Hey there. It's been a while.

((Masterpost here))

Dear Calgary…

It’s been 6 months since I’ve arrived here. And to be honest, you’ve given more opportunities in the palm of my hand than I think I could’ve ever had while I was in Vancouver. I mean, of course, I was a different girl then; I was a college student with slipping grades and a terrible GPA; I was working at Whole Foods and at COBS bread at the same time; and I was also on the verge of a burgeoning blossoming romance that really tested my patience and my fortitude because each of my romances tend to do that, but really this one really had my attention because it always does.

But, anywho…6 months ago I was at a Hostel in downtown Calgary, which I had known to discover, was the emptiest city I had ever seen during the holidays. And that wasn’t even the first thing that I was startled about; well, actually scratch that. It was. That and your Ctrain that runs along the tracks with traffic.

And that was before I had the unpleasant experience of going through your Cold winter and your incomprehensible closures at 6pm every single day.

And also, while you’re at it, you have a shitton of liquor stores at every corner. I still can’t wrap my mind around that. And I’m not sure I actually ever will, but eh, I’ll reconcile with it at some point.

I mean after all, you have given me good things Calgary.

You’ve actually helped me push my ass into gear and kickstart what I should’ve been doing while I was in Vancity. But then again, maybe back then wasn’t really the time. As said, I was a student and I was working and I didn’t really have the time nor thought process like I have now.

I have all the time in the world to really work on my craft. Which is to tell stories.

I’m a writer, and I see myself honing my skills and turning those stories into flesh and blood through all meaningful mediums, whether it be short films, webseries, radio dramas, podcats, stageplays or comic books. (All of which will be done through some shape or form within the next little while. I’m on a roll now and I don’t wanna stop. I’ve always said these things so I’ll shut up and act, like all of my friends are doing.)

Both of which I am currently helping others make. Because I had no clue on how to do anything, so I’m really just leeching on others and absorbing their life experiences to better my powers.

They’re my red chicken of power.

Ten points if you get that really bad reference. And if you really can’t figure it out, that’s ok.

Anyway…onto what I’ve actually been doing for the past 3 months…ish.

Because actually, if I can be honest, I’ve been pretty much sleeping in for the Winter months and then left hibernation in April and all this work started popping up.

Like finding myself working for these oddballs at California Balloons and helping them out with their kickpeople campaign so they can encourage piracy. (Well actually it’s an Indiegogo campaign and it’s actually pretty cool! Details here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/space-rippers#/story) 

They’re also giving me lessons in planning events, computer editing and writing incredible stories that I would throw my money at if I wasn’t already volunteering for them.

And then when I wasn’t part of the CSIF Script Club, I was writing an article about a girl and her bloody dress-up habits, that you can see here: http://issuu.com/csif_calgaryfilm/docs/ap-spring2015-web

And then, falling in love with my church and my spirituality, which is something I’d never thought would happen. Why? I honestly, don’t know. But at the same time, I’m glad I did. And I see my relationship with God in a better light thanks to this new Pastor and how he says things. He makes it so personal! And he’s pro-women! Like, seriously, how cool is that? Like, he actively acknowledges women and includes them in his sermons and talks about them? And he’s a pretty chill dude and some of the church goers have tattoos? And that’s pretty cool because I WANT A TATTOO!

(Actually, I want 3; a 4-star dragon ball, a smiley face, and the crest of love. And maybe a star.)

And I say that because I am directly involved with them by actually doing camera work, too! So I feel directly connected to helping out the church and I feel even better for it!

(Note that the previous church I went to wasn’t anti-women nor was it anti-inclusive; on the contrary, they had a RAINBOW FLAG in their Canada Day service at Rogers Arena! And I came out to my church youth leader when I was a lass, so they’re pretty chillz! I guess I just wasn’t completely involved and it wasn’t quite the same!)

And then I’m also helping out at NUTV, which is the University of Calgary’s Community Television station that airs on TV. And this is pretty big because it gets me to see what it’s like to work in a TV studio and have the whole thing set up and put together! And there’s a writer’s room and a production meeting and I’m going to make an active effort to attend it more because opportunity!

And then of course, I can’t forget that I took part in my first guerilla shooting as I met Han Siu and his merry band of misfits as we shot the beautiful short film Mia.

Did I mention that this was Last week?

And we shot in 8 days so he can submit it to TIFF?

And that he’s a zombie right now because he’s really proactive and amazing and editing hours of retakes and guffaws and adlibs into a rough cut for this morning exactly?

I really learned a lot from him and from all the actors and crew I got to meet and work with and I’m really grateful for that. I’m honestly thankful for having given me an opportunity to meet and work with him and all of whom I’ve met and advised me on just continuing forward and learning. And being proactive, because that’s what this particular business is about.

And I honestly can’t say thank you enough to all the beautiful, hardworking and focussed artists I’ve met in so little time. Being with you has revitalized me and encouraged me to really strive to make me the best artist I can be. And I promise you that when you’ll get to work with me, you’ll be in good hands. We’re all gonna make great things and you’re all helping me get to that place. You guys remind me very much of my hardworking, busy friends that I rarely got the chance to see when I was back home.

