Sometimes being an artist is playing fun improv games amongst the barrels of one of the most reknown wineries in the whole country.
Other times it’s making tough decisions and turning down opportunities you know would be tremendous fun because you have to take care of yourself and your little life.
It’s not always easy, but it is always choosing.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fttmk-1353910
Heather Eyman is a fitness coach and improviser among many other things and in this episode, we see the path Heather took to narrow down on what’s important when there isn’t enough time to do everything and when you’re the kind of person who enjoys the abundance of what life has to offer.
We also ask her advice on how to fix Nick’s darn back! Find out what kind of tips she offers Nick, and all of us when it comes to making deposits into your body bank. (That’ll make more sense when you listen!)
Your Creative Tips
Health and Wellness, Fitness, Improv, Time Management
MORE HEATHER EYMAN:
Brie’s Updates:
Nick’s Updates:
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#StruggleOn
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4jsj8-1302243
Our first episode in over four months! Why the break? Well you’ll just have to listen to the episode and find out. HA! Masters of the tease.
But really, it’s a doozy of an episode where Brie & Nick dig deep into some real talk about physical and mental health, motivation, relocation and the whole thing gets a little vulnerable.
It’s not all struggle though. There’s life. There’s travel. There’s a mandatory Maron reference!
Take a listen & let us know if it resonates with your journey.
Your Key Creative Tips
Comedy, Writing, Improv, Stand-Up, Performing, Pain Management, Depression and Anxiety, Goals.
Brie’s Update:
Don’t miss the remount of End with a Kiss, this December in Hamilton!
Thinking about starting your own podcast? Click HERE to get one free month of hosting.
#StruggleOn
It was great to be back in Ottawa for a few days last week.
When I went to school there a hundred million years ago, I always got the sense that the city was steeped in history. It felt old. I mean, I know it’s old. But it really felt historic. It felt different this time.
I remember myself, back in my first year at Ottawa U, when I lived in residence, and would walk to the grocery store. I can now see on Google Maps that is a 1.1km walk that would take approximately 15 minutes. (It goes uphill a bit.) I’m pretty sure we were still reliant on MapQuest back then. And I don’t remember wanting to print out a map. I had experience as a cadet! I had a good internal compass. (shifty eyes.)
I remember that walk felt like an eternity.
I remember feeling weight of the city’s history and it feeling a little lonely. I wondered what would have come of the city if the Queen hadn’t been like… “Ok HERE, I guess.” (Direct quote, Queen Victoria.)
I wonder if that feeling would hold true today, when I would have distracted myself on my phone the entire walk home, or just Uber’d my way back from the grocery store. There was a shuttle, but I think I was always too anxious to wait around for it to come back. Or I would miss it.
The French language being spoken out in the open everywhere feels like a warm blanket of my heritage. But that bilingualism is celebrated, and not solely Francophonie reaffirms my identité.
The city does still feel the same, but faster. The condos are popping up and changing the landscape of the Centretown of my memories. I walked, but I also drove around.
I reconnected with friends in general, and to do an improv workshop. I made new ones too. We worked on listening to each other, on being patient and taking our time.
When I left Ottawa I’d just received my anxiety diagnosis.
Coming back I felt like I decided to intentionally take my time. Be patient, and listen to the beat of the city. It felt good to be back. And still I wonder…
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5ywbi-121430e
All wordplay aside, this is a delightful and informative episode featuring Genevieve (Evie) Jones, playwright, actor, director and mom of Daphne. Evie’s located in the Niagara Region, and chats with Nick and Brie about starting out her artistic career in Niagara, spreading her wings beyond the peninsula and her parents, and the reason for her epic return.
Evie provides us with some deep insight into how the pandemic has been helpful to herself and many artists in finding focus, and the now existing struggle to maintain that focus as the world opens back up.
Writers will appreciate learning more about the process of writing and producing live plays in Canada and the evolution of the artist in motherhood.
Your Key Creative Tips:
Writing, Playwriting, Parenting, Theatre, Acting, Directing, Performing Arts in Niagara and Halifax.
Nick’s Update:
Brie’s Update:
RESOURCES:
More from Evie Jones
Website: https://genevievejoneswrites.com/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/EvieJones11
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#StruggleOn
Today was a WEIRD DAY. I drove to Toronto in what was the most smooth drive to Toronto ever. I’m talking better than a Sunday good. Better than first Lockdown good. Got off on my exit, no problems. I left my place early, (as I normally do because traffic is so unpredictable) and got to the Distillery District for a wardrobe fitting with 45 minutes to spare! AND I found AMAZING parking!
