Vancouver Vibes

Connecting people of our community by capturing and sharing their unique experiences and thoughts.

[vancouvervibes]

“Excommunication is still one of the harshest fucking punishments you can be doled out by society. When nobody likes you, it’s hard to stay happy. Even in jail you can have friends and talk to people. In a city, hardly anyone will be around you, and even if they do, you can see it makes them miserable; it hurts them. It’s not a very good feeling. It makes you feel like you are really alone even though you are surrounded by other people. Although, it’s cool because I see how adoptable the human spirit is to solitary confinement and no human contact. If we were just suddenly thrust into the woods alone for 10 years, the level to which you would adopt would probably amaze you.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I’ve been in sales my whole life. Starting in banking, I used to approve mortgages and loans.”

“Is this your landscaping company or you, gentlemen, work for somebody else?”

We are working with someone right now, but we are going to be independent. We are meeting lots of people and trying to make a difference in curb appeal. It’s like sex appeal for a house. It’s the value that we add to our service.”

“Is that your own term or an industry thing?”

“No, I just made it up.”

[vancouvervibes]

“We work with a landscaping company: door-to-door sales. It was hard at first, but it becomes second nature once you’ve been doing it for a while. It’s good. It’s easy, not so hard anymore. The job made me more outgoing. I got a go-getter kind of mentality, thinking that anything is possible. You just need to go after whatever you want.”

“What’s your goal this time in Vancouver?”

“Just make a bunch of money, man.” [laughing]

[vancouvervibes]

“I’m just enjoying my time outside. Just chillin’. I work every Saturday; trying to stay busy 6 days a week.”

“What brings you to working so much?”

“I just enjoy it. I do construction shotcrete and shoring. It’s a beautiful day for being outside. I’m having a kid this summer. Hopefully, I get to enjoy the sunshine with my new one. It’s my first, and I’m not finding out if it’s a boy or a girl.

It’s going to be crazy. I don’t even know how to feel, but I’m not worried. I’m pretty confident with everything, so it’s going to be cool.”

[vancouvervibes]

“This is our 3rd year now, and every time it’s something different. This is my go-to. I love speedos. I came down with 5 different ones because I didn’t know what I was going to feel like this morning. I like waking up and having a look at them to see what I need. Today, it was this one.” #rugbysevens

[vancouvervibes]

“I don’t mind bringing my prices down at the beauty salon because I have traffic. Clients try us: they come in thinking ‘you get what you pay for’, but then they realize it’s a great service. Businesses often sign up for discount sites like Groupon and Living Social because they want to be competitive price-wise, but they need to also make sure that their service is right. You can’t just do pricing. I used to manage at Best Buy. I was one of the senior managers, but taking care of somebody else’s business became too much for me. To be honest, you don’t even get paid much for doing it. At the end of the day, you count the hours and realize that you could be making the same money hourly somewhere like here. I prefer to have my own business and my own time. You kind of take control of your destiny when you don’t need to report to bosses. In the transition of becoming an entrepreneur, you have to have confidence and a vision. You are in your comfort zone with regular pay and benefits when working for somebody else. Now, you are saying ‘I don’t want this stuff. I want to go do my own thing’. For the first couple of years, it’s hard. It hard, but if you want to make it, put your mind to it. It’s challenging of course, and you have to have a back-up plan just in case. Not everyone who opens a business becomes successful. Experience also helps. In one way, that’s something you are gaining from working for a somebody else’s company.”

[vancouvervibes]

The perception of Vancouver Fashion Week seems to vary depending on who you ask. Some people avoid it because it’s too posh, while others go twice a year to receive their update on fashion trends. I appreciate good clothing, but the human element has always been far more important to me and I’m confident that you, my dear readers, can see it throughout my photographic work.

So what do I find so appealing about this event that I keep coming back? The people, obviously. The diversity of attendees is immense once you peel off the wannabe front that many put up to fit in and establish new contacts. The event has an atmosphere that let’s people freely express themselves and mingle. Not one person denied me a photograph, nor did they not want to speak to me. I met designers, broke students, and hedge fund managers alike. What connected them all was the desire to socialize and be seen.

We all have our jobs and day-to-day responsibilities that often catch us feeling as if we live in a bubble. A work-eat-sleep kind of thing. Suddenly, you get an opportunity to dress up as crazy as your guts allow you, reporters and bloggers point their cameras at you, and other attendees happily strike a conversation. Call it artificial, call it posh or fake. I call it entertainment and people-watching at its finest. Come to watch and be seen.

