Friday. The 13 Arts, Faith and Community Links you Need to Visit.

This week I've got 13 more links about art, faith and community for you. We'll learn a bit about all there is to learn, listen to some new music from Leonard Cohen, meet a young songwriter named Braden Gates and carve out some sacred space. Sound good? Dive in.

1. Before you go reading any of this stuff, remember that knowing does not necessarily make you wise. This charming animation reveals a great truth for our times from Maria Popova; Knowledge DOES NOT EQUAL wisdom. 
2. This is Leonard #CohenWeek folks! Why? Because on September 21, the legend turns 80. And because CBC Radio 2 says so. To celebrate, Cohen releases his 13th album, Popular Problems, next week. If you can't wait that long, you can have a 'first play' right here, right now.
3. Speaking of Leonard Cohen, you have read his poem, God is Alive, Magic is Afoot, right? Maybe you'd rather if Cohen read it to you?
4. While we're onto words, do you like quotes about creativity? How about 45 creativity quotes in one post?
5. And while we're onto music, last weekend at Kaleido I stumbled upon Braden Gates in a back alley. It was, perhaps, the best possible way to discover this local folk gem. 
6. Amid the roar of the new U2 album, no one is really talking about the music. Well, neither is this guy, until the end of this insightful New Yorker article on U2's Christianity.
7. While U2 gives an album away for free, many of us wonder how to make any money off of music. New models keep emerging, like my friend Jonathan J Bower's 'kick-ender' campaign. Have a listen and support great music.
8. Wonder what it's like to start something you know little to nothing about - like a business? Listen to the process on a new podcast from the Producer of This American Life at http://hearstartup.com/.
9. Of course, here's what might really happen when you follow your bliss.
10. But there are plenty of resources to help you succeed. CARFAC is launching a new series of Webinars (online seminars over Wednesday lunch hours) for just $15 each - and less if you register for all six at once. The series covers topics ranging from Marketing 2.0 to Doing Business With Commercial Galleries and crafting the Perfect Portfolio.
11. How do you get the important stuff done? Here's how the most successful people manage their time.
12. Rather than doing any of this, you might want to carve out a sacred space for deep thinking.
13. You can get some good tips on crafting your own Sacred Space through a weekly Sabbath from the folks behind the Sabbath Manifesto. They've been slowing down lives since 2010.

Friday's Kaleidoscope of 13 Finds

I know the sky has not shone brightly, but surely there is yet some joy to be found? Look no further, in fact, than this magical kaleidoscope of 13 artistic finds!

1. The title of this week's post is a wink and a nod to this weekend's fabulous Kaleido Festival. If you've never been, you NEED to check this out. If you have been, you'll be back I'm sure. Did I mention people dance on walls? Here's what I had to say about it last year.
2. And our friend Karla Adolphe will be there. And here, too. Oh, and here, too.
3. Want to know what an Arts Potluck looks like? What do people share? Who shows up? What they recommend? You can find all of this and more on my recap of last Friday's event.
4. Jonathan J Bower is a musician I met at the Glen Workshop this summer. He just put out a great album, and launched a Kickstarter to pay for post-production of Hope, Alaska. I love this way of supporting an artist and his work so directly. 
5. I recorded a demo of a song inspired by words and images emailed to me from participants of the recent JusticeCAMP: Land event. I hope you like it.
6. Aaron Srumpel, synthesizers and the Book of James collide.
7. While we're on music, maybe you're a U2 fan and maybe you're not. Either way, you've likely heard by now that the new U2 album is free for all 500 million plus iTunes users in the world. You may also, like me, have had troubles finding and downloading the free gift. In my opinion, Songs of Innocence is a very solid release from U2 and worth the listen. If you are still wondering how to get yours, this article from CNET makes it simple.
8. If you are a U2 fan, you likely have The Joshua Tree already. But if you don't, you need it. You can get it for just $5.99 from iTunes right now, along with all other U2 albums on sale.

9. "Good books tell the truth, even when they're about things that never have been and never will be. They're truthful in a different way" - Stanisław Lem (from Good Reads)

10. I had the pleasure of watching the film Enough Said on Netflix recently. It is a warm and real romantic comedy with great writing. It is also good to watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus bumble awkwardly for a couple of hours. She's just so good at it. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can watch it here.
11. Speaking of movies, remember how terrifying these end-times movies were? Watching these as a kid led to issues therapy could probably help me with. Somehow, being from the 70's only makes them scarier now.
12. I've been reading Anne Lamott, a Christian author who would likely have strong disagreements with the rapture theology presented in the aforementioned film. Her book, Bird By Bird, is a classic for writers. Oh, and she's on Twitter.
13. Surely you have enough time to check out these links? After all, you have 168 hours this week. How are you using them?

