Creative Resonance
About the Author
Screen Name: jazzwines.com
Hometown: Toronto Canada
Birthplace: Boston MA
Date of Birth: Aug, 1959
Joined jazzwines.com: Nov 02, 2006
My Bio
Brand developer and entrepreneur.
Co-founder of Jazz Wines.
Accolades and recognition of great significance to me
Various awards for photography and videos. Most-improved player award in women’s hockey at the age of 48 after learning to skate at 36, recognition for only 12 years of practice.
Recognition of my creativity by the biggest Silicon Valley venture capital firm when it funded a start-up to steal the trademark and web domains from enginex, a web services venture of mine. It was significant as I learned how to be David to their Goliath.
Professional recognition by the Ontario Apple Growers for creating the Orchard Crisp brand and a value-added apple identity program involving new quality standards and informative packaging in response to Ralph Nader’s anti-chemical campaign in the 1980’s.
At other levels: Being named “Simba” by my guide during a trek to the top of Kilamanjaro. Vocal and loving recognition from my cat Truman.
Event or person significant in developing my talents
Don Watt, a leader in “business design”, said “yes” when I asked to work with him in the late 1980’s and he influenced the way I think about form following function, visual and industrial design.
I said “yes” to join Richard Branson and his Asian market direction to launch a Virgin enterprise in the mid-1990’s. That brought to life my ideas about the potential and means for truly collaborative strategies and partnership in business.
I’ve also developed by learning from mistakes.
Improvisation & Collaboration
Every day, business and personal adaptation involves improvisation and collaboration. Mix in a touch of innovative thinking, genuine appreciation for one another’s talents and we have seeds for change.
In a practical way, I enjoy hosting programs, shaping time or making spaces where happinstance and face-to-face connections are more possible. That lays the ground for individual creativity, meaningful connection and growth in the most personal yet broadest sense.
Inspiration for my creative process
Visual beauty, resonance, empathetic and creative people with confidence grounded in an honest sense of their own capabilities and limitations with obvious desire to learn, play and change.
My ideal work partner
I’m not sure if I work in any one field. But I generally like working with creative and confident individuals willing to put in a bit of time, hear new ideas as well as share their own.
Most memorable wine tasting experience
Before we launched Jazz Wines, I went to Australia in 2004 to find out how we might benefit the wine world. After being toured around the Barossa by Stuart Blackwell of St. Hallett, I was sent over to see Charlie Melton who then took me to Barr-Vinum for lunch. After a light and phenomenal meal enjoying discussion of jazz history while drinking Charlie’s 2000 Nine Popes, we went “out back’ to sit under a willow tree and talk about the wine and web as ways to make great taste and winemakers more accessible to North American consumers. The table was covered with bottles for sampling from those sitting around including Bob McLean and Chris Ringland.
Favorite musical experience
In 1998, I held the first electrobebe festival and hosted an unprecedented performance by Ben Neill, his three-horned trumpet and linked computer, a drummer, and Gardner Post of EBN (Emergency Broadcast Network) playing a video keyboard with computer hook-up so people and computers improvised in sound and visual performance. They were brilliant! And it led to awesome follow-up discussion & discoveries.
As a concert-goer: I am always astounded by Prince, especially on acoustic guitar.
Recently: My first IAJE Conference in 2007 in New York made me realize how humble musicians are and how humbling they can be en masse. Young and old, thousands of jazz musicians played and shared insights over a few days of dazzling performance.
Musician or Winemaker I'd enjoy meeting and why
Louis Armstrong, if he was alive, to hear about his New Orleans to Chicago train ride or Jimmy Hendrix to get a feel for a living musical medium. And now, Prince or David Bowie as business innovators in addition to Bowie being much to music what Picasso was to art.
