Talk Paper Scissors

Welcome to the Brave Creative Humans series! This is the fourth of 6 episodes featuring some of the many past Talk Paper Scissors guests who exemplify brave creative living: Allison MacKenzie, Kevin Shaw, Vincent Wanga, Meg Lewis, Emad Saedi, and Justine Abigail Yu.

In this episode, the 6 answer this question: “What is your approach to maintaining sanity and humanity in a hyper-connected world, particularly as it relates to comparison with other creative folks?”

This series is inspired by Diana’s recently published book, Brave Creative Human: Embrace Failure, Reframe Imposter Syndrome, and Be Unapologetically You. Join Diana for the book’s official launch on October 1 and 2, 2025, at Canada’s largest conference for graphic designers, DesignThinkers Toronto!

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Welcome to the Brave Creative Humans series! This is the second of 6 episodes featuring some of the many past Talk Paper Scissors guests who exemplify brave creative living: Allison MacKenzie, Kevin Shaw, Vincent Wanga, Meg Lewis, Emad Saedi, and Justine Abigail Yu.

In this episode, the 6 answer this questions: “When is a time when you failed, what did it mean to you and how did you move forward?”

This series is inspired by Diana’s recently published book, Brave Creative Human: Embrace Failure, Reframe Imposter Syndrome, and Be Unapologetically You. Join Diana for the book’s official launch on October 1 and 2, 2025, at Canada’s largest conference for graphic designers, DesignThinkers Toronto!

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Welcome to the Brave Creative Humans series! This is the second of 6 episodes featuring some of the many past Talk Paper Scissors guests who exemplify brave creative living: Allison MacKenzie, Kevin Shaw, Vincent Wanga, Meg Lewis, Emad Saedi, and Justine Abigail Yu.

In this episode, the 6 answer this questions: “How do you sense failure: literally, how would you describe how you see it, feel it, hear it, smell it and even taste it?

This series is inspired by Diana’s recently published book, Brave Creative Human: Embrace Failure, Reframe Imposter Syndrome, and Be Unapologetically You. Join Diana for the book’s official launch on October 1 and 2, 2025, at Canada’s largest conference for graphic designers, DesignThinkers Toronto!

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Welcome to the Brave Creative Humans series! This is the first of 6 episodes featuring some of the many past Talk Paper Scissors guests who exemplify brave creative living: Allison MacKenzie, Kevin Shaw, Vincent Wanga, Meg Lewis, Emad Saedi, and Justine Abigail Yu.

In this episode, the 6 answer these questions: "What are your thoughts on perfectionism in creative work? Is perfect necessary or even possible?"

This series is inspired by Diana’s recently published book, Brave Creative Human: Embrace Failure, Reframe Imposter Syndrome, and Be Unapologetically You. Join Diana for the book’s official launch on October 1 and 2, 2025, at Canada’s largest conference for graphic designers, DesignThinkers Toronto!

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Surprise! Brave Creative Human is here one month early. In this episode, I share the serendipitous story behind the book, why it exists, and who it’s for. 

There's a special guest appearance by Creativity Professor and Drag Queen, Guy Anabella, who wrote the book’s foreword and joins me to talk about brave creative humanity. Themes include embracing failure, reframing imposter syndrome, and finding belonging in creative work—plus what’s next for the Brave Creative Humans podcast series. 

Join me for the book’s official launch on October 1 and 2, 2025, at Canada’s largest conference for graphic designers, DesignThinkers Toronto!

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

It’s the final episode before Talk Paper Scissors takes a break until September and we have one of the best with us today, talking all about accessibility in digital publishing.

Laura Brady is an accessible publishing expert who works with eBound Canada, the Accessible Books Consortium, the International Publishers Association, and Adobe among other organizations. She teaches, she consults, and she advocates for accessible publishing on a global scale.  

In this conversation, you’ll hear all sorts of examples of accessible digital publishing, including the ways to think proactively about creating and publishing content that’s ready to be enjoyed by a wide audience. You’ll get thinking about the tools and processes used in accessible digital publishing, including the way human interaction are still critical in the process. Finally, you’ll hear about the newly-enacted EU accessibility legislation that’s fundamentally changing accessible publishing for the better. 

This episode is a guest lecture in DG 8111 - Digital Publishing in the Master of Digital Media Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. 

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Let’s make magic! 

In this episode you’ll hear about Diana’s latest collaborative making project (that could involve you!) called Making Magic; a collection of creativity kits that anyone can use to experience a bit of everyday joy and wonder.

You’ll hear about the first batch of kits ready to share (Upcycled Zine Kits), as well as the three alternative creative economies on which this project is built (no money need be exchanged!). You’ll also hear about the three nodes of knowledge planted recently in Diana’s mind that fit together to allow this project to come forth, as well as how you can become involved in making magic.

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

A home for zines!

From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about the exciting medium of zines where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing. This is the 4th and final episode in the series, featuring the Toronto Zine Library.

The Toronto Zine Library & Archive (TZL) is a physical library space run by a collective of zine readers, zine makers and librarians who strive to make zines accessible for the Toronto community. They believe that zines are an important medium of communication, and that they should be cherished, protected, and promoted. 

In this conversation, you’ll hear from Toronto Zine Library volunteers, Silvia and Miles. You’ll hear how the library got started and its goals as a volunteer-run space. You’ll also hear how Sylvia and Miles define ‘zines’ and why zines can be both a stepping stone, as well as an independently-published art form in their own right.

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Yesssss zines! 

From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about the exciting medium of zines where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing. This is the 3rd of 4 episode in the series, featuring Sisley Mark.

Sisley is a Chicago-based artist and creative. She primarily works with acrylic or ink on canvas and paper. Her work is deeply rooted in the belief that art isn't about the polished end result. It is about the stories, experiments, and emotions that unfold along the way.

In this conversation, you’ll hear about Sisley’s at practice and her summer camp start in zine making as a kid and why sharing physical art is so powerful. You’ll hear her love-hate relationship with boredom (a gateway into noticing), as well as her focus on the process—for better or for worse.

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)

Zines! Zines! Hooray for Zines! 

From makers near and far, with small and large publications, you’ll hear about the exciting medium of zines where anything can happen at the intersection of art and independent publishing. This is the 2nd of 4 episode in the series, featuring Hannah and Sarah of Feels Zine. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how Feels Zine came to be, as well as hear more about the interdisciplinary nature of the Feels Zine team duo, Hannah and Sarah.

You’ll hear what it feels like to produce Feels, including engaging in the more challenging emotional themes, as well as the lighter ones. You’ll hear the process through which each issue travels and why Sarah and Hannah still (mostly) consider Feels a ‘zine’(including why existing in the middle of the publishing spectrum can be beneficial). 

Finally, you’ll hear how Feels is funded, the live event aspect of each issue, as well as big dreams for the zine.

 Let's Connect on the web or via Instagram. :)