Watch Your Click Finger - Here Come 13 More Rabbit Holes!

Look out folks. I hope you've stored away some precious moments because here come those rabbit holes of the internet again, to tempt you with their linky goodness!

1. You may want to put that phone down and take some notes by hand. Apparently sketching is real good for you.
2. One disadvantage of a paper notebook is that it is hard to organize to find things later on. Or, maybe there is an easy way to organize a paper notebook?
3. For some of us, Back to School means time for working from home, free from distractions. But how do we get the work done? Here's how Ira Glass, host of This American Life, works.
4. Speaking of Back to School - take a moment to remember your art teachers.
5. Maybe, among other things, those art teacher gave you some wonderful words about art?
6. Maybe it's time for some more training? How about free online courses from CreativeLive?
7. No really, you may want to put that phone down.
8. Looking for a way to connect with artistic community? Why not try an Arts Potluck?

9. "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." - Thomas Merton in No Man Is An Island (via etechne)

10. Speaking of email, I started my own newsletter today. Can I send you some tasty emails?

11. Want to send your own newsletter? The newly redesigned Tiny Letter, from the good folks at MailChimp, is as easy as it gets.
12. Speaking of design, did you know it affects just about everything? And most of our problems, according to visionary Bruce Mau in a recent CBC interview, are problems of design. 
13. Of course, there is also the opportunity to make things much, much better, like in this powerful poem from spoken word artist Joel McKerrow.

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Care to share a link of your own? Take advantage of the comments below!

Friday Finds: I Like to Do Drawings

Two Christmases ago, my wife bought me a wonderful little book. It is page after page of possibility. It is called 642 Things to Draw, and really, its self-explanatory. After two years, I've drawn far too few of these things. I could have finished the book with a simple daily drawing by now. Guilting aside, the book has reminded me that (a) I like drawing and (b) I'm alright at it. My first drawing from the book's prompts, a rolling pin, is here.

It wasn't long after I got that book that I got an iPad mini. And it wasn't long after that I downloaded the app Paper by 53. It's a very simple, incredibly intuitive program for drawing. Not a lot of options, just a few tools that work great and get out of the way.

I began using Paper to illustrate blog posts because it would take me about as long as finding or designing an image would. Here is the first drawing I did with Paper for this blog.

When it came time to write letters for the Dear Edmonton blog, it just made sense to me to illustrate those letters and bring a little something unique, and something shareable on social media, to each letter. So far, I've done 12 of these drawings. I hope you enjoy the gallery below.

[gallery ids="727,728,729,730,731,732,733,734,735,736,737,738"]

My next project is an ambitious one, inspired by a far more ambitious project, All the Buildings in New York, where an illustrator has set out to draw every single building in New York. It's a fascinating, beautiful obsession.

My project, starting next week, is called Avenue Buildings. I'm drawing the buildings of Alberta Avenue on a tumblr blog. I'm going to start at 97 street and move my way down 118th Avenue towards Rexall Place. Or maybe I'll jump around. I won't draw every day, but I'll try for a couple of times a week. I'll do this until it stops being fun, because this project is all about fun for me.

So, do you do drawings? I'd love to see them. Share a link below.

Friday Finds: Announcing the 9 Bridge Songs 2014 Songwriters

A few weeks back I told you about our Bridge Songs 2014 visuals artists. Today, I'm going to set that art to some beautiful music from 9 local talents. You can read my full post from today, a letter to Edmonton about her music scene, on the Dear Edmonton blog.

But if you just want the list, I'm excited to share this great round up of local talent right here and now. Look forward to hearing, and owning, some of their music with your Bridge Songs ticket for June 14.

Angela Power

Becky Pawliw

Brian Toogood

Cynthia Hamar

Dan Sabo

Dave Von Bieker

Lloyd Litke

Lora Jol

Reuben Anderson

It's a great line up of music I know you're going to love hearing.

Oh, and one more thing.

We'll be having a performance from Venessa B during our Low Brow Art Gala after the show!

Oh, and one more, one more thing.

Three of these performers will be playing The Carrot, together, the week before Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton. For just $5 at the door, you can catch Becky Pawliw, Brian Toogood and Venessa B in a group show that's sure to get stuck in your head. RSVP on Facebook here.

Friday Finds: 9 Dear Edmonton Visual Artists

Well friends, spring is in the air, summer is around the corner and for me that means one major project; Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton.

We've got an entirely new Bridge Songs website coming very, very soon. In the meantime, today I'm letting the cat out of the bag and announcing our visual artists for Dear Edmonton. Musicians, writers and any other participating artists will be announced later, but here are the visual artists you can expect to see at Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton on June 14!