I did the things you do when you have to kill time, but it’s Covid so you can’t go to a coffee shop and it’s Winter so I didn’t really feel like walking around outside. I sat in my car, checked some emails, set up my parking payment by re-installing the Green P app. (It’s been so long since I’ve used it, I deleted it from my phone!)
Nature called and I debated going to my fitting early to use the facilities, then I saw on Google maps that there was a public restroom (because it’s is the Distillery District and people drink lots of mulled wine,) so I grabbed my purse, my keys, my tuque, not my big winter jacket, I wasn’t going that far, and while opening the door, my finger slipped on the lock, locking the door.
I thought to myself, “this is not a problem!” because I had put my keys in my purse when filling it up with with all those loose car-things that become purse-things when one exits their car.
I got out of the car, the door slammed shut, and I thought, you know, maybe I should at least grab my scarf, it is a bit nippy. (The scarf is basically the size of a blanket.)
I go to open the door. It’s locked. Right. I remember locking it. The locks work great!
I check my purse for my keys, find my key ring, but on it, there is no car key! There is every other key, but no car key. Where the heck is my car key?
I look around my purse, it’s not in there. I bend down to see if maybe it fell under the car. Nope.
At this point a car pulls in directly beside me in the parking lot. (There are like TONNES of spots around the lot, why park RIGHT BESIDE ME, DUDE!?) It’s akin to the person sitting right next to you on the subway, but not because he just stood outside his car lurking (ie. probably waiting for people, whatever, I’m calling it lurking,) while I was crouched down on my hands and knees trying to find my key.
With 15 minutes left before my call time, I call my husband. He reminds me we no longer have roadside assistance because it’s the pandemic and we never drive anywhere any more. So we call CAA, and have to re-set up an account, re-set up payment, get transferred to the Toronto district office, schedule a truck to come break into my car so I can find my key.
Like, get the guy to come fix my car, and while he’s on the way, we can set up the payment details and all that. Wouldn’t that make sense? So I’m not stranded outside my car in the cold for longer than I need to be? It’s bad enough I feel like an idiot, do we have to prolong the car-lean-of-shame any longer?
Anyway, the CAA guy came with in 5 minutes of the phone call so I was barely late for my call time, and the situation was resolved relatively easy. I do require his eyes to find the key because I couldn’t see it anywhere in the car. He found it UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT! (How did it get there? It was in the ignition like two seconds before I got out of the car! What’s happening???)
Overall, it could have gone much worse. But sheesh. I don’t think I’m ever going to trust that easy of a drive into the city again.
Today is Day 1 off pop.
Coke, more specifically, but like, all pop would be ideal.
The book I’m reading says step 1 is to stop identifying with the habit. So, I can’t go around telling everyone how much I love Coke all the time anymore. (No not that coke.)
“I do not drink Coke.” – Me. Maybe if I write it down a bunch like the Shining it will become a reality.
Dan went to Walmart today and picked up two bottles of the stuff and I figure he’s trying to kill me. He also got a thing of Diet Coke because he thought a friend was coming over, but she’s not, so now I have to decide if it’s worth drinking Diet Coke or not, and frankly I don’t think it is.
Only Coca-Cola classic is truly worthy.
I mean, no it isn’t. Fuck Coke. Fuck it forever.
Habits are hard.
I think the best e-invention of modern time has to be the “Schedule Send” function in an inbox. I’m fairly certain Boomerang spearheaded its implementation, and gmail now has it built into its every day functionality, but seriously. It saves my butt so many times when I write an email at an ungodly hour and want to:
a) send it in a timely fashion but;
b) not wake up anyone who might still have email notifications on their phone while they’re trying to sleep.
I guess at that point, it’s on them for not having turned off their notifications, but BOY does it make me feel like a more functional adult human.
“Oh! Brie’s up bright and early and sending me this e-mail. Way to go!”
WRONG. I sent it at 2am and I am happily still asleep even if you’re practically on your lunch hour.
Either way, the job gets done and I don’t have to worry about feeling like a weird administrative vampire. Hmm, I think I just found another job title for my LinkedIn account.
In other news…
Today, I’m happily (see: frustratingly) working away at figuring out better functionality for woocommerce and WordPress. I’m starting to think Humber should have had a class in web design for us comedy students who didn’t realize the importance of SEO when we were we babies practicing our craft.
