My longest running passion project is an art and culture blog that showcases the places where talented people create and share their work around Ottawa. The blog's origins trace back to an instagram hashtag I added to a photo I took at the annual House of Paint hip-hop festival. The photo marked a moment of awesome creative goodness happening in the city: while b-boys from across Canada battled to the tune of a hiphop medley arranged and played live by Ottawa's SoulJazz Orchestra, #goodthingsottawa was born.
Three years on I still have much love and need for my little blog. Beyond highlighting 'good things' happening in the city, getting to visit the workspaces of some very talented artists has served as fuel for my own creative practices. goodthingsottawa however was getting to be a mouthful, and a bit vague in an uninspiring way. I wanted to sharpen the blog's focus on the acts of creating and putting down roots in the city. Right now is a really special time of cultural growth in Ottawa, and there's a desire and drive among the artists and makers I'm meeting to stay and be a part of this growth rather than packing up for established creative hubs of Toronto, Montreal, and beyond. Despite the challenges of choosing to be an artist or creative in this city, people are doing it: they're putting in the work, investing in and supporting each other, taking the risks, dreaming it up and trying their darndest. So, to that dedication, grit, and determination I'd like to give props and present the latest incarnation of goodthingsottawa: faisons-ici.ca: we make it here.
