Originally published in August 2015 in Blog
Recently, my friends Nicki and Rogie came to me with a request: “Ali, we need a map of our farm so visitors can find their way around.” My friends are hosting workshops on equine education and will be moving from point to point around the property teaching things like pasture management, nutrition, hoof care and […]
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Originally published in July 2015 in Blog, Chalkboard Art, Doodling, Graphic Recording, Graphic Visualizer, Illustration, Visual Notetaking, Visual Storytelling
I’ve been doing chalkboard art on the windows at The Merchant Tavern for two weeks now, armed with my ruler, Sharpie paint markers, Q-tips and a bottle of nail polish remover. One hundred thousand commuters flood Toronto’s Financial District on weekdays, and during the morning rush hour about ten thousand of them walk past the spot where […]
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Originally published in July 2015 in Blog
I like drawing because it uses a different patch of my brain than writing and makes me tackle math and spatial questions. For me, drawing is an act of joy — not some predatory career move — although I joked with friends on Facebook this week that monetizing the hell out of ALL my skills […]
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Originally published in June 2015 in Blog
Originally published in June 2015 in Blog
Gone sailing in my mind.
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Originally published in May 2015 in Blog, Doodling, Graphic Facilitation, Graphic Recording, Graphic Visualizer, Illustration, Visual Notetaking, Visual Storytelling
TEDxWomen 2015 is a one-day event showcasing women’s voices and perspectives from around the world. While TEDxTheAnnexWomen highlights local voices in Toronto, it is part of an intercontinental network of inspiring storytelling. Here’s how I saw what I heard.
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Originally published in February 2015 in Blog
I don’t normally take requests on my blog. But a good friend of mine who has been watching me play at this piano for the last six years, and who has more than once thrown encouragement in my tip cup, says he wants me to write about beauty. My beauty. “I keep talking about beauty […]
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Originally published in January 2015 in Blog
What a find! This is the first time I’ve ever heard Virginia Woolf‘s spoken voice. Her written voice is very familiar to me. Her book, A Room of One’s Own, is a Bible to me and most of my friends. A Room of One’s Own, Silk Screen Print by Alanna Cavanagh. From a fifth edition of 20 […]
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Originally published in January 2015 in Blog
Just before Christmas I attended an ACI artist’s talk at Massey College. At the end of it, I turned to the woman sitting next to me and said, “Wasn’t that good?” She agreed and we shared our favourite ah ha moments in the life and career of Paul Kane. Kane was born 150 years before Neil […]
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Originally published in November 2014 in Blog
I wasn’t a mean girl in school. That automatically made me a target. I didn’t solve this by auditioning to join the girls on their power trips. Rather, I tried to exist in the world despite them. My refuge was drawing. Trays of rainbow markers thrilled and distracted me most of the time. But sometimes the girls’ […]
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