes and thought about a career in fashion. When she started working in her Mom’s quilt shop, she was introduced to fiber art and gained an interest in fabric patterns, and knew she wanted to combine her love for drawing with her new love for textiles. 

In her last year at NSCAD University she worked on projects where she could illustrate the design, screen print them into the cloth and create a beautiful finished piece, and she knew she found her passion. After graduation she started Jenna Rose which she opened in Guelph and later moved to Hamilton. 

Jenna still illustrates her own patterns by hand, whether it’s a treehouse she remembers or something simple that inspires her on a walk outside her studio on the farm she and her husband bought in eastern Ontario last year. She then mixes the colours and hand screen prints the cloth. “I love the tactile nature of textiles and the functionality,” said Jenna. “But it’s also finding the inspiration in daily life and having a customer connect with the patterns I find meaningful.”

“I try to tell a story.”

Name: Daniel Callan Location: Long Sault, Ontario Occupation: Taxidermist

Animals have always fascinated Daniel Callan. He had all kinds of animals growing up. When he was 14, he favourite pigeon died and Daniel went to visit a taxidermist. After asking a lot of questions the taxidermist told him to come back on Saturday and he’d show him what to do. 

After that, Daniel studied animal anatomy, went through reference photographs and practiced – a lot. By 1995, Daniel joined the Canadian Taxidermy Association and started entering competitions. He competed against the score sheet letting the deductions tell him what he needed to improve.

After seven years, Daniel had moved from the Novice division, through Professional, to Masters to the division of Excellence in every category but three. His best score: 97/100 for an African lion in 2006 that won best in show. Daniel used the competitions to get better and learn. He practiced taxidermy because he loved animals and strove for perfection. It takes research. Daniel doesn’t just mount animals – he builds scenes with movement and hints of their habitat – he tells a story. 

Seven years ago, taxidermy became more than just a hobby. After the paper mill in Cornwall closed, Daniel was left without work, so he started Callan’s Artistic Taxidermy. This year was his best year yet. He enjoys that his many customers respect the animals enough to mount them and is honoured that they choose him to do the work. He wants every one of them to say “Wow!” and relive the hunt. As Daniel says, “I get to tell a story,” and every day he gets the chance to be close to something he has been fascinated with his whole life – animals. 

“Every encounter you have with a patient can make a difference in the quality of their life. You better make sure it’s a positive one.”

Name: Veronique Boscart Location: Kitchener, Ontario Occupation: Nurse and Researcher

Growing up, Veronique Boscart knew that she wanted to be a nurse. Her mother is still a passionate nurse with a strong work ethic in Belgium, and so are her two sisters. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she discovered her passion: gerontology. Veronique said the words every teenager says at one point during the summer: “I’m bored.” Her mother took her and her sisters to a nursing home and asked the manager to give them jobs.

Veronique fed and talked to the elderly and found great rewards and a source of joy. She learned that if you listen to your patient, it’s easy to make them happy, because sometimes all it takes is adjusting their pillow. And their eyes tell you everything even when they can’t verbally communicate their appreciation. 

She looks in the eyes of her students too – for that a-ha moment when they understand. Veronique teaches to build passion in the next generation of healthcare providers. More importantly, she wants to pass on the importance of being patient advocates because older patients can’t always stand up for themselves.

First and foremost, Veronique is a nurse. Then a researcher; she will only do research if it will improve the care of older people. This makes her a better teacher. As the Schlegel Research Chair in Enhanced Seniors Care, she has the opportunity to practice, research and teach. She also shares the Schlegel model of care which is that you treat life first. She tells her students that they should never just treat a broken hip, you treat Betty who has a broken hip, and she’s diabetic and hypertensive. She reminds them that Betty has so much life and wisdom, and that it’s a gift to be part of Betty’s life journey.

"I am a big believer in the law of attraction. Face painting is just a transfer of energy. It makes me happy to know that I have the ability to transfer joy and positivity through my art. To see parents and children smiling makes my day. The satisfaction that comes from doing something like this is amazing. I just really love my business."

