Harvey Miedreich || a photographer

Rebecca is a 20 year old wedding planner who started her ambitious journey at the age of 17.  She currently attends school at the University of Alberta where she is finishing her bachelor of arts degree and getting prepared to launch her business full-time in the 2011 wedding season. You can check her out here if you need of an event planner (it should be noted Rebecca will plan any type of event from anniversaries to birthdays to weddings and baby showers)! Next up is Heather. Heather is in an art school in B.C. that broadcasts students online live while they paint or draw. As Heather creates she interacts with her audience, playing music and giggling non stop. It’s a super fun time! Follow her here (twitter) to see when (and what) she’s painitng next.

Rebecca Fisher-Swarbrooke

Who are you? 

A woman: a daughter, a sister, a friend, an entrepreneur - a wedding & special events coordinator to be exact!  

What advice would you have for a entrepreneur just starting out?
There’s a lot of work that comes with owing your own business but as long as you are passionate about what you are doing and have the desire to become successful, you have the potential to succeed. You have to be willing to experiment in order to grow. As long as you are enjoying what you are doing and you are doing it for what you believe are the right reasons, you have succeeded. My definition of success in this sense - to be truly happy with what you are doing.  

What’s the main focus of your business?
Weddings but I love all sorts of events! I enjoy full coordination most because I love seeing all of the plans come into fruition. 

Could you briefly describe your wedding planning process?
I meet with clients, discuss their vision and expectations (or help them determine it!), and work with them to ensure that their wedding and/or event is absolutely perfect!  

Which superhero impresses you the most?
Oh my! There are a lot of awesome superheros: Batman, Spiderman, Superman. 

Why?
They do some pretty awesome things to help make the world a better place. Batman fights to reclaim the city from the bad guys and Superman fights for truth and justice. That’s pretty awesome work! 

Which talent would you most like to have?
This isn’t a very realistic ‘talent’ but it would be awesome to be able to be in many places at once or to be a mind reader… it would potentially make life much much easier but then perhaps it wouldn’t be as much fun… ?

What was your favourite cartoon as a child?
I didn’t really watch many cartoons as a child but I read a lot of books. TV wise though, I loved Barney and Sesame Street. I even dressed up as Barney for Halloween when I was in preschool - it’s a fond memory! haha.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?
Oh wow. Although I am young, I believe that I already have a list of accomplishments - one of which is becoming a certified wedding and special events coordinator at the age of 17 and owning a business now at 20. I’m young but I have tons of worldly experience - I am definitely beyond my years!

What has been your most significant moment so far?
I have been fortunate to travel a lot throughout my life and have been to many incredible places. My major holiday out of the many last year was to Europe for a couple of months - my boyfriend, Adam and I went to Italy for a couple of weeks which was wonderful. It was both of our first times in Italy and it couldn’t have been any better (well maybe if it were a longer holiday!) - we can’t wait to go back! We visited vineyards, stayed in a castle (major highlight!), and ate a lot of delicious food! We’re both foodies so we totally appreciated all of the fabulous restaurants.

If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow where would it be?
Definitely somewhere where the sun is shining! I absolutely love to travel so an adventure to anywhere would be fabulous. Either somewhere I have been before or somewhere new - one of my favorites is New York but I’d love to visit India, Thailand, and more of Europe in the future! 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Likely married with children as well as a successful career woman! 

How many kids? 
Probably two and if I could ensure that I could have twins so that I could just have them at once that would be even better! haha.

What is one thing people can appreciate about you?
I am honest/genuine/sincere.

Describe your perfect bite.
Oh my gosh! I am a total foodie so this one is really difficult! I love everything but I would have to have a lot of bites because I’m not too fond of mixing things that aren’t supposed to go together. I think I’m allowed to have more than one perfect bite! Right Harvey?! haha.

