Dear Seekers

The first time I met Arden Wray was at another Dear Seeker Claudia Dey's book launch in the Gladstone Hotel. Although our exchange that night was brief, I had a strong drive to reach out to have a deeper conversation with her I knew OF Arden before that first encounter. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Arden's work, she is a Toronto-based Photographer who specializes in portraits. She has been commissioned by some of the most cherished publications, like The New York Times, British Vogue, while been hired by many indie fashion labels to bring their visions to life. Her photos have this magical power to connect you with the subject who you inherently may have nothing in common with. Travelling between Toronto and New York, Arden is using her lens to mostly capture two things she is most inspired by- people and places. The stories she is trying to tell are lingering among the past, the present and the future, and she is always practice the art of storytelling and looking closely.

Photography: Vai Yu Law

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Moss & Lam is one of Toronto's most cherished art studios. Their artworks are so far reaching that there is a good chance you've encountered their work, even if you don't realize it. From Milan to Hong Kong, from New York to Toronto, Moss & Lam is known for creating massive, whimsical interior pieces and installations marrying art and architecture with an emphasis on hand craftsmanship. Now, housing a team of 25 talented artists, the Moss Studio has been commissioned by some of the world’s biggest names, such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, the Four Seasons hotel, Holt Renfrew, Saks Fifth Avenue, and so on. No doubt, their portfolio is truly impressive. But what I find most inspiring is, despite all of the success, owner Deborah has been living a very humble lifestyle far away from fame and glam. She has been constantly exploring creatively, embracing new challenges, and opening to self-learning and self-discovery, especially when she lost her dear husband Edward Lam, her best friend, her life and business partner, and the father of her two young daughters. Deborah is a woman full of strength, vulnerability, wisdom, resilience, and grace. During our conversation, she speaks thoughtfully about her process of grieving and healing after losing Edward, and generously shares the importance of practicing gratitude and the beauty of risk-taking. After we parted ways, her poetic wisdom lingered in my mind for quite a while.

Photography: Vai Yu Law

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You may not be familiar with Carley Fortune if you’re not in the publishing world, but you most likely have heard of all the publications she has played an important role in. Carley started as an intern at Toronto Life and raised her hand when they needed an Associate Online Editor. Then, she joined The Grid as one of the founding members to launch this beloved Toronto weekly news magazine. A couple of years later, she joined forces as the Assistant Editor at at The Globe, and her experiences there eventually led her to the role of Editor in Chief at Chatelaine. Now, Carley is leading a team of 7 as the Executive Editor at Refinery29 Canada. Her extensive background in publications is very impressive. She is someone never shies away from opportunities- she senses them and she seizes them. During our conversation, she shares her experiences of building a team from the ground up, opens up about her struggles of finding her identity as a new mom, and talks about her way of getting in touch with herself. Despite all the fear and unknown, Carley is willing to put herself out there for a bigger purpose.

Photography: Vai Yu Law

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Carefully tracking down local dear seekers has been such a pleasure since the launch of this project. When discovered an intriguing woman in the city, I’m always like a little kid in a candy store. On a rare occasion, someone would introduce me to a potential guest who they think might be a great fit, but in today’s case, it was a husband who DM me on Instagram to recommend his wife, Tammy Yiu.

After connected with Tammy, I knew I had to bring this woman on board. Working as a freelance designer, Tammy co-founded Partial in 2015 in a hope to make great art discoverable and accessible. She feels a deep sense of responsibility to her community of artists and has a strong desire to make this platform a support system for artists, a discovery channel for art seekers, and an inspirational space for people who are not yet into buying art. Tammy is fuelled with positive and kindred spirit. To know her is to lover her.

Sitting down on her kitchen table in her open loft at the borderline of Parkdale and Roncesvalles, we chat about her childhood years growing up in Oakville; the things she learnt from her successful entrepreneurial father; and the importance and inevitability of pivoting.

