Overcoming Grief Through Photography

For forty years we had a wonderful life together and then she died of cancer at 63.  If it had not been for my wonderful family and caring friends, I do not know how I would have been able to cope.  Before she left us she whispered, “I want you to have a good life,” and I told her I would try. 

It is now over one year later and I was determined to do my best to fulfill her request.  When the darkness of despair began to accumulate, I forced myself to go out, to meet my family and friends and through the influence of one of them,  I became interested in photography.  Especially of birds. 

Now there is a real dichotomy here.  If you know birds, we perceive them to be things of beauty and beautiful sounds.  They can soar above the land, high up in the clear blue sky, giving the illusion of peace and tranquility.  Yet, the real life of a bird is rather harsh, continuously searching for food, watching for predators, nesting and feeding their young and then migrating hundreds of miles twice a year in a gruelling quest for survival, only to repeat the process year after year. So here one has beauty and struggle.  The struggle is part of nature and we can not do anything about that, but we can emphasize their beauty, the illusion of free soaring through the sky away from the worries down below, and through this recognize what joy they impart to our spirits.  To emphasize the positive is a conscious decision in our human perception of the bird.  Many times I have been asked, if you came back as an animal, what would you like to be?  It was always an eagle.

With the dark clouds of grief in my mind, I forced myself to bring in rays of sunshine, slowly crowding out the grey and bringing in the light.  I took many pictures and every once in a while some stood out from the rest and made me smile and feel good about the world, about myself, about my avian friends, about the future, and pushed a little more of the grey clouds beyond the horizon.  It is still an ongoing process.

Everyone is different and has to find what will work for them.  Photography and birds is one of the things that has worked for me.

Allan Scott

Songs to Recovery 2016 Highlights

On Saturday, September 17th, Riverwalk hosted our fourth annual Songs to Recovery concert and art show! The event involved performances by local bands and musical artists, as well as a showcase of art curated from our Expressive and Therapeutic Arts program. All ticket proceeds went towards helping us keep on providing FREE arts-based programming in our community. (To learn more about what programs we offer and how to get involved, click here.)

We were amazed with the wonderfully talented performers who all volunteered their time to share their music with us for a good cause. We had a great variety this year, everything from progressive rock to a violin duet. We thank all of the wonderful musicians who came out to support Riverwalk:

Naomi Hazlett, the Jay Dee Band, Barbara Dunlop and Stephanie Etherington, Matt Gerber, The New Commuters, Michelle Scott, and Ravyn Red.

Special thanks go out Ravyn Red for sharing their gear, Mel for helping organize the event, and Tyler for being our amazing stage tech and sound guy.

Here are some of our favourite photos from the event!

Entering the Event

Natalia and Michelle are happy that you’re here!

Zentangle

Clay Sculpting, Woodcarving, and Soapstone Carving

TeleStory photography

Music as Expression and Poetry

Naomi Hazlett sings some soulful classic tunes

The Jay Dee Band rocks the house with their blend of folk rock and ska inspired tunes

The Jay Dee Band

Stephanie Etherington and Barbara Dunlop serenade us with a violin duet

Matt Gerber keeps us laughing and toe-tapping with his whimsical original tunes

The New Commuters tear it up with instantly relatable uptempo rock tunes

The New Commuters

Michelle shares some original acoustic tunes

Ravyn Red holds it down with a great mix of covers and original progressive rock songs

Ravyn Red

 

Thanks to everyone who came out to this amazing event! We will see you next year!

 

America’s Got Talent Finalist on Songwriting

“… I try to make my songs to help people and make people relate to them. I don’t think of them as my personal diary reading out loud on a stage, (but as) me trying to hold someone’s hand,” she says. “My songs flow out of me. It was like something that was inside of me and I didn’t even know, and it just came out in the way of a song.”

 

12 year old Grace VanderWaal, finalist for America’s Got Talent

Music as a Weapon of Peace

“Music can be perceived even as a weapon of peace.  An instrument that can actually attenuate conflict because it reduces the sense of friction…and in fact provides people with an expression of serenity and hope.”  – General Romeo Dallaire

On the occasion of the presentation and fund raising concert Child Soldiers No More, a collaboration by General  Romeo Dallaire and singer songwriter Bruce Cockburn at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.