What would we find in your refrigerator right now?
Well, in my parents fridge there is tons of food. My mom is an awesome chef so our fridge is never empty! Adam and I love to cook as well so we tend to keep his fridge quite full too! Aside from all of the cooking in both fridges there are always staples in both like cheese, eggs, vegetables… I LOVE food! I have favourite dishes from various cuisines but not one particular favorite… 

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
hmmm… chocolate fountains and I don’t always get along. In a nutshell for instance, one time, I turned the machine on, the chocolate got stuck, and then it flew all over me - there was chocolate everywhere! It was actually quite funny but the worse thing about it was that it was just minutes before it had to be put out for a wedding reception. Luckily I had a change of clothes! 

What words or phrases do you most over use?
I’ve started to notice that I love to use the words ‘awesome’ and ‘love.’ They are likely my top two right now but I tend to go through phases. Awesome is by far the winner right now!

What is it you dislike most?
Marmite, negativity, arrogance, rudeness, disrespect…  

On what occasion do you lie?
I suppose I’m what you would call a silent liar - my mother taught us that if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything so I guess I kind of live according to that concept when it comes to lies…

What is the quality you most admire in a woman?
I admire women who are independent, strong-willed, intelligent, and who embrace their femininity! 

What is the quality you most like in a man?
I admire men who are strong, loving, and caring. 

What is your idea of perfect happiness? 
The romantic in me could quite possibly give you the beauty pageant response - ‘world peace.’ Realistically though, my idea of perfect happiness is to be surrounded by love - to love and to be loved. 

What is your current state of mind?
Thoughtfulness and intrigue. Thoughtfulness as I ponder my answers to your questions and intrigue as I wonder what the photos you took will look like! I can’t wait to see what you do with today’s shoot!  

What do you do for fun?
Read, cook and/or bake, have parties and get-togethers, and I’m constantly looking at wedding related things online, in print, on TV… 

What is your greatest regret?
I don’t have any regrets! I believe that everything happens for a reason and that through each experience, we have the potential to learn about ourselves. 

Which living person do you most admire?
People. My parents! 

Any last words?

Thank you for having me as one of your hundred people Harvey and for a fabulous time! I can’t wait to do many awesome things with you in the future! 

Heather Simonsmeier

Heather Simonsmeier

Who are you?

I’m a student going to school for visual arts.

If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow where would it be?

Japan, the culture is so different and they have great shopping.

What inspires you to create art?

I just think art is beautiful and I enjoy doing it for myself and for others. It inspires me when I get motivated by the things and people around me.

What advice would you have for an artist just starting out?

I’m pretty new too, but I would say just practice a lot and you’ll improve a lot! The more you practice the more you’ll improve.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?

I feel pretty accomplished about moving and being independent. I also feel accomplished when people take enough interest in my work to go out and buy it. My art teacher liked my work so much he actually bought a piece.

What is your most significant moment so far?

Right now it’s graduating and going to art school. It’s pretty significant in my life and defines where I’m going.

Describe your perfect bite.

I think I would want to go for teriyaki chicken on a bed of rice with vegetables.

What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

All my mom’s food.

What is one thing people can appreciate about you?

My positive attitude.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Doing what you love to do and you’re content with everything around you and you’re with someone you love.

On what occasion do you lie?

I try to be an honest person.  Try to be is the keyword.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My boyfriend, Jeff. We’ve been together for over 2 years and it’s been fantastic. So happy.

If you could choose what or who you could come back as who or what would you be?

When I was littler I always wanted to be a cat.

What is one quality you most admire in a woman?

Honesty and being true with yourself.

What quality do you most admire in a man?

Sam thing, honesty and being true with yourself, and if their funny.

You paint/draw online, what made you decide to do that?

I’ve seen a lot of other artists do digital art online and I thought it would be a great way for me to get motivated and work hard on my stuff and it would be great to have an audience. I get to meet people through that and they can ask questions. She also plays music for you, it’s cool.

What are you painting next?

I have a few drawings I’m doing next. A band and a car.