Future is Canadian

Tell us a little bit about yourself- what age did you start your blog, and what inspired you to start? I'm 16 years old and I have been a youth activist since I was 9 years old. Me and my parents were on our way home from a digital safety conference and there was a three hour blogging workshop so I decided to start a blog. But I didn't know what I wanted it to be about. My parents told me I couldn't write about myself or Justin Bieber, it had to be something I was passionate about. All I knew was that I loved animals. I started learning about deforestation and animal habitat loss, and decided to use my blog to write about the environment and the tangible things we can do to make a difference. The issues I'm passionate about have really grown since then, as well as the platforms I use to reach people to recognize that they have the power to create change.   How do you find balancing your high school workload, blog, public events and travels? I have always believed that we are living in an amazing time where we can use social media and the internet to amplify our voice and the voices of others for good. This holds especially true when it comes to school and prioritizing. I have been able to take online courses that let me go at my own pace. And they are super cool courses too. Like gender studies and aboriginal issues in Canada.   What was your experience like of going to WE DAY? As well as Kenya with ME to WE, and Costa Rica with National Geographic? All the places I have been able to travel to and things I have experienced all have two things in common. They are all about making in person connections and having those conversations that inspire you and will never forget. The second is that I found my community, like-minded people who are passionate about making the world better. WE Day was the first time I saw that I wasn't alone in young people making their communities and the world better right now, and I travelled across North America, meeting those people who I now call my community. In Kenya, I saw the issues that I had been learning about for so long as an activist in person first hand. I was in the community, building the foundation for schools that would be the key to the future for so many people. I also bonded with the girls at Kisaruni Girls High School who are going to do incredible things with their education and can now call my friends. I saw what giving a hand up, not a handout means in person, which just motivated me even more to learn and motivate others to make a difference. And in Costa Rica, the trip was totally focused on sustainability and the environment, which was something really interesting. One of my favourite moments of the trip was after waiting for four hours, I got to see a sea turtle hatch her eggs. After she went back into the water, I had the chance to count every single egg: 84 of them. It was amazing. After that, we had to move the eggs to a safer place and bury them in the sand so that poachers wouldn't take them. Something super unique about the trip is that I had the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone in so many different ways whether it was going surfing, white water rafting or even just going on the trip knowing nobody going into it.   In the beginning of your journey starting out, how did you push past the doubts and insecurities of not knowing if your actions would make a change? Honestly, I didn't. I was 9 years old and I never thought "I'm too young. What will people say? What if it doesn't work out?" I had a passion and I just started talking about it. I just did it. I think thats the really awesome thing about young people. When a lot of young people kickstart their changemaking journey, they don't start out with all these doubts and insecurities. Nobody should really, if you're passionate about a cause, go for it because nothing bad will happen that you won't be proud of.   What are the greatest entrepreneurial/changemaking achievements that you've accomplished and are proud of? Why are these achievements remarkable? Definitely using social media for social good. Ever since I started using social media, I have been sure to be the good and connect with other young people who are starting or taking the next step in their changemaking journey. I have been able to amplify other people's voices and lend my voice to causes that I am passionate about. Another accomplishment that I am proud of has been remaining positive and optimistic. Not dwelling on the problem but looking toward and sharing the solutions and actions that we can all take to make a difference so that people aren't overwhelmed or daunted by the issues in the world.   How do you get around putting yourself out there, and the anxiety that comes with it? Not knowing what might happen next? It's definitely scary, but I remain optimistic and positive for what's next. I don't always know what is next, but I'm excited about it. Because there are always issues I can get involved in and lend my voice to. There's always people doing amazing things that I can share and I can amplify my own message. So I'm always authentic and open and passionate, which can be a very powerful thing. When that happens, I know nothing bad will happen that I won't be proud of. What helps you maintain your drive? What motivates you each day to do what you're doing? My peers all over the world. The young people I see everyday in person or on social creating that change on so so so many different issues. Whether that's the brave March For Our Lives students, the young people fighting climate change and the girls in Kenya achieving their own education.   