Rik Leaf's Blog, page 20
November 1, 2013
Oh God it Burns!
Oh God…it Burns!
“Holy sweet mother of mercy!” I gasped in response to the excruciating pain rocketing through my body. I grappled with the doorframe in a desperate attempt to remain upright; my wobbling knees clacking audibly like pendulums in Newton’s Cradle.
I stumbled forward squinting my way toward the bathroom sink…groping hands swinging back and forth like scythes mowing through a field of toiletries that were scattering loudly in all directions.
When toxic chemicals are burning your retinas every second counts. I grabbed what felt like a bottle of contact solution and turned the nozzle toward me and started blasting myself in the face, prying my welded eyelids apart with trembling fingers.
“Oh god it burns!” I cried over and over, the words acting as a mantra to ground my emotional state.
Saline solution coursed down my cheeks with rivers of tears as I wept unabashedly, cursing the rogue toothbrush and toothpaste that lay scattered somewhere among the ruination.
It had been a moment like thousands before. The simple act of squeezing toothpaste onto the bristles of the brush turned deadly serious as the super, elasticized synthetic bristles bent backward, laden with gelatinous projectiles, before springing forward like some medieval catapult, flinging the toxic paste directly into my eye.
It was a one in a million shot…maybe more.
As the saline started to run out and the searing pain began to subside, I started to hear a voice. Softly at first…like the sound of a fawn nibbling leaves deep in a green forest, or the sound a memory makes as it wakes from a beautiful dream. “Only you…” it seemed to say. “Only you…” It was a beautiful voice, kind of whispery and throaty, the kind I’d imagine a sexy seraphim would have.
The voice drew me back from the dark world of pain where I’d been wandering lost and alone behind my burning, squinting eyelids. It brought me back…back into a room filled with sunlight where I discovered I was lying on the floor of our bathroom, rolling around with razors, brushes and beauty products, looking up at into Zara’s wearily incredulous eyes as she surveyed the wreckage and said, “only you babe…seriously, nothing surprises me anymore.”
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
Ronnie James, Artist Agent
info@justartists.org
October 30, 2013
Sluggish Surge of Stupidity
The sluggish surge of stupidity
I was riding the ferry yesterday as a walk on passenger. As the ship was in the process of docking, passengers were in the process of clumping together at the exit, the way wildebeest herds loiter around watering holes. I was standing behind a woman and her daughter, who I’d guess was around 10 years old. The girl was obviously loving their adventure. She was bopping back and forth from one foot to the next, chattering excitedly about the things they’d done during the day. This travel vibe is sooooo preferable to the ‘are we there yet’ moments, that I was amazed when the mom kept responding with a steady stream of, ‘settle downs!’ and ‘stand stills!’
The little girl hadn’t made it back from the bathroom when the ramp was finally in place and the crowd began its sluggish surge forward. The mother was beside herself with frustration…her colourful profanity rising in volume and veracity. I heard something about a fornicating Jesus and god damning some f#%ing aspect of her pitiful existence.
This woman was beside herself because she wasn’t able to sluggishly surge in step with the rest of the herd. An admittedly awkward herd, that was at that moment plugging the doorway, as too many people tried to fit themselves, their bulging backpacks and suitcase dollies-of-death through the narrow exit at the same time. A sane individual would wait 60 seconds for the plug to pop and let the herd stampede down the ramp, freeing up the causeway to enjoy a leisurely stroll in peace and tranquility. At least, that was what I was doing.
be your own person and see how it feels
Letting the frenzied madness of crowds stampede away from you without feeling the need to keep up, actually frees your mind, body and soul. Life doesn’t actually have to be about keeping in step with seasonal shades of pillow shams and bed ruffles and wafer-thin electronics.
If she let go, this mother could enjoy the fact that her daughter was super excited because she was loving the adventure she was having with her mom! And seriously…that’s a pretty awesome experience at any age.
There are a lot of things in life that we don’t have any control over. But there are a holy ton of things we do, if we’re just willing to pull our head out of our ass and enjoy the beautiful moments we’re offered. I mean come on herd…it’s bumper sticker 101!
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik as a presenter for your conference, festival or special event contact,
JUST Artists Agency Group
info@justartists.org
October 15, 2013
The Columbus Epiphany
Wanted for Douche-baggery
I want to talk about my Facebook newsfeed. Every single holiday it’s the same thing…it’s like my newsfeed goes on a bender. It’s a reoccurring phenomenon, and I’ve noticed it absolutely doesn’t matter if the holiday is religious, political or benign in origin. My newsfeed transcends all known boundaries of race, politics and religion.
This weekend it was all about Columbus. Now Columbus was a s#%. Seriously, I don’t think anyone but his mom ever disputed this. But weirdly, he’s a s#% with a holiday. And I agree that doesn’t make sense any more than teaching kids he discovered America. But that’s not my point.