Name: Breanne Cram

Occupation: Creative Director and Artist for Parallela Inc.

Location: Waterloo Ontario

Why is it that when anyone in our community hears the name Breanne Cram of Bre Creative, it instantly rings a bell? Breanne, creative director and artist for Parallela Inc., is a much-loved, positive burst of energy in our city and anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her at an event, will tell you that she is not easily forgotten. Dressed in a yellow bob wig, with a big red nose, heart cheeks and a giant smile, Bre will have everyone in the room (adults and children), entertained with her energy, artistic creativity and whimsical nature.

Throughout her childhood, Breanne was the kid at school who excelled in all artistic endeavours. "I went to the Homer Watson art camp every summer. I had a real talent for replication. I could and still can look at something and replicate it exactly," she laughs. Art and creativity progressively became a big part of her life and she continued to pursue it throughout high school and beyond.

Following high school, with the need for financial stability, Breanne began to work in a number of retail management positions. In 2007, at the age of 21, she found out that she was pregnant with a baby girl and officially began her journey as a single mother. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared but determined and excited to provide the best life for my child. It’s been a hard but rewarding journey”, she says. 

The following year, Breanne got a job as a print consultant for Hoppy Copy. Inspired by her colleagues, which included several graphic designers, she enrolled in Conestoga College where she completed a Certificate of Digital Imaging. While in school, she responded to a Kijiji ad and got a job at a party company called Hullabaloo Party Planner for Children. Although she didn't know it at the time, this was the moment when her life path shifted and she met, what would become, her lifelong friend and business partner, Michelle Peer.

When Hoppy Copy went out of business in 2010, Breanne, once again got hired as a birthday party planner, but this time at Bingemans FunworX. She immediately began attending community events to represent Bingemans and noticed that people would feel threatened to come up to the table and ask questions. That's when a light went off in her head:

"I suggested that we face paint as a means to bring people to the table, allow us to interact with them and remove the sales threat often felt in those environments. It was amazing because everyone just loved it! All of a sudden, people were constantly requesting my business cards. They wanted me to paint at their children's birthday parties, corporate events, etc. That's when I knew that I needed to integrate my artistic talent, my love of children and my business savvy into one thing. I needed to start my own company!"

By taking a leap of faith in August of 2010, Breanne, with the aid of her design background, started to create all of her branding and collaterals and finally launched her business; Bre Creative. From there, a fire was ignited and she had more work then she could handle on her own. Breanne called Michelle to help her with events and the two came together once again.

By January 2011, Breanne and Michelle decided to start an umbrella company which would own both Bre Creative and Hullabaloo. Parallela Inc. was born. "It just made sense for us to combine our businesses. We balance each other out and our strengths complement one another", she says. By December of that same year, they closed down Hullabaloo and directed their focus on Bre Creative and Parallela Inc. 

"Meeting Michelle changed my life. She saw my strengths and potential and helped me transform everything. I went from struggling on minimum wage, to living a comfortable lifestyle and owning my own business. Who knew that responding to a Kijiji ad would have such an impact on my life?! In the beginning Michelle funded everything and took the time to teach me about social media. Once I gained confidence, started accomplishing goals, seeing some of my successes and the rewards, Michelle started to take on my positive persona. Jointly we had the courage to step forward and go for anything we wanted in life. We went from saying "Can we?" to "Why can't we?" There are no longer any boundaries.

Breanne and Michelle have been nominated for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award through the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, and were chosen to attend the ShesConnected Conference in Toronto, which is a conference for the top 200 most influential women in social media.

"Michelle and I both have a natural talent for marketing and social media. It is what has driven our company to be successful. We have created seminar series for people in the entertainment industry such as "Clowning around with social media" (presented at the Brant Clown Alley 2011), and "Taking the scary out of social media" (presented at the Canadian Haunters Convention 2011)."

Breanne and Michelle are currently working on launching their own social media and marketing consulting firm to aid entertainers in making social media work for them:

"With our love for social media, web development and graphic design, we're happy to announce that Bre Creative will be diversifying by adding these marketing services to our existing event services. Stay tuned!!"