What habits have been key to your own personal success in your entrepreneurial venture and role as a changemaker? Passion and curiosity. Drawing on my own passion and the passion of others. You can't help but get excited when you talk to someone that's passionate. And that feeling never gets old. Also definitely learning, I believe that in order to take action on an issue, you have to care about it and in order to care about it you have to really know the issue.   What advice would you give to a young person such as yourself who intends to embark on a journey of making change? But just doesn't know where to start? Start with what matters to you. When I started it was the environment, I was 9. As I got older, I remained curious about other things like poverty, education, homelessness, mental health and more. Never lose that curiosity. Always be empathetic. That's the key in a change making journey. When you can be empathetic with others and a cause, I promise you'll be successful.   What's your favourite girls trip/adventure memory? There are so many. When I saw this question, I just thought about the endless amount of times me and my friends have been in our rooms or in the car, dancing and singing our hearts out to Shawn Mendes or Mr. Brightside. It's those moments when you look around and you think "Damn. I'm lucky."   How have you turned a situation of gender discrimination around? By being a feminist. Being one can be looked down upon these days, which sucks. There's a negative connotation with feminism now, a lot of people think that it's about tearing men down to lift women up. But that's not true. The definition of feminism is being whoever you want to be, despite your gender. Period. So for me, it's saying I'm a feminist and proud to be one. As well, just lifting other women up and helping them be the best women they want to be is the best thing you can do in the journey to gender equality.   What are some exciting projects that you can tell us about that are coming up next for you? A few weeks ago, I launched #FeedTO, where I drove around downtown Toronto with 100 care packages, giving them to people experiencing homelessness. I made real life connections and helped others recognize the humanity and the everyday things you can do to tackle homelessness. I'm going to be taking the next steps with FeedTO, amplifying the state of homelessness in Toronto even more and what we can all do to help.   If you could back in time and give advice to your younger self, what would you give her? Grade 8 and everything that it is ends. You'll go to high school where there will be new people, you'll make incredible friends and grade 8 will be in the rear view forever.

Tell us a little bit about yourself – for example, growing up what were your interests?  Have they changed or did you always have a main concept/idea in your mind that you wanted to achieve? Growing up I was always an athlete! That was my bread and butter, it’s all I knew. That was my biggest passion in life. I played mainly team sports, basketball, volleyball, a little bit competitive swimming and track and field as well. My biggest goal was to play university basketball, and I worked really hard. Luckily I got to do that and that was the premise of my life growing up. Sports are such a passion of mine; I still continue to practice. I lost it once university basketball ended, I was stuck, and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do! I got a bit more into the fitness world, dabbled in that, I still do that but transitioned back into playing sports again. It's been really exciting to get that hobby back into my life even if it’s not playing at such a high level anymore.   In terms of education, what inspired you to study science, with the addition of the biology and psychology minor? I studied science originally because I had the idea to go to medical school! I had gotten good grades growing up, I loved health - Grey’s Anatomy and all those, so I naturally thought that I should be a doctor! When I went in that direction, I realized medicine really wasn’t for me. It’s not quite the same as how they portray it on TV but that made me realize that I wanted to be involved with television specifically instead of medicine. So I didn’t want to be a doctor, I literally wanted to be on Grey’s Anatomy.   What’s your day-to-day life like? Especially as a sports model/social media content creator? My week!? I wish I could just give you an answer, but the cool thing about my job is that every single week is different. It’s a lot of photo shoots, filming for my channel, meetings with clients, writing ideas with other studios I want to work with, businesses, clothing companies, whatever it is! So it would be a mix of that and then obviously I’m working out every day, whether it be for the actual photoshoot, or video project that we’re working on or just my own workouts. I also try to spend time with friends. It’s a lot of computer work at my desk or cafes because I don’t have a home office. I’m usually wandering around somewhere downtown doing computer work.   