Beautiful Stranger

Still on a break from this, more new work on: JamesLauder.ca

Extro/Introvert

It’s been a while since I’ve added any new work here. Which isn’t to say I haven’t wanted to, it’s just the thought of striking up a conversation with a complete stranger fills me with listlessness.

I’ve been kind of peopled out lately and have struggled to turn on that extroverted part of myself. Naturally I’m more introverted, and I think for those of us who are that way we feel a societal push to be extroverted. Something which we can be when we feel like it or when the situation demands, but which isn’t our natural state. I think we all have a certain amount of time where we actually enjoy being around other people. Mine just happens to be shorter, and when I hit that line I just need to take a break.

Now lets be clear I’m not retreating into a cave all Grenouille style, I’m still social, but when your work life demands you be ‘on’ day in day out sometimes it takes a while to replenish the stocks.

For most of us that doesn’t always happen though. We take short vacations here and there but social media, emails, commitments, and our phones are ever present. We feel the need to stay connected even when we’re trying to disconnect.

That’s been the challenge with this project. To take the time to do what feels right and enjoy the moment, and to recognize the difference between pushing to meet goals and letting goals take over.

My goal is to have real genuine interactions with people, and when I’m in that place I do and it energizes me. If it becomes an obligation then it defeats the purpose.

Illustration process

Michael

Dustin

When/where were you born
I was born in Comox, in 1983.

How long have you lived in Vancouver
I’ve lived here for about 2 months. I like it so far, I was living in Victoria for a bit and before that Montreal for about 10 years.

What do you do
I work for the Government.

What are you most proud of
That’s a really hard question, I don’t know. I guess moving away when I was 18, living in Montreal for a while. Studying at McGill. I’m still young, I’m still waiting for something to be proud of I guess.

What cant you live without
Beer?

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received
It’s better to ask for forgiveness after the fact then permission before.

Andra

When/where were you born
I was born in Romania, in 1988.

How long have you lived in Vancouver
7 years. I love it. I was ready to go somewhere else this year, but I decided to stay put for another year, and just either going back to Europe, or Toronto, or Montreal.

What do you do
I’m a Graphic Designer, mostly working on the web. So anything digital and interactive, but I started in print design and I have a background in fine arts as well.

What are you most proud of
I think always trying to be open and reach out to new situations, new opportunities, new people, new interests. A challenge.

What cant you live without
Relationships.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received
Fall in love and dance everyday.

Janine

When/where were you born
Toronto, 1958.

How long have you lived in Vancouver
I moved here in 1989, on Halloween (almost 25 years, it will be my anniversary this year).

What do you do
Manager of Little Sisters Book Store, I’ve be on the odd board over the years. Different arts things, I’ve been on the Rumble board, the Push board, the Screaming Weenie board (now called Frank). I’ve done a lot around housing and getting those issues out to the public.

The bookstore’s always had the court case, that was in the 1990’s that that began, so I’ve been working on the front lines for that and doing a lot of the fundraising and a lot of the work around around getting that case together. So it’s great to have that over with.

The latest thing is around housing and having affordable housing, especially housing that really represents the diversity of what are communities are, and that we really need to make sure that we have a commitment towards actually creating the right kind of place that everyone can live in.

What are you most proud of
I think just surviving all these years I think I probably a fairly large achievement in life. I think that when we look at the people in our community, as a queer person who’s in her 50s, so many of us are gone, who aren’t part of our landscape as queer people who have all died. Some of AIDs and some of cancer, so, I’m proud of being part of what their life was about. And that’s certainly an inspiration to me.

What cant you live without
Probably a beer, at the end of the day.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received
Don’t feel like you have to know everything, and probably not knowing everything will be a real relief.

Jonathan

Cori

When/where were you born
Southern California, on an Airforce base in 1978.

How long have you lived in Vancouver
2 years.

What do you do
Artist and Jewelry Designer.

What are you most proud of
Doing what I love with my artwork.

What do you love
Marijuana and rainbows.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received
Less is more.

John