Warren: Community Development, CoWork
Meet Warren: Warren is a new Hamiltonian and is excited by the vibrant arts and entrepreneurial scene here in the city. With a background in music, social innovation, and coworking, Warren has a unique skill set to share with the Cotton Factory community. He is excited to focus on further developing the CoWork space, through special events and community engagement.
In addition to managing the CoWork space, Warren owns a music technology company called BuskerHat and manages the recording studio, Rose Room Recording.
If you’re interested in coworking here at the Cotton Factory, email warren@cottonfactory.ca for more information. Plus, visit the CoWork page!
Brad: Member of CoWork
Meet Brad: Director of Sales & Marketing (Ontario), ALC Bio Innovations. Since being at CoWork, Brad has yet to fully explore all of the Cotton Factory, so we decided to walk around to find a spot that resonated with him. When we stopped by this window overlooking the courtyard, Brad told us about his tattoo and his childhood fascination with wolves, “I love the outdoors and camping, and I think it’s rooted in my somewhat strange childhood dream to be a wolf.”
Brad has been working out of CoWork for 3 months on ALC Bio Innovations – a start-up based out of Quebec. With Health Canada’s recent approval of their fermented probiotic supplement, you’ll likely be seeing them soon in local health food stores! With a passion for health, outdoors, and sports, the synergy between Brad and ALC Bio Innovations is contagious.
Pop by CoWork to say hi and ask Brad about his wolf tattoo (it’s a great story!), and to learn all about the exciting new product he feels so passionate about.
Stay tuned and follow @vitalhumic for their summer launch!
Kamila: Photographer located in the Storehouse Building
Meet Kamila: A lead photographer at Zekar Photography. Though their studio used to be in the Office Building, they’re getting comfy in their new space, located on the second floor of the Storehouse. Kamila has been working here for around 5 yrs now and learned everything she knows from the studio’s owner, Mike Tigchelaar. While she remembers not using at least 1/2 of her shots when she first started, Kamila was determined to learn the art of photography knowing she had something that can’t be taught – passion.
In talking with Kamila, one quickly reaches the understanding that she has chosen this career path for the best possible reasons – she loves working with people and genuinely sees the role of capturing life’s special moments to be of great value, especially as family’s age and time continues on. The importance of photography has been reinforced on various occasions, such as when she received a call from a bride just a few weeks after her wedding inquiring as to whether or not Kamila had images of a certain loved one who had suddenly passed.
Kamila has a passion for capturing photos of women at various ages, stating that “often women are behind the camera and not in family photos” or, that “women don’t find themselves beautiful as they age” and so, she tries to change their perception of themselves and help them to see their own beauty.
Kamila works over 20 weddings each year, plus many events and portrait sessions, and still, is filled with appreciation for the opportunity to capture the magic of life through photography, “I know it’s cliche, but what I do doesn’t feel like work – I just love it so much”.
When asked what she enjoys about the Cotton Factory, Kamila is quick to state that she loves the nooks and crannies of the building – always finding new spaces to photograph, the mix of different people, and the inspiration that feeds her each day.
To learn more about Kamila, follow her on Instagram at kamila_zekarphoto. Follow Zekar Photography at Zekar Photography.
Peter: Member of CoWork
Meet Peter: Part Owner at Grow a Seed and Event Coordinator.
Standing proudly beside one of the banana plants that he nurtures here at the Cotton Factory, Peter enjoys this particular window in the CoWork space due to its view of downtown Hamilton.
A member of the Cotton Factory Community now for 1.5 years, Peter loves the organic vibe. When he’s not busy planning and executing events throughout Canada, he’s usually in the CoWork space or conversing with other community members throughout the complex.
When asked about a challenging time or a learning opportunity in his life, Peter recalled having read the book, “The Four Agreements” and finding that its impact rippled its way into most of his interactions – including here at the Cotton Factory. He credits the book for helping him to view life in a different way – especially when it comes to not making assumptions or taking things personally.
Follow Grow a Seed for more information about part of what Peter is up to, and be sure to pop by the CoWork space to say hi – you’ll probably find a copy of the book on his desk!
Susan: Multidisciplinary Artist, Office Building
Meet Susan: Multidisciplinary Artist.