What inspired you to move from Edmonton to Toronto? What went through your mind in making that decision So the decision to move to Toronto was always in the back of my mind. I had lived in Halifax and when I came back to Edmonton and signed a year lease I had this idea that Edmonton wasn’t for me. I love it, it’s my hometown but I just never felt like it was for me. So I felt Vancouver was a good fit at first, but Toronto was always in the back of my mind because I hadn’t spent much time there. This summer, the agency that I work with flew me out here. I had a bunch of gigs and it was just mind-blowing! It had all the pieces of a city that I was missing and my agency recommended it because there are a lot more career opportunities in what I do. I distinctly remember where I was downtown. I was just blown away; intoxicated by the city and the people. I always felt stuck in Edmonton and what I wanted to do there, just couldn’t be done. I worked so hard and hit a wall. When I came here, there were many like-minded people looking for similar opportunities and I know if I put in the work here, good things will come. I love this city - the opportunities and the people - and I was just infatuated with everything about it!   What sparked your interest in playing multiple competitive sports, especially basketball? I come from a from a family of all male siblings and cousins, so I am the only female. Growing up I didn’t really have a choice, I learned to walk and then this basketball was placed in my hands right after. It probably started when I decided I wanted to keep up with the boys, keep up with my cousins and show that I’m not "just a girl" and that I can play sports. It just became a part of me; I find it so much fun; it’s become my passion. Whether it be basketball, volleyball, track, swimming! It’s just so intoxicating, that feeling of being in the zone, taking a free throw, making a shot, swimming in the pool. It’s just pure joy to me. It never really started, it was always just there!   For your sports journey - tell us about it! How did you balance playing varsity sports with academics? My sports journey started in high school with me playing pretty much every single sport. I even won athlete of the year because I played volleyball, basketball, handball and rugby - which is not prettiest of sights, but I definitely played it! I raced track and field, but volleyball and basketball were my number ones, and always were! The transition to university was really tough. In grade 12 I remember the volleyball season had ended and basketball season was starting. There was a decision to play club volleyball that year, or dive fully into basketball- and I was having trouble deciding which one I wanted to play in post-secondary. I was training really hard, talking to a lot of colleges and universities and trying to decide. I remember trying to make this decision with my family and I had to decide volleyball or basketball! I knew that if I picked volleyball, I would miss basketball more and if I picked basketball, I wouldn’t miss volleyball more. I loved them both but basketball has my heart so I just ended up doing that! You go through the scholarship process, I.D camps where they scout, and that’s when you get a feeling. So there were a few colleges, but I remember the girls on the team were what really sold the deal for me. The second I got in, it just felt like home! I felt like I had my place with them, and I just knew where I wanted to go and that’s why I picked them. That’s just the process of transitioning from high school sports to university. How I balance it all is not easy, and I’m going to tell you right off the start that I don’t know HOW I balanced it the first semester...I didn’t. I was a deer in headlights - I didn’t realize how much studying was required to compete in sports. My first semester was god awful, and the worst grades I have ever gotten in my entire life. I reevaluated over Christmas and decided I wanted to do the medical school thing. I wanted to get high academics for scholarship opportunities. It came down to planning, as cheesy as it is. It’s sitting down at the beginning of the week and saying “you have to do this, this and this” and then finding a way to keep yourself accountable. Luckily on a team sport, I find that you feel the pressure of your teammates all studying, so it’s like "Keltie where are you?!". The nice thing about basketball teams is that you have 12-15 girls, so your team keeps you accountable but have to be accountable for yourself and for your team as well. So it just comes down to proper planning as glamorous as that sounds   What led you to pursue sports modelling? This one was by accident! I remember growing up I always loved the idea of modelling, acting, TV hosting and all those kinds of things but I was just so focused on sports that I didn’t have any time to think about anything other than that and my academics! When basketball ended, and I had to stop playing, Instagram blew up in popularity. I recently was doing fitness-y things on Instagram as funny as that sounds, but then some people started inquiring to see if I’d be interested in modelling. I had the blessing of not only taking the photos, but I could actually take a photo doing a lay-up or whatever sport I was playing at the time! That’s where sports modelling was nice, because I had the skills for it, so it’s a bit more specific. That’s what lead me into it, and during it, I fell in love and the light bulb went off with wanting to be in front of the camera and not caring about medical school.. or the Grey’s Anatomy thing. That’s what got me into the whole YouTube world and sports modelling and everything that encompasses that!   What have some of your favourite collaborations that you have done? Favourite collaborations? I think my favourite one would be the first ever one that I did with SportChek because that is where I have bought shoes since I was four years old! As cheesy as it sounds, whenever you need a pair of basketball shoes or volleyball shoes- shorts, whatever, you went to SportChek and got them! I'm slightly biased towards Nike, but it was really nice to do that with them. They sent me a package with garments from Nike and SportChek and it was like pinching four-year-old Keltie, like one day you’re going to do do a shoot for Nike. This was my favourite shoot because it was the first and biggest one I had ever done.   