Dear Edmonton Visual Artists

Adam Tenove

"I usually paint scenes of the Edmonton cityscape, combining and experimenting with text, found objects and raw textures.  My subjects include the idea of “epiphanies”  and scenes that dwell on collective mindsets through every day things. I also maintain art community focused projects though “ellipsis” and an ongoing art critique blog, “the CRIT.” . Through these and many other pursuits I develop work aiming to challenge perception of our cities. urbanization and neighbourhoods." - from the Adam Tenove's online bio

Adam Tenove's skillfull paintbrush meets his playful exploration of words in his Dear Edmonton work. Adam has shared at the Arts Potluck in the past, has shown sculptural installation work at our #JusticeYEG Gallery, and we're happy to have him as part of the Bleeding Heart community.

View Adam Tenove's online portfolio at http://ellipsisartcollective.com/artistgallery/

Cheryl Muth

An archived piece from Cheryl Muth's website

Painting is an important expression of my love for life. Between working as a nurse and raising a family, painting has always been a pleasure. It is a delight to find the individuality of a moment or a setting and capture it on canvas. - From Cheryl Muth's online bio

Cheryl Muth's paintings are alive with vivid colour. Cheryl has displayed work as part of Bridge Songs many times in the past, and we are excited to see how her eye perceives the urban Edmonton landscape.

You can view more of Cheryl Muth's work and order an piece at her website, http://www.cherylmuth.com/

Julie Drew

Julie's landscape paintings have been seen in many Alberta Avenue events, like the Kaleido Festival, where she also teaches paper-making.

For Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton, Julie has found beautiful landscapes within the city limits, in places like the Mill Creek Ravine, but she's also captured Edmonton's urban character. And snow.

View Julies vast collection of works on her website, shedrewit.com, where you can also read Julie's reflections on art and faith, and find out where she is leading workshops.

Kayla Muth

Kayla Muth is an emerging photographer, and does not have a website yet. Too bad, because from the work she has submitted for Bridge Songs, we like what we see.

Her images, like the one here of Edmonton's iconic Churchill statue, capture our city from a unique, skilled perspective.

We're looking forward to sharing new photographic works from Kayla Muth at Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton!

Lucille Frost

We're excited to include works by multimedia artist Lucille Frost, whose work was featured as part of last year's Works Art and Design Festival.

Here is a video featuring that work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o49Fpzif0as

A resident of the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood, Lucille has this to say about her Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton work;

By making my work abstract it becomes no place and everyplace. I use specific textures and combinations of shapes to form images which are simultaneously familiar and surreal. In each of these paintings I am exploring the importance of a personal connection to a place, the figure in each piece is having a transformative experience with their environment. What exactly is the nature of the exchange occurring is what I allow viewers to decide for themselves, is it a transcendent enlightenment or an aggressive disturbance?

We Edmontonians know firsthand the struggle our climate can entail, but we are also intimately aware of the passion and determination it takes to make our lives in this place. - excerpt from the artist's submission statement

Marcie Rohr

Anywhere But Here might sum up Marcie's Dear Edmonton work best. As Marcie struggles with her Edmonton identity, she wistfully longs for faraway places. But it is telling that these places are imagined and abstracted, more like dreams and memories than representations. Marcie knows that these places are out of reach, at least for now, and perhaps she also knows they are not likely so magical as they seem from afar.

Still, the spaces depicted in Anywhere But Here are lovely to visit, and I know you're going to enjoy her contribution to this year's Bridge Songs event.

You can view more of Marcie's work at http://www.papercastle.ca/html/index.php?p=40

Sara French

We're so pleased to include a comic from Harcourt House Artist in Residence, Sara French.

Sara's contagious enthusiasm for the local arts scene shines through in her soon to be released Arts & Culture XL newspaper about Edmonton's visual arts scene.

"Sara French experiments with a diverse range of themes and materials. Overtime, her methodology has become a multidisciplinary process that fundamentally involves performance art. " - from the artist's website

Discover the wide range of Sara French's work at http://sarafrench.net/

Stephanie Medford

With a website like iheartedmonton.ca, it is perhaps no surprise that our show includes local printmaker Stephanie Medford. But it is certainly a delight.

You will have seen Stephanie Medford's work at local maker's markets like the Royal Bison. For a while now, Stephanie has been printing iconic Edmonton images onto Edmonton maps, making postcard art.

You should also explore her Sketches of YEG tumblr. I'm a fan of the Dadeo's jukebox.

Wenda Salomons

Wenda Salomon's current photo-a-day project is a departure from her other photography in many ways.

