Why Do I Do What I Do???

Okay - a confusing title to say the least, but it came up recently in a student design classroom. "Why do you volunteer and put all those hours in running a magazine and not get paid?" Another good one I was asked - "What made you want to become an editor?"

The answer to those two questions is actually very simple. I volunteer and work to make Vancouver Fashion eZine a success so I have the opportunity to interview and write articles on interesting people. I work as an editor to make sure I can continue as a writer doing what I love to do.

For me it is all about interesting lives. They will in the future define our generation and so many are being lost on a daily basis. We now live in an era where fame and celebrity is defined by reality TV. Let's be honest - do the celebutants we follow really deserve our attention. Do the articles published on them teach us something useful. I find more interesting details interviewing a local artist just starting out or a stunt man in the business for 20 years.

In general, I prefer to talk with unknowns, but there are always exceptions. I was in the audience during an interview with Jeannie Beker that knocked my socks off. Talking one-on-one with Raphael and Lisa-Marie Mazzucco was amazing and John Fluevog has a story about his journey that is spell-binding. But I have also been intrigued by a recent student grad or someone I ran into at a party. What defines a great interview is the chance to look into and share someone's journey and life lessons. In the 6 years I have been writing I have had over 70 interviews and only a couple were uneventful.

I guess what I want to encourage everyone to do is put the cell phone down when you're in company, stop texting and tweeting and actually talk to the person next to you. See what they have to offer in life experiences - it could change your life.

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