All weekend hundreds of friends and strangers were burning down my wall with vitriolic posts, memes and status updates, as I dutifully shared, liked and commented along. (Unfortunately it’s what socializing with friends has come down to for me) But sitting there in the warm glow of my flaming newsfeed I had an epiphany. I realized that what people really, truly, deeply care about…is turkey. And gravy.
Seriously, if you throw in some beer and a day off work, people will prance around in any psychopath’s name. It’s not just Columbus. Christmas is the same thing. People don’t care if the holiday is Jesus birthday or a pagan fertility feast a bunch of Christians hijacked. Make sure there’s some turkey and gravy involved, and seriously you can even throw in a bunch of random crap about a bearded fat guy in a onesie and a herd of mangy arctic deer and people won’t bat an eye. Cause it’s all about the gravy.
Walk up to absolutely anyone anywhere at Easter and ask, “Hey man, do you know what this holiday is about?” And you’ll get, “Yeah, I don’t really know…it might be the resurrection of Almighty God coming back from the dead…it maybe a bunny pooping coloured eggs under shrubs in the backyard?” Everyone will chuckle good-naturedly and then someone will pipe up, “as long as there is turkey! Am I right!” as a mighty cheer and back slapping erupt.
People don’t care about Columbus. They don’t care about Jesus. Or banks, queens or national pride…they care about turkey. They care about gravy. And they care a lot.
It’s a rookie mistake thinking that because the truth means a lot to you, it means a lot to everyone else. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We are the only ones who care about what we care about.
If you’re seriously trying to build a populous movement or want to enact some lasting, qualitative change that will improve lives, combat colonization, racism and bigotry…just remember, people seriously get behind turkey.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
Ronnie James, Artist Agent
info@justartists.org
October 11, 2013
A Time of Change
let me put it this way…
I got my start as a recording artist 18 years ago, in a world that no longer exists. It was back in those prehistoric times before Pro Tools and Garageband, when musicians were still recording in studios and selling their CDs in music stores. It seemed almost overnight that engineers, producers and store owners were scrambling to broker their expertise into some music and entertainment related industry. Change happens whether we’re ready or not.To continue reading, please visit BC Musician Magazine for the full article.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
October 7, 2013
Event Planning 101
You know that proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child,” right? And you’ve probably seen the Margaret Mead quote, that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens is the only thing that has ever changed the world, right?
OK…look, I don’t want to be the dark cloud raining on the socially conscious parade of activists and anarchists trying in their own special way to be thoughtful committed citizens changing the world…but sometimes I feel like a parent, and the event I’m at is a child…only no one is parenting it. And I wish I could ask someone, “where the frig is the village?”
When will someone helpfully point out that if you are going to be speaking in a public square to hundreds or (dare we hope) to thousands of people…you need a f%#ing PA system so people can hear what you’re saying! And if you are going to be a speaker at such an event, learn how to talk into the freaking microphone before you get on stage. I’m not kidding, it’s event planning 101.
It always makes me wonder if the organizers of THIS event haven’t stood in the middle of a crowd at ANOTHER event, while some speaker (we can only imagine is pontificating in a super articulate and informed way) hammers home the banner points of freedom and justice as the crowd liberally applies a smattering of confused applause around statements like, “ghmmmph summa manea bowtwa!!!!”
Seriously…I just finished teaching slam poetry at an elementary school for a week. Each class chose poets to represent their class at the poetry slam on Friday afternoon for 350 staff and students. On Friday morning, I took a PA, a mic and a stand into each room and taught 10-12 year olds how to set the level of the stand for themselves and speak into the mic so they could be heard when they slammed their poetry.
Cause it’s 1-0-freaking-1 man. Words matter…when you can hear them!
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
October 4, 2013
Imagination is the Key
If you’re bored…it’s your own fault. Everyone is born with an imagination. And imagination is the key to creativity and innovation in our personal and professional lives. If you’ve lost touch with your’s because you believe an imagination is something you’re supposed to grow out of…then that’s on you.
You have to be willing to play. To embrace new opportunities and experiences. The best way to learn new technology, new systems and platforms, ways of learning and communicating is to let yourself have fun. If creativity and innovation are important to your business, produce or service, (and I can’t think of when it isn’t) then it is in your best interest to get familiar with they key you’ve been given.
One of the biggest killers to really engaging your imagination is worrying about being productive. Imagination is the key remember, not the treasure…it’s the piece that unlocks what you’re looking for. On a recent tour I’d been driving for 12 hours and was starting to get a little stir crazy. So I pulled out my handheld video camera and made a fake tourism video of the next town I drove through. Just a stupid silly little bit of fun. When I got into my hotel room that night, instead of just turning on the TV vegging out, I dumped the footage into my laptop and played with it in iMovie. The video itself isn’t the point. Having fun and using my imagination was the point. Passing time driving and getting better, faster and more familiar with iMovie was just a byproduct. Sharing the stupid little video through social networks was just a funny way of interacting with my friends, fans and clients that might brighten their day with a smile or chuckle.