To hire Breanne and Michelle for your event, please check out their website at http://www.bre-creative.com/.

"I love being out and having the opportunity to connect with something that is bigger than anything else. These little creatures are a part of nature and they are fascinating. As a beekeeper, I have to work within and with nature in order to create the best possible environment for my bees. Sometimes you can do things to control or manage it and sometimes you can't. With bees and with nature, you have to quietly pay close attention to get into their world and understand what is happening. It just feels like an amazing journey to embark on."

Name: Russell Gibbs

Occupation: Graphic Designer & Beekeeper 

Location: Dundas Ontario 

His Journey:

How can one describe a man like Russell Gibbs? Whenever I tell people about the new guy on this week's blog, I get the same reaction: shock, followed by questioning, followed by excitement. Russell is a bright combination of creative, articulate, incredibly intelligent, artistic and adventurous. His career has been a whirlwind of exciting projects, endeavours and…beekeeping? You read that correctly. Russell is a graphic designer meets a beekeeper and he somehow manages to integrate the two careers harmoniously together. 

Russell was born into a family with four generations of beekeepers. "As far back as I can remember, there was always banter about bees and honey around the house. Gibbs Honey was something that was just there", he recalls. Although he was certainly familiar with the profession of beekeeping, his family did not put pressure on him or assume that it was something he might end up doing.  Beekeeping just nestled itself quietly in the background of his family life. 

While in high school, Russell took a graphic design course and naturally excelled in it. "It wasn't until I took that program at school and realized that I really enjoyed it, that I thought this may be a good career option for me. I applied to Conestoga College, completed my degree in graphic design and the rest just worked itself out", he says. From there, Russell began working at Ove Design in Toronto. With phenomenal experience gained, he moved on to smaller agencies and eventually became a creative director at Parcel Design, where he stayed for 7 years. 

In 2007, Russell decided to move to Dundas to reconnect with nature. For four years he commuted back and forth and in July of 2011, he finally decided to leave the hectic, fast-paced environment of the Toronto core behind and focus on his own business. Russell Gibbs Design was born. 

"My focus is on branding and communication design. It is really anything and everything. My belief is that design is universal. It is not so much about which medium is used. It is about the concept, the message and using whichever tool is required to tell that story. Websites, videos, brochures and logos are all important to me." 

An exciting example of one of his projects is his line of t-shirts and tote bags with the logo "You Can Do Anything In Hamilton" written on them. Russell explains that "there is this amazing cultural renaissance happening in Hamilton right now. Young artistic people are defining what is going to happen in the next couple of years." Russell tapped into that energy, found a way to market the movement and is now a huge success for it. Mcmaster University has licensed the line, tourism Hamilton fully stocks it and the shirts and totes are seen being worn all over the city. This could be a powerful promotional tool for the city. 

At the same time that Russell was working on these types of exciting design projects, he also began to think seriously about his family history in beekeeping; "my dad would come over to visit and always hint that my uncles were going to have to retire at some point. With the interest looming, I began to read books, take courses, meet local beekeepers, attend beekeeping conferences, research and put it altogether." Finally, with the right knowledge under his belt, Russell took the plunge and began beekeeping as a means to  momentarily break away from the computer. What started as two colonies quickly grew to seven. 

"It's amazing that I can combine my two great loves into one amazing business endeavour. I am able to keep bees, work and manage them to produce an amazing product. I can then take that product, and use my graphic design background to design the package, promote and market it.  I am just really looking forward to tasting the first batch of honey that my bees have created and then to sell it for other people to enjoy. Nothing can really beat that." 

It is clear that no matter where Russell dips his fingers, he is sure to find success, or honey, at the bottom of the pot. 

"I have an inherent need to create things. In every project that I embark on, the one element that ties things together is the fact that I am always making something, whether it be logos, t-shirts or honey. All of my work falls into that realm and because of that I just love it!"  

To find out more or read his blogs, you can visit Russell's websites at www.russellgibbsdesign.com or www.gibbshoney.com.