Blog
November 04, 2015
A few years ago, I took a weekend-long wilderness skills course that introduces its students to animal tracking, plant identification, and a variety of ancient skills such as flint knapping, making simple traps and... read more
October 30, 2015
I am, sadly, never very surprised at public eruptions of settler-colonial racism in Canada. Our country’s dominant popular culture has a long history of systematically devaluing indigenous perspectives and histories in favour of cartoonish stereotypes and the heroic-pioneer story of settlement.... read more
October 26, 2015
The Harvest Moon Festival has become a valuable yearly experience for my partner and me. We’ve lived in Winnipeg for just over five years now, and have experienced a deepening and broadening sense of community and commitment to... read more
October 22, 2015
Many problems with distraction and productivity are a matter of accountability. Team working situations and imminent or well-structured deadlines are good antidotes to not-working. Peer and client pressure can provide a good kind of... read more
October 06, 2015
Much of what I experience as “neither working nor not working” (or just “not-working” for simplicity) is a by-product of simple curiosity. It’s worth appreciating for a moment that it’s a great and worthwhile thing to be fascinated by... read more
September 23, 2015
Every freelancer I know is familiar with looking back at a busy day and wondering how so many hours of effort could have produced so few results. There are always, of course, days when things go wrong -- when sudden client requests throw off your game plan, or when the words or the editing or... read more
December 02, 2013
Digital workflow can be daunting for photographers. I know it took a long time for me to get into a routine that allows me to sort and process the thousands of pictures I sometimes wind up with after a trip or event. I recently shot on the photography crew for the Winnipeg Folk Festival. After... read more
October 01, 2013
In the small Manitoba town of Clearwater, a hundred-year-old grain elevator has recently been put back into operation by the Stewarts, a local farming family. Long considered hoary old icons of bygone days, these buildings are rarely thought of as relevant to 21st-century agriculture. Their... read more
March 11, 2013
It's been over a year since I started working from a standing desk. Using the desk has felt increasingly normal: at least some of the increased productivity and focus I originally enjoyed has faded through familiarity. I still use the desk every day, and... read more
February 20, 2013
Not many years ago I realized that I genuinely enjoy spending time in the gym, performing the slightly absurd task of lifting heavy objects and putting them back down again. Weight lifting combines self-challenge, attention to detail, and a meditative focus on the present moment that I find... read more