What in the city inspires you to create your content? This is going to be a loaded answer that I am going to have to give. First of all, how hardworking people are. It is true, you are who you surround yourself with and the girls and guys I’ve met that I can call really good friends are so hardworking and driven towards their goals, that it makes me want to drive towards them as well. Also what I love about Toronto is it’s just so diverse, and you’re allowed to be YOU here, there are so many different cultures and personalities and that’s how you can really set yourself apart because we all are unique. We think we have to fit into these specific moulds but the nice thing about Toronto is that it's so welcoming of people that step outside of the box. It’s even allowed me to be fully myself when creating content, Allowing myself to be accepted because that’s who I am, instead of trying to fit into a specific mould!   What constraints have you faced throughout your career? Constraints - I think it’s just getting back up, as funny as it sounds. In any kind career that it is, whether that be YouTube, social media or modelling. If you are an actor, singer or athlete there is always going to be constant rejection. I thought constant rejection was going to be like “I’m going to apply for this one job, and they say no” but there are so many chronic little pieces of rejection whether it be a YouTube video that doesn’t do well or an email back from someone saying that something wasn’t going to happen, or I go to a casting and they don’t want me, or whatever the case is. You can’t take it personally and you have to take into account that it’s not you, they’re just looking for something specific  and you just do not fit it. It might not be the right timing and all I tell myself is, there is no such thing as luck in life. It’s just hard work meeting opportunity and that’s when the magic happens. You’re going to constantly get rejected and you’re just going to have to build up a wall and never take it personally, so you have to keep on working so when your time actually comes, you’re ready for it!   Do you feel anxious or have doubts, where you think maybe I’m just not good enough, I’m not cut out for this, what if something goes wrong? Or is it even possible for me to make a change? I think anyone who’s a hard worker or has an ambitious personality type will always have this. I’m going to say I’ve had it to the point of crippling and now I’ve just gotten a bit better. I think we always tell ourselves, why me? I can’t do this, I’m not capable. Then you have to tell yourself that everyone else is saying that but why is it that they can do it, and I can’t? Every day you’re going to wake up with those negative thoughts. I think Oprah would wake up some days and think what am I doing?! Imposter syndrome is a real deal, and I think you just have to step back and realize we’re all people with the same insecurities and so even if you’re having those doubts, other people are having those doubts. We’re all in it together, and you just have to push through instead of saying “why me?” you should say “Why not me, Why would I not be able to overcome this?”. Put in the work because that’s all you can do, and if you put in all the work you possibly can, you can go to bed happy because you know you did everything you could. I think the worst thing you can do is not give something 100% because then you’ll go to bed with regret and think: “If I had just done this, maybe it would’ve happened”. At least if I give 100% with everything I do and fully dive into it, I know that it's the best I can do and I'll hope for the best that my hard work is enough - that’s just kind of my motto.   What helps maintain your drive, from preventing burnout, and what helps motivate you each day with what you’re doing? I think it comes down to finding what you truly love and I think that is where burning out stems from a lot of times. It’s doing something that maybe you like, maybe it’s other reasons- maybe it’s just purely financial, or social status and you decide to do keep doing it and that’s what leads to burning out. In some cases, you may have found what you truly love but there are too many other distractions which also causes burnout. There are so many things in life that I’m passionate about, but to really succeed in 1 or 2 of those areas you really have to push away the noise to eliminate burnout. My recommendation to anyone who’s younger or in university is try everything, those things you think you’ll be good at, try it.. and FULLY try it! Don’t just dabble in it for a week, fully dive into it and see if it’s something that makes you absolutely ...the only word I could think of is obsessed! It’s all you want to do, and then you know that’s your thing. Once you find it, go for it! Put on blinders, put in all the work possible because it’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be easy but when you find that whatever it is, I find that there isn’t much burnout because you’re so excited about reaching the next step. You have to make sure you mental and physical health is in check so you’re giving 100%.. that’s the trick because strong mental health is a part of the whole spectrum that allows you to really go after what you want. That would be my recommendation. Try everything until you find your thing and then really own it! Own whatever your passion is and go for it. I think that’s really the best way to prevent burnout.   