Postcard: Photos from Cusco, Sacred Valley and The Colca Canyon

This is a long one!

Getting out of the big city and going to Cusco & Arequipa was a literal breath of fresh air.

After a fun two weeks of travelling around Cusco and Arequipa, I’m back at our favourite bakery in Lima writing this blog post. Summer feels like it’s coming back in full swing and we can finally see blue sky, which is a huge surprise since Lima is shrouded in grey for most of the year. 

The first time I went to Cusco and Machu Picchu was 20 years ago when I was just a chubby kid. I had gotten really sick from the altitude and remember hobbling along the cobblestone streets feeling like puking. Luckily, this time was really different. We lucked out with the weather, getting 5 days of sun during our time in Cusco. The city itself is wonderful and hiring a driver to drive around the sacred valley was definitely a highlight of the trip so far. 

After Cusco, we hopped down to the Colonial city of Arequipa where we spent another 5 days in the “White City.” Dubbed the White City, not only for its beautiful white walls, but because it used to be the city with the most europeans in Peru - yes, racism was/is a thing in Peru. Despite it’s past, Arequipa is a beautiful city.
All the eating and lack of exercise has definitely left me a little pudgy. So when I decided to do a 2 day, 22km trek with 1600m of gain in the Colca Canyon, I knew it wasn’t going to the easiest walk. 

Despite this, it was a beautiful trek around the second deepest Canyon on earth. We descended into the canyon and walked through rows of cacti, passed small farms and homes and ended at a an oasis in the desert. Although filled to the brim with tourists, the Oasis was a great evening to relax with drinks and a pool before setting off the next morning. 

In the next week or so, we’ll be headed off to Chile! Leave me a note if you have any must-see’s and recommendations!

A Year Sabbatical: Month one in lima peru

This past year has been fast and furious. I took on as many projects as possible to see the range of types of projects I wanted to work on. I don’t expect this career to be easy, but I need to remember why I got into in the first place. It’s easy to fall into the trap of creating cookie cutter work instead of taking the time to invent and reinvent myself and the work.

The first time I heard of taking a year sabbatical was from Stefan Sagmeister in the Great Discontent. He describes the risk of deciding to take a year off, but also the rewards of doing so for the years afterwards. I thought this was a brilliant idea - combining leisure, learning, experimentation, travel and creativity all into one year. I’ve had this idea sitting in my head for a couple years that I would try it out and see if it is for me.

My hopes for the year are to come back reinvigorated, with more focus and a body of creations and experiences that I can look back fondly on. I want to meet, see, and experience the most out of my time and live by my philosophy that work to live, not live to work.

Becoming more connecting with my Chinese & Peruvian cultures have been a consistent theme throughout most of my adult life. Having been to Peru a couple times in the past, I knew I wanted to spend more time here learning about where my parents come from. Even in just the past weeks, I’ve noticed some of the cultural influences that have shaped my life. Things like chatting over long lunches with family, an obsession with all things food, hilarious jokes that don’t translate well in english and of course speaking Spanish.

I believe that creation and self exploration come hand in hand. To understand what and how we create, we need to have an understanding why we create and where it comes from. And of course, the words that make

I’ve dubbed this the month of the language.

This past month has been packed with Spanish classes with the hopes of gaining some more fluency by the end of the year. I’m not going to lie, it’s been sooo much harder than I remember Highschool Spanish to be. When I look back, it was kind of a joke. What’s interesting (beyond learning about the language) is getting to learn about Peruvian and Latin culture through the language. I’ve been learning to appreciate nuances in why people are perhaps the way they are, because of how their language shapes them. For example, I find Peruvian humor to be hilarious, clever and witty in ways that English is not. There’s a certain directness and calling things by what they appear to be in Peruvian culture that I appreciate.

At the end of the week we’ll be leaving the coastal beauty of Lima and touring the South to Cusco, Machu Picchu and Arequipa. For sure I’ll be missing the coastal sunsets from my uncles apartment, but it’ll be nice to get out of the busy city and into some quieter areas on the country. On to the next!