Despite being quickly acclimated here in the Old West, I still call Vancity my home as a creature of habit.

But my home is where the heart is. And that’s where my passion for stories will take me. And the way things are going, that will be anywhere that the Director’s Guild of Canada will take me since I can go anywhere when I soon join and become a member.

And with that in mind, I’m looking forward to a great summer.

It’ll start with awkward hugs as I’m going to be a volunteer PA on the set of the Storyhive winning web series Hug-o-gram for the next 2 weeks.

And then it’ll continue with MORE awkwardness, though a gayer variety as I become involved in helping  out with the web series “Awkward Mo’s” for their second season.

And then I’ll be getting my PA certification workshop on June 13^th and starting my way up to have more on-set gigs as I learn the ropes of actively working in the film industry and leaving my Customer Service days behind…

And then helping out the CaliB crew with Pre-production of Space Rippers and setting up more Cold Reads…

And also working more with NUTV and climbing up the ladder to vague volunteer girl to PA girl to Overlord of the Universe. Or until then, writer of one joke that made it on the script.

And falling more in love with my church as they help me with my career as a filmmaker and help me be a better me.

And also, building up my own projects and actually having them see the light of the day through hard work, rewrites, crying over the rewrites, and acute time management.

…Or at least, a bloody script and assembling my avengers of actors.

I can see myself as Nick Fury now.

I will now come on all functions with an eyepatch.

But if you must know, monogamous individuals of all genders interested…

If you’re bored and in need of a pseudo-platonic date, lemme know if you want arm candy. My muscle is nice and firm. (It’s 3am as I’m writing this.)

But ALSO, know that I am currently engaged to be married my career. It’s been courting me since childhood so we’re pretty much an OTP at this point and we’re endgame.

So you’ll have to be ok with sharing me with my ideas and my ever-expanding squad of aesthetically-pleasing film geeks. And I don’t care if you’re cute, I’m not giving that up.

Not after all I’ve just started doing and all of the places where it’ll take me.

Which by the looks of it will be long hours of gophering and asking people for collabs…which then leads to shooting and eating and then editing and not sleeping…

But then that leads to promoting and then the award shows.

Soon. And then the wrap parties.

Ah, the wrap parties.

And the general parties I will throw.

Cuz I’mma get turnt really high as the kids say.

Sigh. I can't wait to party. 

Anyway. I should sleep now. It’ll the last time I do for a while because it’ll get busy again.

So yeah. See you. Flipside.

Suzanne Helen James.

05/29/2015.

Non-fiction project: a 2010 interview with Miko Kuro

((Masterpost here))

This was something that I had written in 2010 as part of an arts and culture project designed to discover special and unique events happening in Vancouver.

When I had started this project last summer, it had gone through a series of bumps on the road and even went to a full stop for a little while. Eventually however, I did resume said project, and all that research eventually lead me to the site of "Miko Kuro's midnight tea". Though one may think it's but a simple japanese tea ceremony, it's in fact an extraordinary evening mixing together traditionalism with the freedom of the new media, fusing together the old and the new. Because I was unable to make it to the Vancouver ceremony, I asked to get my facts straight from the "Miko" herself, despite the seperation of countries, miles and computer screens. (Turns out she was in Seattle and i'm well, here in Vancouver). The end result was a series of questions and answers which helped shed more light on this exciting, innovative and growing concept.

Interview with Miko Kuro

By Suzanne Helen James

For "Taking a Slice of Life's Pie"

November 2010

1) "Who, or what is Miko Kuro?"

A "miko" in the Shinto (traditional indigenous Japanese) belief system is a shrine or temple maiden -- something of a caretaker. Someone who prepares the space for the ritual. "Kuro" means dark or black. As a character that I created, Miko Kuro is a Caribbeanized Japanese ghost. Imagine Wide Sargasso Sea's Antoinette character as a Japanese ghost geisha who serves tea to strangers at midnight -- this is the essence of Miko Kuro. 

2) "Why not make this a regular artistic musical gathering? Why add the tea culture element?"

Um, it's called Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea because the tea gathering is the heart of the event. I'm not sure how you came about the description "regular artistic musical gathering" but that is about as inaccurate as calling it a baseball game.

3) "Explain the concept of the tea ceremony and the four seasons."

The Midnight Tea ceremony is a complex idea I began to put together after three pivotal life events. The first of these was receiving a substantial grant from the City of Austin to adapt a poetry manuscript I had written into a community arts event which was held at the Asian American Cultural Center for two consecutive years. The second coincided with the first as I had developed a curiosity about the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and began to study in the Urasenke tradition with Suzuki Sensei that same year. Finally, my return to the Northwest, where I grew up, gave me the grounding to put together these seemingly disparate elements.
 