Photography: Vai Yu Law

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From small town Elora to Toronto to the world, from selling her jewellery on her kitchen table to now over 500 retail stores internationally, from having fertility challenges to now mother to two, Jenny Bird is one of those women who made something out of nothing- through her strength to persevere over and over again and through her power of manifestation. As a young girl growing up in a town with a population of 3000, Jenny socked herself in arts and crafts. along with big dreams and deep understanding of the responsibility to provide for the family. Now, at 42, Jenny is at a very comfortable space with success and recognitions under her belt, she continues to seek for deeper meaning. Something bigger is calling her- she feels strongly. We were lucky to have caught Jenny in a moment of change- shortly before she gave birth to her second child Georgie

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On a super snowy day, I carried my recording equipment to the Junction with an extremely excited heart. I've been to Mjölk many times as a customer, but have only been able to admire owner Juli and John's astonishing home from a distance. Located right above the shop, their home has been featured in publications like the Kinfolk Home, Azure.

In 2009 when the aesthetic of Scandinavia wasn't taking the internet by storm and when the similarities of Scandinavian and Japanese design and philosophy weren't yet recognized by the masses, Juli and John were already on the path of building this sanctuary space stocked with carefully considered objects, furnitures and antiques. Not only that, through their in-house magazine and occasional exhibitions, Juli and John are also offering their customers a way of conscious living.

Working in sync with her husband John Baker, Juli is bringing her previous experiences with art curation, photography and publishing , except this time, all on her own terms.

Photography: Vai Yu Law

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Tracy Wan has a way with words and has a nose for scents. This Toronto-based writer followed her parents' wish by going to Architecture school but then followed her own heart by dropping out. It doesn't take long to realize Tracy's spectacular ability to articulate words, thoughts and feelings. Using this superpower of hers, Tracy managed to write for a living, which comes unsurprisingly as a surprise to her parents.

Running a passion project Invisible Stories alongside her day job, Tracy is set out to debunk the myths of perfuming making by featuring independent perfumers who came upon the craft the unconventional way and exploring our relationships with scents through memory, language and travel. To know her is to love her. Sitting in her charismatic apartment, we smelled some perfumes she made, dived deep into her memories as a kid, and explored the world of scents. 

Photography: Vai Yu Law

Connect with us on Instagram and Spotify. Leave us a review/comment on Apple Podcast.

For a chance to be included in the next episode, share your questions, comments or stories by recording something with your phone and send the MP3 file to [email protected]

Music: Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100301

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

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10 years ago when green beauty was not really a thing, natural beauty products just started to surface, and luxury handmade beauty lines were nowhere to be found, Fran was experimenting in her basement with ingredients from health food stores - Not for anyone else, but to combat with her own skin problems.

A few years later when she was bouncing back and forth between high-end retail and wholesale with no self- fulfillment, Fran had a now-or-never moment and decided to give this beauty line a try. With her curiosity at heart and spectacular sensibility, her namesake skincare line F. Miller has since gained recognition in many major publications such as Vogue, The File, Into The Gloss, and Monocle just to name a few. Outside of publications, F. Miller has been spotted on many IT girls' bathroom counters and top shelves.

Fran is set out to bridge the gap between luxury and natural skincare and to redefine what handmade beauty products can mean. She is not just selling bottles of skincare products, but rather marrying all the things she is personally interested into one and expressing that through her beauty line.

Inside Fran's house where the old seamlessly mingles with the new, we chat about her high school crush, humble beginnings, and the next moves for F.Miller.

Photography: Vai Yu Law

Connect with us on Instagram and Spotify. Leave us a review/comment on Apple Podcast.

For a chance to be included in the next episode, share your questions, comments or stories by recording something with your phone and send the MP3 file to [email protected]

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There are some women that just stand out from the crowd and attract your attention like a big magnet. That was Beth Nicholson Crago when I first met her at an event.

I approached Beth and shamelessly asked: "What's your story?" Turns out, she is one of the two amazing ladies behind the best-kept-secret- Opelle,  a luxury handbag brand that is designed and handcrafted in Toronto for women looking for something "functional and aesthetically refined".

In spite of Beth's impressive career of working at Michael Kors, Derek Lam, Thakoon, while having Jason Wu, Moda Operandi on her client list, Beth confesses that fashion is not her first love. With an English degree from McGill specializing in acting and theatre, Beth was chasing after her dream of becoming an actress. After having her first taste of rejection, she soon realized that she didn't like acting enough to go through the hardships associated with that career. This realization has led her to the door of fashion. The rest is history.

On the couch beside her son's play table, she opens up about the conversation she had with her parents during high school that sparked something in her, we exchange feelings about the Old and New Celine, and she shares the struggles she chose to go through and the ones she turned away from. 

Music: Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100301

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.