How do you balance relationships- whether that be friends, family or just people in your circle? What I tell myself is that we only have so much emotional capacity every day, as funny as it sounds! There is only so much you can give to yourself, to others, to your work- and that’s why I think you have to be careful where you spend your energy and that you really spend it on the people that matter. Give everyone respect and be kind to every person you meet but give your emotions to the people that really matter. I have a saying: "Everyone deserves respect but only a few people deserve loyalty".   What advice would you give to a young person who intends to embark on a journey of making a change, as well as in pursuing a more healthy and fit lifestyle- But just doesn’t know where to start? Try new things, until you find something you actually consider enjoyable. Sticking with a fit lifestyle is way easier when you genuinely enjoy it. There are so many different ways to move your body. Try new things until you find a workout, sport, or type of fitness you love.  To learn more about Keltie visit her website:  https://www.keltieoconnor.com/

Growing up what were your interests before photography? How have they changed once you discovered photography? Hahah, I’ve told this story so many times. My name is Dragan Andic, I’m 21 years old and I’m a photographer from Toronto, Canada. I actually didn’t start off as a photographer, at 16 I actually moved over to Italy, I went to Italy to play professional soccer for the team in Genoa, Italy. I came back home after 5-6 months and I was playing for fun back home and I actually tore my ACL. That is actually the reason why I started photography because in the same summer that I tore my ACL, one of my friends from back home asked me if I wanted to go model for him because he was shooting a portfolio for photography! I said yeah, I am down. I didn’t really know too much about photography, I was seeing what he was doing and we were walking down Queen Street, shooting in the back alleyways. I wasn’t even a model, obviously I’m not a model, I was doing it for fun just to build his portfolio. But I was getting into what he was doing and I was interested in behind the camera and stuff, and then that’s where my photography started. I actually started with landscape but then I dropped that a couple of years ago because I figured I was stronger with people and portraits.   What’s your day to day like for you, when it comes to shooting? Lately its been… I’ve been away. I’ve been touring on the Drake and Migos tour, so my day-to-day has been that since August. I have been going city to city, the states and in Canada, with the opening act, and his name is Roy Woods. I was touring with him for a while, so that’s what my day to day has been like. Before that I was shooting in Toronto mostly, doing jobs, shooting for fun and just building my portfolio. I always build with artists now since I’m focusing on the music industry more…   What pushed you towards shooting the music industry? My love and passion for music. I love the Toronto sound, I have always loved all the artists from Toronto and I have always wanted to get involved. Obviously I wasn’t going to get involved being a rapper or a singer- and I started photography and I’m like why not mix my passion with another passion. And I love music, and so I intertwined both and its been like that ever since. It’s been my main focus ever since.   How long has it been since you first picked up the camera and started shooting? 2015, end of 2014 I would say.   Out of those four years what did you notice in yourself with the growth, especially being on tour with such a high energy stage and such a big presence? It’s crazy because you don’t ever think you’re going to go to that level, you see all these other photographers doing that and you think I’m never going to get there, unless I work harder. Sometimes you just….I mean obviously it’s good to believe in yourself, I believe in myself but stuff like that you think is so hard, and then it happens and you’re like Wow! Anything is possible. I wanted to do this two years ago, I wanted to go on a tour with an artist, and I wanted to go on a big tour and I never thought that would be possible until the future, and I never thought it would be possible but it just happened like that. You just get a phone call and you just go and it’s just crazy I can’t believe it.   What is one of your favourite projects that you have worked on? Definitely 88Glam the cover, that was definitely fun because I am a big fan of Derek, and Drew. And 88Glam as a collective. They’ve been my friends actually before they even started the collective, so it was good to come together to watch them grow and collaborate with them on such a project that it has become now, so it’s cool.   When it comes to seeking inspiration from across Toronto, what do you think plays the biggest part? I know you touched on how passionate you are for the music but what else really inspires your work and creativity?  Obviously the city and the people in the city. To name a few my biggest inspiration has been Elie, Vision Elie, I’ve looked up to him since I first started. My friend showed me his feedback when he had maybe 10,000 followers even, and he was shooting landscape in Toronto, and I couldn’t even believe it. His photos just stood out to me so much and he just inspired me to keep going. I don’t know, something about his pictures  I just love it! I’ve been a fan of his ever since I started, obviously just the people from Toronto, the music. It’s just a nice environment to build in and collaborate in.    