Working mainly in installations, it was in 2016 that Susan began experimenting with vegetables and wax. Partly as an attempt to encourage students who at the time were having difficulty conceptualizing new work, and also as a way of exploring new territory, Susan was mesmerized by the beauty of the medium – cabbage leaves enveloped in painted wax – and continues to work with wax to this day.
Moving to Hamilton from B.C in 2017, Susan was forced to consider which finished art pieces to keep and which to let go of. Since at the time, Susan had recently completed a life-size house made out of paper (she makes paper, too) she decided to visit the Fraser River, where she released the house and its contents down the river (watch the video – link is in our Instagram profile). One less piece to worry about!
With many artist friends, Susan remembers some particularly sage advice when a good friend told her to “keep working and treat it like it’s a job. Don’t let it get too precious and keep looking forward.”
Currently, Susan is working on an installation featuring wax molds of potatoes, and when the potatoes begin to turn, she takes them home, chops them up and uses them in soup!
Looking at Susan’s studio, her walls are covered in sketches and drawings of potatoes, her table filled with handmade paper – some of which has been painted on. I ask her if she has a routine and sure enough, she does. The first thing she does every day when she comes into her studio is to draw…only then does she move on to her to-do list.
“I’ve always made art. It’s just a part of my life and everything else is adjunct to it.”
Be sure to follow Susan on Instagram @ susanbt (https://www.instagram.com/susanbt/)
And visit her website at www.susanbartontait.com
Watch the video of Susan floating the life-size house down the river, via our Instagram profile here:
https://www.instagram.com/cottonfactoryca/
Lance: Multidisciplinary Artist, ShareSpace2.0
Meet Lance: Poet, bookbinder, playwright, storyteller, singer, painter, and more.
A tenant of ShareSpace 2.0 since fall 2016, Lance has a history that’s as robust as the very building he situates himself in. Thankful for this space – his muse – Lance simply adores the opportunity to inhabit and personalize it so freely. He calls it his “beautiful mess”, never cleaning up until he’s finished – and since he’s never really ever finished, it’s more of a working “mess”.
Lance tells me that he doesn’t allow plastic into his space, “whenever there is plastic, I get it out of here as soon as possible”. He follows that statement by stressing that he is a huge fan of exceptions to every rule, so it’s not always true if the piece has good form. In the end, it’s all about integrity for Lance – in life, and in this space.
Having studied ancient bookbinding in Venice, Lance has made books and journals for an impressive cast of recipients. “It’s really all about the individual though”, the books Lance creates are crafted specifically for each unique person. So much so that many are hesitant to write in them for fear of ruining their original beauty!
When asked about a favourite poem, Lance mentions one from his soon-to-be-published book called ‘King Walnut and Queen Aberdeen’:
“A memory of our journeys and how they’re often swift,
Reminds us that your presence in the present is the gift.”
Point to an object in Lance’s “beautiful mess” and everything has a story – not one piece is without purpose.
Join Lance’s Facebook group and learn more below:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2006432099639821/about/
David: CAD Technician at OMC Landscape Architecture & Artist
Meet David: CAD Technician & Artist.
David works at OMC Landscape Architecture here at the Cotton Factory and is also an artist who specializes in ink. When asked why he chose the field of architecture as his day job, he says that it was the closest practical outlet for his artistic ability. It allows him to be creative while still providing for himself.
Having joined OMC Landscape Architecture last fall, David loves the ethos and culture here in the building. Finding it to be particularly conducive to creative thought, he often sits in the Main Event Space during his lunch break and draws. David informs me that his art is “dark” and that he goes by the artist name, Propraetor. His work includes album cover art, commissions, and stand-alone pieces. Currently, he is working on a complicated portrait that he is rather excited about.
We discuss how important it is to be able to work at one’s art freely and to never hold resentment towards it. Of course, the hope of being able to make money from art is always on the table, but David feels that when one is genuinely an artist – and if it is integral to one’s being – the work should be done consistently, regardless of whether it provides a financial return.
I ask him if he has any advice for anyone and it’s a quick yes: “If you come to a point in life where you feel you’ve found your raison d’être and you feel a calling to pursue it, never let anyone tell you otherwise, or make you feel that you should pursue something more practical. Money is irrelevant if you’re miserable. Do what you feel you should be doing”.
Find David’s ‘dark art for dark hearts’ at www.propraetor666.com