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Oprah and Co-CEO John MacKay discuss MacKay’s ongoing revolutionary approach to providing a healthy, organic food market alternative. There are a lot of great tidbits here, insights into his personal mantras that opened the possibilities for his astounding success with Whole Food’s Market.

We may not be nor endeavour to be the CEO of a multi-million dollar company but MacKay’s perspective on running his billion dollar company offers wonderful insight whatever our job or career. After listening to this week’s SuperSoulSunday program, I feel the perspective is clearly more than ‘business acumen’, it is a mindful way to look for adventure, creativity and love in every aspect of your life.

For this week`s soup recipe, I`ve decided to add some creativity with a touch of adventure. Potato soup is always delicious and comforting. Just as it is. My recipe this week will add – wait for it – leeks! A little bit oniony, sweet, that ingredient that causes people to say `what am I tasting here – I know this flavour, just can`t place it….` It doesn`t take much to add a touch of creative adventure to our lives. If you aren`t sure where to begin, start with the soup. Time to kick it up a notch – ENJOY!

img_1464-1Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients

6 – 8 medium size Potatoes (your choice of kind)

4 -6 stalks of Leeks, chopped  (soaked to be sure the dirt is out of the leaves; use the white part and lighter green part of the stalk)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Vegetable Broth or Water (enough to cover the vegetables once in the pot)

Milk or Cream (one third to one half of a cup)

How To Make It:

1. Cover bottom of pot with the olive oil and heat.

2. Add the leeks and saute for 5 – 10 minutes.

3. Add the cut up potatoes and stir.

4. Cover the vegetables with either broth or water and heat to boil.

5. Simmer the vegetables in the pot until they are cooked through.

6. Cool then using a blender or hand emulsifier, puree until smooth.

7. Add the milk or cream then salt & pepper to taste.

8. Warm through until heated and ENJOY!

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Just as we are set to officially release the seasonal single ‘Street in Winter‘, a US-based music industry professionals network has given the production high marks! Singer/songwriter Donna Creighton received requests for permission to broadcast, alerting us to the accolades.

imagesSpecial recognition was given to the production of the recording, citing Donna Creighton for Composition/Performance and moi(!) as Producer/Arranger. ‘Street in Winter‘ was recorded in 2012 in anticipation of releasing for the 2013 winter season. The advance interest has been very rewarding making the wait worthwhile. Appearing on the recording with Donna is Stephen Holowitz on keyboards, Paul Stephenson on trumpet, Julia Hambleton on clarinet, Ian McKay on drums, Louise Fagan (moi!) on vocals, with our dear friend the late Kevin Muir playing bass. The song was recorded at EMAC Studios.

musicxray 21st Century A&R specializes in connecting commercially viable musicians with industry professionals. Once a song is approved for submission, it is sent to producers who rate the song’s appeal, production values and marketability. If the song receives a high enough rating, musicxray recommends the song to targeted broadcasters. We are thrilled to announce that ‘Street in Winter‘ received the highest ratings! YIPPEE!!

imagesFurther exciting broadcast announcements will be made next week – but this one, well, we couldn’t keep it to ourselves! ‘Street in Winter‘ is just like the lovely meander down a wintry street the lyrics describe. It is destined to be added to everyone’s holiday playlists!

For an advance listen please visit Donna’s Reverbnation site. You can also purchase it for only 99cents! If you choose to buy the song, you will be making an important contribution to the continuing development of new music. And you will be able to sing it anytime you want – on a wintry drive, while ice skating in your backyard rink, decorating your Christmas tree or lying on a beach on a sunny island somewhere South! imagesMore exciting news to follow – stay tuned!

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kidsHome grown superheroes are those whose actions improve the life of one person, the community, the world. While not likely hit by lightening, bitten by a spider or hurled to earth from a far distant galaxy, the home grown superhero has some other motivation to act with consideration of others. They inspire, nurture and build a better place for the rest of us. Our Super Powers manifest in the most extraordinary ways! If you know someone whose small gesture made a huge difference or whose idea or invention made you happy then we want to know about it! What is YOUR Super Power? Please add your story, photo, link as a comment here or on our Facebook page. We want to celebrate the homegrown superheroes!

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Ada3aConsidered the founder of scientific computing, Ada Lovelace continues to inspire through what I refer to as her ‘poetry of numbers‘. The daughter of the famously troubled poet Lord Byron and mathematics loving Annabella Milbanke, Ada was raised with a strict sciences and math only education. Annabella separated from Lord Byron shortly after Ada was born, fearing his influence on their daughter would be detrimental. Ada‘s artistic nature however would not be contained as she channeled her creative impulses to mathematics. And so the world was gifted with her extraordinary vision of numbers as she dreamed of inventions and machines, conjuring methods of calculations which resulted in the Analytical Machine.