What are some of the achievements that you are the most proud of? I know that this year you put on a gallery- what are the kind of things that inspired that? Some achievements, I would say one achievement that I’m happy with is my photobook so far, it’s so cool to see people from around the world buy my work. I’ve had people from Australia, people from Germany, people from England, people from Ireland, and some people from Mexico want it too, and all around the States and Canada. It’s cool to see something so sentimental like a book, go there, like your work is always going to be in that person’s house in that country. I never believed that was possible, when I first released a book, I had so many fans, more like supporters come out and say “hey I want this”, and it’s cool. I put 6 months of sleepless nights into perfecting that book because I knew it was a book, it has to be perfect, you can’t half-ass it! I must have went through about 20,000 photos just to narrow it down to 90 pages, of the 200 of the best pictures. So it’s cool to see that come together.   What have been your greatest challenges in executing what you’ve wanted to do? Is it balancing friendships, relationships, social life, family life and sacrifices? The biggest challenge right now is balancing school and having to go on the tour, and balancing the photography work when you’re back home. So when I had to go on tour, I actually had to miss school, and I was missing out on the midterm time, and I came back and luckily my teachers are so nice, shoutout to Humber College, because it’s a nice community there and they let me do my midterms after I came back and I was still behind but I had to take the opportunity. I didn’t want to turn that down but I also wanted to stay down in school because it’s a good program. I’m in Digital Communications so I’m balancing that now and I’m in my third year. I don’t want to drop out because I always think it’s good to keep as many doors open as possible. Why shut that door down, I’ve had a lot of talks with a lot of people, and I have gotten a lot of advice but at the end of the day I’ve decided I don’t want to shut that door down in my life. It’s not affecting me in anyway, I’m still doing what I love and I’m still doing that so that has been my biggest challenge. Balancing school and balancing photography.   How long is the program that you’re in? So one more year left, so a total of four.   Did you get into Humber as you were starting to realize your passion for photography? Yes, which is why I am lucky because if I didn’t figure out photography, I wouldn’t have been in this program. I wouldn’t have been into digital stuff, photo stuff, video stuff- I would be lost. I just came out of an ACL injury, I wanted to do soccer, I wanted to play soccer and I wasn’t looking for the school. I was already settled in Italy, I wasn’t planning on going back home that was my life. I came back and I just picked this up, and it opened up a whole new world.   With having such a big online presence now a days and like the photography world, there is obviously a lot of like criticism that people have towards your photos, your work? How do you take that? Positive or Negative? I was raised not to deal with negativity, even if I hear something bad or hear someone say something behind my back, I just laugh. I just brush it off. I’m just so focused on myself and my work, I have no time to talk about other people. I hear something from other people, something bad, and I’m like I never said anything to you- so it’s just funny to me. If I were to hear someone talk something bad about me, and I would see them in person, I wouldn’t even hate on them. I would just say “hey nice to meet you” - I wouldn’t even care, because I don’t have time. I’ve had even people I know personally say something behind my back and I just be like why? I’m not even talking about you, just focus on yourself. Just focus on positive stuff, I don’t have bad to say about anyone because I’m just focused on positive stuff! I’m focused on my own life, why focus on negativity, there is no point.    As a creative, I am sure it has come at some point – have you ever felt a creative block where the inspiration hasn’t been there or there is just not enough clients to shoot at that time and so you just have to create your own inspiration and shoot what you want to shoot? How do you deal with that? Definitely there has been a lot of that since I started. I create stuff by myself. When I’m lacking inspiration I’ll go do something myself. The book was a big part of that, I was lacking inspiration, I wanted to do something...you know how artists come out with albums, and they focus on themselves - I wanted to come out with something, I wanted to make a name for photographers and say hey you could do this too! You could release a project, and sell it and monetize your work. You don’t always have to be under someone, why not be your own person. Also my goal is still to keep pushing photography to be something big. A lot of people do this in the music industry now. For example, Metro Boomin his album just came out, and he made the Billboard top 200 number 1, he’s a producer, he just showed that even a producer, you don’t have to be an artist, can make the number 1 billboard. That’s like in photography, why can’t photographers do something big like that too? And they can, and I wanted to show that, that’s possible. Photographers can do books, photographers can tour like artists tour, and they can do art galleries and exhibits - so I just want to push photography as much as I can.  