He Speaks, She Speaks

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Flavour Of The Month, You Speak | August 30 2013

Passing the torch of The Stew Magazine ( He Speaks )

 

I sometimes wonder  how my life would have  gone if i hadn’t ended up  working in the publishing  industry. It wasn’t by design;
not really. I wanted to be  a writer, yes, but I was  planning more on being  a novelist than a newspaper guy. So when I took  a part time job at the age  of 16 as a junior reporter,  it was just supposed to be  something that I’d do for a  few months in the summer. I never expected that  it would turn into a career,  and dominate more than  20 years of my life. That’s what it did,  though. And now, 23 years
since I took that first job  at that first newspaper, I’m  stepping away for the first  time to do… well, God  knows what, really.
The reason I wonder  where my life would have  gone if I hadn’t ended up  working in the publishing industry is because  I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t  have been anything like  what it ended up being.  I didn’t really have any  concrete plans going into  the future. If I had gone to
university, I have no idea  what it would have been  for, or what sort of job that  degree would have prepared me for, where that  job would have taken me,  who I would have met, or  where my life would be at  23 years later. If I had just picked a  different job for those
summer months just after  high school, I would be  in a completely different  place today. It’s sort of  hard to fathom.
I wonder how many of  us have moments like that,  tiny moments, that seem insignificant at the time, and yet send us spiralling off in a completely different direction in life. I guess that’s what they’re talking about when they refer to the Butterfly Effect, this idea that the tiny, gentle flapping of a butterfly’s wings can, over time, eventually cause a massive, devastating hurricane. Surely it happens all
the time. What’s special, I guess, are those moments when you can actually look back and remember the moment when the butterfly flapped his wings.
And it’s because of that butterfly that I’m sitting here today, writing this editorial, saying goodbye to all of you. This issue that you hold in your hands is my farewell. Craig and Christa Smith have bought The Stew and will be continuing to serve the Cariboo with the finest
arts and culture magazine you could hope for.I’m flattered that Juli and I were able to build something like this, and build it well enough that people would want to keep it going when it was time for us to walk away, and I’m very excited to leave it in the hands of another
independent, communityminded business owner. I can’t think of anyone better qualified to steer this magazine into the future than Craig and Christa.
As always, I’d like to thank all of you for your time and your attention, for you willingness to embrace this product and make our monthly escapades a part of your life. You’re the ones that made all of this worthwhile. Always remember that. Lastly, while I may be
gone, I hope not to be forgotten. As long as there’s a Stew, you’ll be able to reach me at todd@thestew.ca . I hope to hear from you.
todd@thestew.ca

 

Chasing dreams and reaching for the stars ( She Speaks )

 

I am a firm believer in  following your dreams,  reaching for the stars, and  doing things for the experience that it brings. That’s  why, three years ago, when  Todd and I decided to  drop everything and start  The Stew Magazine, I was  all in! It was scary; it was  exciting; it was completely  life-altering. The Stew allowed us to stay home with  our new baby. It gave us the opportunity to create something we could be proud of and look forward to every day. It allowed us to bring a dream to life. The Stew Magazine literally changed our lives.
I am so proud of our little publication. And I am honored to have had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people, see so many amazing things, and learn so much about the Cariboo-Chilcotin’s artistic side that is, thankfully (and hopefully in part due to The Stew), coming out into the forefront of the area where it can be celebrated and appreciated.
And, even more importantly, shared.  I’ve had so many highlights over the past few years: Checking out that great cabin, off season, out
by Likely; riding in the Tour de Cariboo when my ass had no right to be on a bike for that long; chasing ghosts in Barkerville; talking with the wild women from out West; ArtsWells;  the MoM Fest; Arts on the Fly… pretty much the entirety of festival season… but the best and
most memorable part of the last few years is, by far, the people. I have made so many life-long friends through this journey. I have been
allowed in your lives, and have shared my experiences with you, and I am a better person for having done so. I have been enriched, have learned lessons, and have known true community.

 

Thank you, so very much. From  the bottom of my heart.  Thank you.  And now it is time for new adventures, new dreams to be chased, and new lessons to be learned! It is with great joy that I, along with Todd, hand the reigns of The Stew over to Craig and Christa. I know
the ride they are in for, and I know the love that you will share with them, and I am thrilled for what is in store for them. Be wild, readers! Grab your dreams by the horns and ride them as far as you can! Throw caution to the wind on a regular basis. Think big. It really is all about the journey. Take your step, whatever it may be. And may our paths cross again along the way