The first year I hosted Midnight Teas every month for thirteen consecutive months at 45WEST STUDIOS in Vancouver, BC. Vancouver has always been home to me, even though I have lived in many places and travelled fairly extensively. And the art-lovers, seekers, and midnight mavens of the city seemed to emerge as if called or drawn to this project and I am still in awe of the amazing people I've met through this underground art endeavor. 

4) "What kind of variations have you done to the midnight ceremony?" (I saw on the site that you had a 1920s ceremony. Do you plan anything else as such, like other theme parties?)

The 1920s or "Special Tea" was a significant departure from the other 19 Midnight Teas that have taken place in that it was essentially a private party for a former tea guest. The idea of a theme, along with the guest list, etc. were all decided by the event's sole patron, who had gone to a previous tea event and wanted very much to celebrate her upcoming wedding in a similar manner.

Otherwise, it is extremely rare for the Midnight Tea to conform to anything as simple as a theme. This year, the Vancouver teas were held seasonally, because I was traveling more and hosting events beyond 45WEST. 

5) "Would you think that this kind of event would be a success in its native Japan?"

Since there are many different kinds of people in Japan, as there are everywhere, I have no way to gauge the potential success of the Midnight Tea there or any where else for that matter. The Midnight Tea does not claim to be anymore "Japanese" than it is anything else. Yes, the principles that I learned while studying chado (the way of the tea) definitely inspired me to create Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea, but the culture of the tea exists in its own universe and is forever shifting depending on the guests who participate.

One of the notions I hope to dispell by doing this work is the thought that culture is a static thing. Culture, like people, and language, is in flux. We are all in conversation with each other and our personal micro-cultures exist within a neverending tide of shifting cultures that crash and coincide and intermingle constantly.

Tea came to Japan by way of China and India before that. So what many people may think of as culturally Japanese, was borrowed, shared, lent and exchanged from its inception. 

6) "Despite the innovation and the originality of the event, you've probably faced criticism for moving away from the traditionalism. Why then mix these two opposite elements?"

I haven't actually. I have served tea to tea ceremony senseis and the senseis of senseis, and not one felt the need to comment on that. It's obvious to most people that the reverence I pay to the tradition of ritual making and tea service is genuine and that the authenticity of the Midnight Tea project is derived from my own spirit. Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea is my art -- like a painting that has come from the depths of my soul. It can't be co-opted, it can't be replicated, imitated with any success, or anything like that because it is an extension of me, my aesthetic, my creative  agenda, and my perspective in the world. Beyond that, it is a tradition in its own right. All traditions began as innovations. Practice creates a body-memory and practitioners of chado recognize that. The elements of the Midnight Tea ritual that are always in place, no matter where or when the ceremony is held, establish this tradition. In a hundred years, maybe there will be a Midnight Tea school where students can learn "the way of the Midnight Tea" ... who knows? 

7) "Did you see any support from the Japanese-American community?"

There are so many communities that have come together to support this project, I am so very grateful for this widespread involvement! Certainly Japanese-Canadians have been involved since the beginning, as featured artists, guests, and as Midnight Tea volunteers. However, only two teas have been held in the United States so far, which is why I make the Canadian distinction, but yes ... our goal has always been to include as many people as possible, regardless of their ethnic, religious, sexual, or educational backgrounds. The people who want to be part of this project seek it out and become part of it. People are people, and looking at everything in terms of pure demographics isn't very organic. I prefer organic to contrived. 

8) "When you brought the tea ceremony elsewhere in the world, did you ever adapt it to suit the destination?"

Since the tea ceremony is a fully immersive and interactive event, I don't have to "adapt it" --- it adapts itself. The guests are co-creators in the Midnight Tea ceremony, so if they are Canadian, they bring a Canadian element. If they are French, they bring a French element and so on. I look forward to seeing what the Midnight Tea will look like in China and India ... and anywhere else where we are invited to go actually!

9) "Who suggested to start bringing Miko Kuro's tea ceremony upstairs to Canada?"

See #3 -- The tea began (per the website) in Canada. 

10) "If Miko Kuro could invite any famous figure to the tea ceremony, dead or alive, who would it be? And why?"

I think it would be pretty rad to serve Midnight Tea at the White House and invite people like Gloria Steinem and the Dalai Lama to let loose at midnight ... the possibilities are endless!

"Well, that's about it! Once again, I thank you for giving me your time and your insight and I do wish you the best for your baby in the winter months!

Ps; Tell me when the Vancouver Spring tea starts. I'm thinking of volunteering."

The next Midnight Tea will be held at ARTXCHANGE GALLERY in Seattle on May 14, 2011 and has been supported by a grant from the City of Seattle.

All of these questions were answered by the Miko, who shall be referred as such for respect of privacy and confidentiality.Though her real name could be displayed, I didn't ask for her permission to use it, therefore I can't, and I would think it better if it wasn't because I was interviewing the Miko in character. To find out more information on future Miko Kuro's Tea Ceremonies, visit the main website: http://www.mikokuro.com/, where you can also access pictures to previous ceremonies and the guests who've played there as well.

Well, with that said,

See you on the flipside.

Suzanne Helen James.

26/11/10.