Dana Wilson
Dana Wilson has been a media maven since 2001, working as a photojournalist and documentary film producer in western Canada, Prague (CZ), Delhi (IN) and London (UK) with content produced and broadcast internationally – in print, online and at dozens of festivals.
Her focus has evolved from humanitarian and social issues into areas that showcase growth, connectivity and artistry.
Her desire to produce holistically-integrated media shifted around 2012 as she discovered Permaculture. In her pursuit of embodying and putting it into practice, Dana transformed her life by first moving into and co-constructing a tiny home on shared land, and then relocating part time to the interior of BC where she is developing a sanctuary to host retreats that explore evolutionary and transformational consciousness.
The off-grid homestead will invite individuals who bring skills that contribute to the more beautiful world that our hearts are manifesting … and though we may all have different views of what that is, the first invitation is to Imagine….
Dana Wilson and Hazel Bell Koski have been working and creating together for over 10 years. They have unfurled the Kinship flags countless times together and love how it has grown with the ages and heart navigations of community.
Hazel is one of those true visionaries that invokes a sense of wonder and awe in those who stand in the spaces where she is exhibiting her creations or sharing her art of facilitation. Dana never tires of witnessing people’s reactions and basking in the truth and beauty that emerges. Their multi-disciplinary backgrounds and visions are a wonderful complement as they transform this gorgeous artistic vision into reality- inviting ‘effortless effort’ into the co-creation of thoughtful, awe-inspiring installations.
Jenn Brooks
Jenn Brooks is one of those people who has been writing since they were a kid. A fortunate upbringing encouraged a love of words and language which has only grown over time.
After training to be a radio operator and sailing on destroyers for a few years, Jenn left the Navy and began working as a rigging grip in Vancouver’s film industry. This was a first taste of working with creatives and that aspect of film was inspiring. In 2010, she relinguished everything – home, car, belongings – and slipped into a nomadic life. Her journey has carried her throughout Europe, off to Finland and the Galapagos, but most often to the Big Island of Hawai’i, where she volunteered for a number of years at an artist’s retreat centre. This offered a second taste of creativity, and cemented a desire to support those who pursue art for activism’s sake.
More than twelve years of nomadic life have been recorded in Jenn’s journals. She continues to seek opportunities to join in and support collectives with positive social goals and grand ideas of how to execute them, situations where her broad range of practical skills comes in handy.
Hazel Bell Koski, an incredibly gifted and brave Métis artist who is also a wonderful friend, has offered a constant thread of creativity throughout this nomadic time, with various projects inspiring adventure and growth.
Within the Kinship Flags project, Jenn has been delighted to support a courageous step in collective creation and expanding career options by offering her services as editor/wordsmith for story and website content. She has also lent a hand with logistics, information management, accounting, and research tasks where necessary and appropriate.
Chlöe Elizabeth Langmaid
Chloe Langmaid has spent her life dabbling in creativity in many forms. Her mother a painter, her father a musician, she was raised an artist long before identifying as one. In her teen years she was drawn to photography, poetry, and collage, and found these three outlets to be extremely cathartic and quickly realized, there is more to “art” than the finished product of a painting, or a song. After seeing a Samuel Becket show, it was solidified in her mind that the breadth of creative expression was much wider than she had originally understood.
In high school Chloe took many Digital Media courses and with the enthusiastic support of her teacher, began experimenting with merging photography, poetry, and graphic design to create meaningful works of art. This is where the foundations were laid for her career in media arts. After high school, Chloe completed a Certificate in Film and went on to study art history and the art of ancient civilizations in a Liberal Arts program at Capilano University. It was at this time she began taking on her first paid photography and graphic design clients and she hasn’t looked back since.
Chloe has 9 years experience working with artists, businesses and organizations to provide a range of media services including digital and print marketing, branding material and original imagery, as well as web design and social media management. She has worked with the organization Deer Crossing The Art Farm for the past 5 years on a range of creative community building projects where she has been reminded of the importance of process and collaboration in art and life. She is thrilled to have found a creative and meaningful career and continues to push herself to develop her skills.
“I have worked as a digital media artist for almost a decade and I am excited about the possibilities available by combining my skills with hazel Bell-Koski’s incredible design work and physical craftswomanship.”
Shaun Friesen
Soulfire founder, Shaun Friesen, is a multimedia brand developer, award winning animator, and author. With a fine art degree in computer technology, and over a decade of experience in the field of new media and digital design, Shaun has helped over a hundred creative entrepreneurs expand their technological dexterity and commercial visibility.
Shaun is very excited to be working with Hazel Bell Koski on the design and development of her website, as wel as vectorizing her beautiful stencils; the potential for reproduction and scaling when the designs become digital files is so great.
Shaun first connected with Hazel while working with IndigenEYEZ. As the Digital Social Communications Lead, Shaun managed the IndigenEYEZ website as well as supported it’s network of facilitators with promotional materials, such as posters or social media promotion. In 2017 while documenting an IndigenEYEZ youth camp Shaun met Hazel in person – they hit it off pretty much instantly, culminating in putting pantyhose on their head, placing tennis balls in the end, and running around swinging them to get a rise out of the youth. It’s hard to even describe the level of zaniness that this occurance truly was.
Shaun is super excited to now be living in the same neighbourhood as Hazel where they more opportunities to hang out, share amazing meals, have insightful conversations, and create beautiful things together.
Find Shaun’s full bio here: https://www.soulfire.design/bio