I went to the gym for the first time in a while. I’d only been once since things opened back up in Ontario. I wish I could tell you I went because I was so incredibly motivated to work out, but I actually just updated my bank account, and I really want to cancel the old account, and they’re the only company still regularly taking money out of my old account, so yeah. Got that taken care of and managed a sweet push day while I was at it. Also helpful because my elbow has been twitching unexpectedly lately.
I know it’s late-ish to be blogging, and I’m choosing not to send later, but I feel really good knowing the option is there for me when I need it.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-dkzh8-10f1a98
Chances are if you’ve performed comedy in Toronto, you’re likely one degree of separation from this episode’s guest; Gary
Rideout Jr., owner of Toronto’s famous Comedy Bar & Director of Business Development at The Second City in Toronto. This episode dives into Gary’s timeline as a budding comedian-turned-business owner and tracks the many successes he’s had along the way, the struggles that come with taking risks and putting yourself out there, as well as some truly great lessons learned along the way.
With the recent tease on social media announcing the opening of a second Comedy Bar location, on the Danforth, we’re thrilled to get to chat with Gary about his journey in Toronto comedy and his excitement for all that’s to come.
This is an episode for comedians and for fans of comedy. You’ll see what it takes to create a space for an entire community of comedy artists; how to foster that community and the heights where it can lead.
KEY CREATIVE TIPS:
Comedy, Writing, Performance, Touring, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Accessibility.
Nick’s Update:
Editing again, and prepping for NaNoWriMo
Brie’s Update:
Niagara Falls Night of Art, Improv Fallout back at Mahtay Café, Writing Accountability Partner
RESOURCES
Thinking about starting your own podcast? Click HERE to get one free month of hosting.
#StruggleOn
The federal election campaigns are now in full swing here in Canada, and I’m proud to say the this year is the first time I’ve ever both requested AND received a sign from the candidate for whom I intend to vote.
Although I must admit receiving the sign didn’t go down exactly as I would have imagined.
In my head, I pictured the candidate coming down, shaking my hand, celebrating my public announcement that I intend to vote. Making the neighbours uncomfortable with my oh so visual opinions, on display for all to see. A photo op maybe? The leader of the party even shows up on my doorstep and we play a game of “Questions Only” together because I’ve told him I run an improv company, and he cares about small businesses and the arts! (Swoon!)
Now, it’s been incredibly hot in Ontario the past few weeks and so stupidly humid. Also, I work from home, and when I don’t have to be on Zoom, then comfortable, breezy attire is the way to go for me.
I was working in the garden one day for a little bit – not too long, because it was so dang hot, watering some plants. (BTW I’m growing tomatoes for the first time ever, and it’s very satisfying. They’re turning out great, so if you want some tomatoes, let me know, because I don’t actually like to eat tomatoes.)
I went to return the hose and noticed a car pulling up in the driveway.
Now let’s be honest, this is not a common thing anymore. Since the pandemic started, it’s rare strangers just show up on your driveway, unless it’s to drop off the SkipTheDishes you ordered when you get too overwhelmed to go to the grocery store.
I was in a good “no ordering food online” place, so I was confused. Who was this stranger?
A middle-aged man steps out of the car and asks, “Did you order a sign?” (I do feel it’s important to mention his age and gender.)
Ah yes, this makes sense. He’s here to drop off my sign! I’m actually getting a sign!
I approach him, he asks where I would like it, I indicate. The whole time he looks me up and down very strangely. I attribute it to the pandemic regressing everyone’s social skills. I try to continue with pre-pandemic social pleasantries and carry on with exceptional politeness.
I ask him if he’d like a glass of water. (Again, because it’s friggin’ stupid hot out – he’s even commented on the heat by this point.
He looks terrified I’ve asked him this. He says “No thanks,” and basically runs back to his vehicle as quickly as possible. I wonder what I could have possibly done to scare this adult man. He then stays in the driveway for what I would describe as way too long, and eventually drives off. (Side note — if you turn down a drink of water and run away from a person, you probably shouldn’t linger in the driveway. It’s very off-putting.)
Just then, I realize I’m still in my gardening clothes. I’m wearing a shirt I’ve had for at least ten years. It has holes everywhere, namely a big one right above my nipple. Granted, I was wearing a bra, however the bra was skin-coloured, and may easily have been mistaken as my actual boob skin.
He caught me in garden-mode! I didn’t have time to change! I keep to the backyard! I certainly didn’t expect anyone to come to the door!
But NOW… this random NDP volunteer thinks I’m some disheveled boob-exhibitionist trying to lure him into my house with promises of water and who knows what other inappropriate propositions.
TBH, at 20% in the polls right now, they should really take all the support they can get. Boobs out and all.
clown college confessions 