One night a few years ago in Winnipeg it was minus a billion degrees Celcius outside. So I went into my creative lair, put on a big fat drum loop, started mucking about on my keyboard and wrote a song about Mennonites. For absolutely no reason at all.
Tribe of One has produced a number of world-class professional videos of our performances. But on one Arctic Tour I decided it would be funny to produce a, Behind the Stage Series, cutting out the performance bits entirely and showing us just being goofy. It was supposed to be silly. A byproduct I could never have imagined was how it encouraged some members of our audience by demystifying the process of investing in your dream. It was an educational tour, where we were hosting workshops and performances in communities across the north. These little videos sparked a number of really profound and productive conversations individuals in our workshops.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
JUST Artist Agency Group
info@justartists.org
The post Imagination is the Key appeared first on Rik Leaf.
Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
Have you ever heard the saying,”If you’re bored…it’s your own fault”? I totally subscribe to this, and regularly entertain myself through a wide variety of creative pursuits. For instance…
On my last tour I decided to drive instead of fly to northern B.C. After driving along for 12 hours I think any sane person starts to lose their mind. Which is the perfect opportunity to pull out your video camera and make a fake tourism promotional video for the next town you drive through.
One night a few years ago while I was living in Winnipeg I was tempted to be bored. No friends to hang with, no good movies or TV shows to watch, and minus a billion degrees Celcius outside. So I went into my creative lair, put on a big fat drum loop, started mucking about on my keyboard and wrote a song about Mennonites…for absolutely no reason at all.
Then there was the Tribe of One Arctic Tour – Behind the Stage Series. After capturing lots and lots of performance videos, I decided to do a series that all happened before or after we played. Cutting out the performance bits entirely.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
Ronnie James, Artist Agent
info@justartists.org
It’s OK to be Weird
Have you ever heard the saying,”If you’re bored…it’s your own fault”? I totally subscribe to this, and regularly entertain myself through a wide variety of creative pursuits. For instance…
On my last tour I decided to drive instead of fly to northern B.C. After driving along for 12 hours I think any sane person starts to lose their mind. Which is the perfect opportunity to pull out your video camera and make a fake tourism promotional video for the next town you drive through.
One night a few years ago while I was living in Winnipeg I was tempted to be bored. No friends to hang with, no good movies or TV shows to watch, and minus a billion degrees Celcius outside. So I went into my creative lair, put on a big fat drum loop, started mucking about on my keyboard and wrote a song about Mennonites…for absolutely no reason at all.
Then there was the Tribe of One Arctic Tour – Behind the Stage Series. After capturing lots and lots of performance videos, I decided to do a series that all happened before or after we played. Cutting out the performance bits entirely.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
Ronnie James, Artist Agent
info@justartists.org
Be Entertaining!
Have you ever heard the saying,”If you’re bored…it’s your own fault”? I totally subscribe to this, and regularly entertain myself through a wide variety of creative pursuits. For instance…
On my last tour I decided to drive instead of fly to northern B.C. After driving along for 12 hours I think any sane person starts to lose their mind. Which is the perfect opportunity to pull out your video camera and make a fake tourism promotional video for the next town you drive through.
One night a few years ago while I was living in Winnipeg I was tempted to be bored. No friends to hang with, no good movies or TV shows to watch, and minus a billion degrees Celcius outside. So I went into my creative lair, put on a big fat drum loop, started mucking about on my keyboard and wrote a song about Mennonites…for absolutely no reason at all.
Then there was the Tribe of One Arctic Tour – Behind the Stage Series. After capturing lots and lots of performance videos, I decided to do a series that all happened before or after we played. Cutting out the performance bits entirely.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
Ronnie James, Artist Agent
info@justartists.org
Entertain Yourself
Have you ever heard the saying,”If you’re bored…it’s your own fault”? I totally subscribe to this, and regularly entertain myself through a wide variety of creative pursuits. For instance…
On my last tour I decided to drive instead of fly to northern B.C. After driving along for 12 hours I think any sane person starts to lose their mind. Which is the perfect opportunity to pull out your video camera and make a fake tourism promotional video for the next town you drive through.
One night a few years ago while I was living in Winnipeg I was tempted to be bored. No friends to hang with, no good movies or TV shows to watch, and minus a billion degrees Celcius outside. So I went into my creative lair, put on a big fat drum loop, started mucking about on my keyboard and wrote a song about Mennonites…for absolutely no reason at all.
Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.
Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,
Ronnie James, Artist Agent
info@justartists.org