These works are taken on a smartphone - one of the newest forms of camera. Salomons is known for her pinhole work - the oldest, most primitive form of camera. These new images pop with vivid colour and sharp lines, where much of Salomons other work shows muted and monochromatic tones with blurred forms. Those works are far more abstract than these recent shots. Those works are shown in galleries. These one-a-day images are shown on Instagram. Until now.

We're so pleased to show Salomon's Instagram shots in our Dear Edmonton gallery. They may be different in many ways, but they are a testament to the same skilled eye for composition, and the same explorer's spirit that informs Wenda Salomons' pinhole work.

You can view Wenda's instagram work here, and the rest of her work on her artist website at http://wendasalomons.com

Friday Finds: Free Songs From the Bridge Songs Vault

You know how Disney opens up their 'Vault' every once and a while to offer some goodies from the past? Well this is kind of like that. But free. We are now planning Bridge Songs, the Bleeding Heart's flagship event that takes place on June 14. But did you know this is our 8th Bridge Songs?

Here's a look back at our 7 previous outings, complete with a free track from each album. Enjoy!

Bridge Songs One

This first time out there was no theme - we were just excited to make music together. The results were a large collection of solo performances, originally released in hand-stamped paper sleeves, on disks we burned ourselves. I later updated the cover and included even more tracks for a '1.5' release that we gave away to guests of Urban Bridge Church for some time.

From that release, here is My Only Friend from Cora McLachlan.

[audio mp3="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/12-My-Only-Friend.mp3"][/audio]

Download My Only Friend

Bridge Songs Collective

Wanting to take things up a notch, we thought, 'Let's Make Music (and art) together'. Collaborative projects were the loose theme for this year, and some great work resulted. We also moved to The Ave this year. It was the start of a new direction for Bridge Songs.

From Bridge Songs Collective, here is Tiny Castles, written by Dave Mulcair.

[audio m4a="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/03-Tiny-Castles.m4a"][/audio]

Download Tiny Castles

Bridge Songs: Be Not Afraid

Our third outing took a darker turn, bringing 'Music in the face of fear". It also took our collaboration further, bringing a full band to the tracks.

Working with the theme of fear produced some great music, and I still play "Sure" today.

From Bridge Songs: Be Not Afraid, here is Sure, written by Dave Von Bieker.

[audio m4a="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/05-Sure.m4a"][/audio]

Download Sure

Bridge Songs: Faerie

Of all the Bridge Songs events we've done, this one, held at Avenue Theatre, was so, so fun! Beautiful stage decorations by Jennifer Wilde accompanied a performance that involved a timpani and a spider monkey. You had to be there.

But, for those who weren't there, you can enjoy one of my favourite tracks from any Bridge Songs, by Jennifer Wilde.

From Bridge Songs: Faerie, here is Sara's Song, by Jennifer Wilde

[audio mp3="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/06-Saras-Song.mp3"][/audio]

Download Sara's Song

Bridge Songs: ?rogress

We recorded this one entirely ourselves, using plenty of technology to match the '?rogress' theme. The results were mixed in the end - a product of over-ambition smacking against the walls of time and resources (and my limited production skills). But this album is my baby, and I'm still proud.

From Bridge Songs: ?rogress, here is YOUHAVETIME, by Andy Mulcair.

[audio m4a="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/01-YOUHAVETIME.m4a"][/audio]

Download YOUHAVETIME

Bridge Songs: New Eyes

By our seventh outing, the Bridge Songs musicians were comfortable together. We'd been playing on one-another's songs for a while, and many of us wanted to push that collaboration further. We wanted to see what we could accomplish with a deeper focus and commitment to excellence.

Rather than a full album as a collective, we formalized as a band and focussed on an EP, The New Eyes Open. It included two brand new songs and our first re-working of something from the Bridge Songs back-catalogue–Cora McLachlan's There Was a Ghost.

Cora's version, from Bridge Songs: Be Not Afraid is yours for the taking.

[audio m4a="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/04-There-Was-A-Ghost.m4a"][/audio]

Download There Was a Ghost

The entire three song EP can be downloaded from Bandcamp for just $2, and previewed here.

Bridge Songs: Heartbreak

Last year we rebooted the Bridge Songs process and opened it up to new songwriters again. As a rest, we received the most song submissions ever, from many new performers.

It seems Heartbreak is rich songwriting territory.

Our final song, from Bridge Songs: Heartbreak, is the wonderful The Sailor, a duet between Spencer Ford and Cynthia Hamar (this is the unmastered version).

[audio mp3="http://www.bleedingheartspace.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/The-Sailor.mp3"][/audio]

Download The Sailor

What's your favourite track from Bridge Songs' past?

Be sure to join us on June 14 for the performance and release of Bridge Songs: Dear Edmonton,