Composer Kim Sherman, Librettist Margaret Vandenburg, Director Lisa Rothe, Music Director Kimberly Grigsby, and myself as Development Producer, are deeply engaged by her story.   How do we conjure and envision as Ada did? What creative genre could most fully explore the epic mind that is Ada? So we begin: conversations, research, first drafts, edits, read throughs, second drafts, edits, workshops, more conversations. And we are deep in it. Until at last, ADA the Opera, a glorious delicious complex study of an extraordinary life, is becoming a reality. Dear Kim Sherman has left the comforts of her inspiring New York City studio for the serene setting of the Banff Centre for the Arts in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta Canada, sequestered for an entire month as she develops the  score for our ADA. The orchestration and instrumentation of a work this size is a huge undertaking as each music voice supports the other, themes weave, math and music dance on the page.  Continually searching for Ada, drawing upon her essence in the crafting of each phrase.

We will  update on ADA‘s progress as we build to our first production. The process of creating partnerships, fundraising and production development continues and we are always interested in adding to our network. So please don’t hesitate to contact us, keep checking here for ADA updates, and in the meantime, enjoy this view from Kim’s studio at Banff.

Rocky MountainsLearn more about our ADA the Opera team here:

Kim Sherman (www.kdsherman.com) Margaret Vandenburg (http://www.barnard.edu/profiles/margaret-vandenburg) Lisa Rothe (www.lisarothe.com) Kimberly Grigsby (http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Kimberly-Grigsby/) Louise Fagan (www.louisefagan.wordpress.com)

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This hot hot hot July weather has insisted a slowing down of the pace of the past busy months. Leaps of Faith require rejuvenation! And I have found it with some dear old friends – namely  Emerson, Whitman and, today’s favourite, Thoreau. Truly, there is something quite meaningful about sitting in the cool shade of a tree, pondering ‘what the heck does it all mean’ and reading this excerpt, almost as if for the first time:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.

This is the point, isn’t it? This is what keeps us searching, looking, testing, trying, because to leave it un-turned or untried, means that we didn’t rout all that was not life. Digging deep to find the truth, the core, ‘its’ and therefore, ‘our’ reason for living. The idea of ‘sucking out all the marrow of life’ resonates with me – I’m the kind of girl that gnaws on the bone of a particularly delicious steak or pork chop, to be sure to get every last bit of yummyness. Don’t be offended, I do the same with a salad. I love my salad. See what I mean? It’s all delicious!

From these marrow-sucking experiences we learn what we like, what we don’t, where we succeed best and what makes us the happiest. We learn to live sturdily, and  Spartan-like as Thoreau states. This resonates with my love of beautiful things – both in nature and man-made, like art in all its forms. I no longer have a lot of ‘stuff’ but what I do have seems excessive in its abundance because of its meaningfulness to me! ‘Less is truly more’ if there is meaning in the ‘less’.

Hot summer days spent in the shade of a tree or with my feet in the cooling edge of the beach seem like the most sublime way to enjoy the marrow. Especially when shared with a sturdy stalwart friend. Thanks Thoreau for once again being there. You’re the best!

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My recent collaboration with Canadian author Susan Swan has reminded me of the importance of conversation in all stages of creativity – and frankly, in life! Susan and I sat down one snowy February afternoon, to videotape a series of scripted pod casts discussing her process as a writer; what transpired was the most delicious conversation that went ‘off book’ (as we say in this ‘business we call show’ – thank you Deb Filler for that quote!). The path we set out for ourselves, the expectations we have for how that path will unfold, the assumptions we have about where we will end up, are so much better served when tossed into the compost pile! Creativity seeded with the true intention to grow then blossom in its most natural and profound beauty should be the only expectation. Sure, this needs to be managed, with the wisdom we’ve gained from our experiences and the knowledge we bring to the choices we make along the way. But to determine early on that the end result is rooted in a fixed manner, in my experience has discounted the extraordinary possibilities that will arise. Fear of this unknown, which is also about trusting oneself, has certainly seen me holding on for dear life to a result I thought was the only positive outcome. When I released that old intention from my white knuckled grip, the most incredible things happened – experiences occured that I could not have imagined! Because what I saw down that long path, was based on a familiar conversation with myself. Talking, sharing, listening – communicating! In every aspect of my life, not just my creative pursuits, when I trust in myself and those I love; when I am brave enough to both share and listen; this is when all that I imagine for my work, my life, my future, are revealed in the most extraordinary and exhilarating ways! It never fails.  The magic of discovery is profound! Have you had a similar experience? What are your white knuckle triggers? I’d like to share in that conversation with you! And in the spirit of sharing, here is a link to the conversational pod casts with Susan Swan – 3 have been uploaded (see  Podcast #3 link below) the rest to be shared in the coming weeks. And I encourage you to visit Susan’s website at www.susanswanonline.com!

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Louise Fagan in conversation with Susan Swan