Hand Made Life

Drew and I had the delight of spending an afternoon filming with author, playwright, and all around creative human being, Pauline La Bel for our short documentary, Sound Water. 

On our ferry ride over to Bowen Island, I brought up the insanity of choosing the potentially “harder path.” You know the one. The one that takes a less traditional route, rather than the well trodden path. Like working for the ferries, earning $30 an hour with a pension and a steady income. Like, why are we making things so complicated in our attempts to make a living instead of just taking on what's there?

Of course, working a pensionable, regular, stable job isn't necessarily what I want, or a bad thing.  But why go through the ups and downs, battles with doubt, taxes, legalities, uncertainties, etc. etc. So we brought this question to Pauline. To give you a little context, Pauline is writer, performer, singer and has had an emmy nomination to boot.  She's also 74 and published her third novel at 68. Needless to say, she's a boss. 

The response she gave was wonderful. Simply put, she said: "you’re choosing the hand made life.” That sentence stopped us in our tracks and put a smile on our face. 

Yes, this is the hand made life. 

--

In other news, we didn't get the Story Hive grant, but are still going to make this documentary happen (of course!). If you know any generous private donors, hit us up! 

Drew enjoying the left over hand made pizza. 

Success is in the Present

The past few days I've been reflecting on the idea of "enough" and how it's related to success. I left the corporate world so I could find my own ladder to success and even though I'm on my own, it's easy to fall into a different trap. Thinking that the bigger, newer, sexier project will bring in a feeling of success. Or that only when I land a certain project, win an accolade, or am recognized externally, will I finally find success. 

Reading this article by Leo, put some light on my future focused idea of "enough" and "success." He writes about the fallacy of success being achievement in the future vs. doing what we love right now. 

When I step back and take a look at what I set out to achieve 5 year ago, I am by my own definition, successful. Here's what I wrote down in February of 2013: 

 "In 5 years, I am finding my true style and able to operate a self-sustaining photo/video business" 

Yes, we can all define our own versions of success. But when can I recognize that I'm living a life that I set out for myself 5 years ago, right now? Isn't doing something I care about for a living a success in itself?

I'm curious to know how you all find success in the present? How do you deal with the never ending process of trying to achieve more? 

#HEATCHECK Music Video

It's been a couple weeks since I've gotten back to Vancouver and it's finally feeling like I'm getting settled back into my regular routine. Have a watch of the HEATCHECK Music video with Francis Arevalo:

A few months ago my Dad & Uncle officially closed down Killarney Market. I grew up at the store and besides school and home, this was the next place I spent the most time. As a kid, I would spend weekends playing in the backroom, waiting for my parents to get off of work. The store felt like a second home. 

Since getting into filmmaking and helping the crew during Michael Buble's Music video, the idea of filming something at the store was always in the back of my mind. It wasn't until 10 days before they ownership was officially changing that this idea with Francis sprung up. A huge S/O to the crew that came out and made this possible! 

Here are some thoughts from a facebook post I shared a while back:

I was reading over the comments on the Killarney Market facebook page and it was a surreal experience reading what all the customers had to say. One of my favourites being: "I'm in mourning, that's for sure" And, in referencing the Michale Buble Music Video: "The last time there were this many white people in Killarney was 1972." Hahah.

Walking around the store the past month, I was reflecting on the impact the Legacy my Dad, Mom, Uncle Tito and the number of staff have had on their community.

My dad told me once that the store's importance wasn't necessarily in running a "successful" business, but creating a place of community for the neighbourhood. I saw this firsthand working there from the time I was 8, until high school. I got to know regulars, I was raised by employees from all different backgrounds, and learned what it meant to be in a service industry. I saw the importance of grocery shopping in peoples lives: a lively encounter with an old friend, a chance for people in the neighbourhood to gather and a place for people to come and feed their families.

It's only now, after my parents have retired that I can fully see the legacy and impact they've had on the Killarney community. It really has me thinking about my business and my work and why I do what I do.