What’s a mindset that you have when it comes to creating new opportunities for yourself? Travelling and networking are the two most important things. Obviously it’s good to keep working in Toronto, but also travelling is cool too! Go bring Toronto and your work somewhere else and network with someone. When I went on tour, I met so many people, and it’s so crazy that when you leave home you see what other people are focusing on back home. It could even be bigger and better and it makes you even more motivated when you come back home - but yeah networking is important as well because meeting new people opens new doors - I’m always meeting new people in the city too, to create new clients. Think about it - if you’re an entrepreneur anything is possible- you’re your own boss. You can’t just think I’m only going to have 5-10 clients, you can have 1000 clients, what’s stopping you? You can have a shoot every single day. The only person stopping you, is you. You can work hard and have two shoots a day, or three shoots a day. Who's to say that photographers won’t be successful, I believe that they can be.   What advice would you give to a young person who wants to start their journey in the creative field/photography? I would always say this, just believe in yourself when no one believes in you! Because when I started out, people laughed at me, made fun of me - I was in high school, I was in Grade 12. I was from Oakville - so they were like why do you go to Toronto every day, why do you take photos? What’s the purpose, and I had no answer for them, and I said it’s because I like doing it. I’m passionate about it, it doesn’t always have to be about money, it doesn’t have to be about “oh i’m not cool if I don’t do this” I never gave up- I’m still doing it now. A lot of the same people that didn’t believe me then, come back to me now and say “oh wow, it just makes sense now”. The best advices is believe in yourself when no one else does, and don’t give up if you think that, that’s your future! Don’t even let your parents tell you otherwise. You’re your own person, don’t let your parents or friends control you, don’t do what your friends are doing, do what you want to do. That’s it.   What does Home is Toronto, or Toronto vs. Everybody mean to you? I knew what Toronto vs. Everybody was even before I knew what Peace Collective was. I always saw people wearing it and I was like this is new, this is cool, this is different, and I saw it everywhere. Peace Collective and Home is Toronto and Toronto vs. Everybody means and just spells out Toronto for me. This brand is like so home based, and so Toronto, and so special and sentimental, it’s special. Yeah, it’s special- that’s how I would describe it.   On your off days, and even in the car driving from Oakville, what kind of music really inspires you? I know you said you like the Toronto sound, but if there was like 5 artists that you’re listening to right now? I love hip-hop but I also like one guy in the dance industry, and his name is Kygo, he’s from Norway. I actually love his music, I actually don’t even listen to that kind of music I just like him. I think he’s talented and I listen to him genuinely, he’s on my playlist. But hip-hop mostly, so it would be Kygo, 88 Glam, The Weeknd. The Weeknd is one of my favourite artists - I love XO, shout to everyone in XO. Drake I love Drake and I listen to him and last is Roy Woods. He is one of my favourite artists and one of my best friends!   Going on tour with them makes me appreciate them even more. Artists work so hard, they wake up and they have something to do, it’s not easy! It’s not just about going with him, it’s like he performs and then goes to the studio after. He performs and then has an interview after non-stop. I appreciate it.   What would you classify your personal fashion style as? Stone Island. I love Stone Island, that’s my favourite brand. My dream is to be sponsored by them. I’m not necessarily sure if they do that but if they’re listening right now, I want a sponsorship because I love them. Yes, that’s my favourite brand, that’s just my trademark. Everyone who sees me knows I wear Stone Island. I got into it about two years ago and haven’t stopped wearing it since. Off-White, I like Off-white too. My fashion is, I guess you could say high fashion but maybe not to the point of like I don’t wear a lot of Gucci and stuff and like that but I’d like to. I like high fashion.   If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be. And why? To be honest after being in L.A for two weeks, Los Angeles. Not because it’s L.A and everyone wants to go Hollywood but it’s because I love the atmosphere. Everyone is so entrepreneurial and so self-made and they work hard. It’s so big too! You can connect with so many people but yeah I love Toronto too. If I had the choice if life was perfect, I would be back and forth between Toronto and L.A. That’s where I want to live, either one of those places are fine!   Anything else? Definitely a shoutout to every artist I’ve ever worked with in Toronto, honourable mentions would be everyone I work with - Roy Woods, Come Down, 88Glam, Ramriddlz, all these guys they inspire me, they’re my friends. We all started out together I believe. I knew these guys when they were young, and when I was young, and they believed in me when no one did. So all the Toronto artists, I have genuine love for because they supported me. And shoutout to Peace Collective for this and yeah.

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