[vancouvervibes]

“I’m just finishing my collection and wanted to see if it relates to anything that’s on the runway right now. I’m tall and it’s so hard to find clothes that cover the full length. Also, having a bit more of a shapely body, it’s either your pants don’t fit you this way, or they don’t fit on the waist. Something like that, you know what I mean? I recently started wearing hijab, and I’m trying to cater towards modest wear with my new collection. Something that’s still very trendy: anyone can wear it, but a girl who wears hijab can wear it too. ” “What did you think of Carlston Jones?” “Honestly, I’m kind of disappointed that he only had one black model [on the runway] and he is a black designer.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I got into makeup six years ago. I started in Milan — worked there in the fashion industry. I then moved to Australia, just for a change. I worked there for some time. Then, I basically didn’t want to go back to Italy, so I came to Canada. It’s as simple as that.”

“What are the challenges that you encountered when establishing your makeup business in a new place?”

“For my job especially, it’s creating new contacts because it’s all about your network. That’s the most challenging part. I didn’t mind it as much when I moved to Australia because I was doing it for the first time. Now, I’m doing it all over again for the second time in Vancouver. Although, it’s fun. You just can’t give up. It’s going to be hard at times, but you just need to keep going if that’s what you want to do in life. Sooner or later, something is going to happen and you’ll get the opportunity to do it.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I’ve always worked as a bartender since back home in Italy. I was considering getting an office job after graduation, but I’m not sure if I’d like it. I’d love to have my own restaurant. If I have my own place, I’d love to have a nice bar. Not sure if it would happen in Vancouver, but there seem to be a good opportunity for opening a nice Italian restaurant. I don’t feel like there are many good ones here.

I think I’d be a good manager, but I’m more of a step-by-step guy. I still have another year of Bachelor’s to finish, and maybe I’ll continue my studies afterwards.”

[vancouvervibes]

“My daughter is one of the models.”

“Is it your first time watching her on a runway?”

“Actually, yeah! It was great. She did a great job. I’m proud of her for getting the courage up to come out and do this, start walking and look confident on the runway. I’m very pleased with her work.”

“Since your daughter is in fashion, what do you think of the industry as a whole?”

“I’m a artist too, so to see other people attempting to find new avenues of expression is always exciting.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I’m getting ready for this little girl. It’s been super exciting: sort of getting mentally and physically prepared for the next… whatever is going to happen. I’ve really enjoyed it. It hasn’t been terrible as some people say it’s going to be. I’ve learned how to deal with anxiety because it’s part of it all with the hormones going around. Patience is another one — it takes a long time. [laughs] Patience with everything. Patience with people coming up to you and touching your belly.”

[vancouvervibes]

“We are fashion designers called Takis — which is my nickname —, and we are showcasing tomorrow.” “Did the pieces you are wearing right now serve as inspiration for your collection in any way?” “Not at all actually. [laughing] The clothes that we design are only for women. They are original and fun: inspirations include heaven, paradise creatures, dreams. Totally different from what we are wearing.” “Maybe a stupid question, but what made you design clothing for women only?” “Possibly, because they inspire us more than men.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I’m a French influencer. I’m a singer. My music is very airy, and I wanted to put that feeling into my outfit.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I do too,” he chimed in.

[vancouvervibes]

“Hey! What’s your occupation?” “I’m a photographer.” “Can you take a photo for me to sue the city?” “Why? What happened?” “I tripped over a rod sticking out from the sidewalk and lost my teeth. It’s $6,000 to replace them, and I can’t afford that. I can still eat. The only thing I can’t chew is spaghetti.”

[vancouvervibes]

“I quit my job in November to do a play. I worked for a bank, and I’d been with them for 3 years. Normally, they would be very, very accommodating whenever I had to act. They would try to figure it out, so I could do both. With this one, they just changed all of a sudden. They said ‘No, you can’t do that anymore. You have to choose one or the other.’ I knew that banking wasn’t my career but wanted to wait until the end of the year to get my bonus since it would be very substantial for transitioning into my acting career. That same weekend, I booked a Nike commercial. That helped me make the decision and leave the bank to do ‘The Shipment’ [play].

You need to have a plan if you want to go out and make money on your own. I’ve been stashing away each paycheck to make this happen. Some people say ‘You can’t have a plan B if you have a dream.’ Fundamentally, I understand what they are saying: don’t set yourself up for failure by shifting your focus. At the same time, however, I must have something until the dream takes off. I can’t just focus on the dream and have no money coming in.”