I've really come into my own since I moved back home to Greater Victoria in 2008 after a decade spent doggedly pursuing my creative path in Vancouver. When I left I certainly never felt the joy, pride and inspiration I do today about what this great city means, it's deep personality and it's endless future potential. Although we grew apart in my youth we've since come together much more intimately than I could ever have imagined. The truth is that, like so many of you, there is absolutely no other place on earth that I would rather live.

There's No Place Like Home

     There's so much to love about the nearly 100 distinct neighbourhoods that make up the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District we call home. You don't need me to convince you of this by providing cute or quirky little aspects of each; if you live here you most certainly know exactly what I'm talking about. We have enough historic civic landmarks and big-ticket cultural events every year to keep the social calendar full all year long, not to mention the rich and innovative lifestyle being passionately enjoyed by the nearly 370,000 men, women and children who fill my local-loving heart with pride. Surely some of us have our differences from time to time and we're certainly not without our own fair share of socio-economic and civic challenges but all-in-all I think it's pretty fair to say that this town, our town, kicks some serious ass.

Think Locally, Act Locally

     The collective pride we share is inspiringly reflected in the intense local support for independent business, farmers, artisans and the like. We wear our support like a badge of honour and it shows in the unique personalities of the wide selection of locally owned and operated shops, stores, restaurants, bars and markets that nurture our city streets and rural neighbourhoods. In the grand scheme of things, Victoria has really embraced the phrase "think globally, act locally." So much so in fact that I believe we are now on the cutting edge of the hyperlocal movement and consequently on the brink of making our shared Victoria experience even greater.

     Thinking globally really boils down to informing and inspiring action within your our small manageable communities and here, in Greater Victoria, we take those ideas to heart. We're on our way to greatness but there's always room for improvement and that takes sharing the inspiration of our dreams. Whether those ambitions and goals ultimately result in incredible success or failure, the most important aspect of community building and growth, in my modest opinion, is to follow those dreams with intelligent and innovative passion. These are the risks that bear the possibility of our greatest collective reward - a vibrant community that champions and supports its own citizens in the pursuits of their own dreams.

When The Going Gets Tough...

     These have been incredibly tough times for so many, particularly local independent small businesses. One look at any of the "For Lease" signs that adorn the vacant windows of countless shops and offices throughout our neighbourhoods paints a fairly troubling picture. One such small business struggling to stay afloat has developed an innovative way to seek community support to stay in business, but their store is unique in the service and care it gives to families in Greater Victoria and thus it's no wonder that so many passionate local lovers have heard their cry for help and rallied behind them. I sincerely hope they will meet they rapidly approaching deadline and find the subscribers they need. (Please follow this link for more information on how you can help!) Unfortunately, not every business is as lucky to have a caring audience to call upon as are the wonderful young family that owns and operates Tall Tales Books.

     I'm hoping that in the months and years ahead as I bravely forge ahead with my vision for Greater Victoria that more and more locally owned and operated small businesses are also able to identify, build and nurture such powerful and intimate connections to their neighbours. But I'm realistic. I realize we can't always find what we need or want from a local source but I do feel that we're pretty damn lucky to have the unique and vibrant local businesses that are such a large part of what gives our beautiful city its special feel. What I have in mind is a truly unique online and mobile experience for citizens and visitors of our city to enjoy - a way to learn the stories and inspirations behind our incredible local businesses and keep more of the money we earn and spend in our community in our community.

     While I seek the investment I need to help bring my dream to light, I proudly encourage everyone to continue to explore, uncover, share and support our neighbours who are actively and bravely following their own dreams, providing our communities with the products, services and experiences we all need to make our Greater Victoria even greater!

     If you share a strong local love and are interested in being the first to know about the incredible online experience I am developing, please subscribe to my Hyperloco mailing list and be the first to know the whole local story. If you are interested in investment or partnership opportunities for this powerful new start-up idea, please contact me directly (connect at hyperloco.ca)

 

 

 

It was a great pleasure to take Off The Beaten Path down to the original Discovery Coffee in downtown Greater Victoria to speak with one of the local owners, Logan Gray.

I was introduced to Logan through a mutual friend, Shawn Soole (thank you Shawn!) and really enjoyed hearing the story of Discovery Coffee and the passion that has helped make it an incredible local success. You can also enjoy the story by listening to the podcast episode below or by signing up to recieve The Sunday Evening Post every week in which the podcast will be featured.

    I announced my retirement from the pursuit of my musical career ambitions today. It was a tough one.

    Many of you may not know this side of me but an enormous part of my experience on this earth has been in the pursuit of those particular dreams and filled with those particular experiences. You might not see that it's relevant to the focus of my current passion to help small business owners in Greater Victoria to get personal, get creative and get involved in the Social Revolution but I assure you that it is. Having a transparent agenda means giving every aspect of your being an equally important role in the presentation of the story you share with the outside world.

    I'm a whole person made of a seemingly infinite scope of distinct parts and I believe in the collective good that comes from sharing the intimate with the public; the triumphs along with the tribulations; for each one shows the world who we really are. If ever there was a time when I've felt the "bittersweet" aspect of life, it was today. I don't regret it advance or celebrate its passing, but instead pay homage to a chapter in my life that has led me down a labyrinth of doorways and thresholds; a gauntlet of personal and professional choices that have led me to this juncture where I stand today, poised to demonstrate myself as leader in this city and a creative enabler to those in need of a spark.

    Here is where my philosophy might well veer slightly outside the current comfort zone yours; the traditional mantra of economics dictates that all adherents religiously avow to keep the two dimensions of themselves - what they do for a living and the life they live - mutually exclusive from one another. In my own very strong opinion, the mandate of our individual and collective well-being requires that the opposite occur- that such destructive thinking is so fundamentally opposed to the social nature in which our kind has evolved that I challenge anyone of sound mind and reasonable process to rationally explain why such a false guard must be so vehemently maintained. Blame it on the #Gatekeepers.

A Toast To Change

    It's hard to say goodbye to certain dreams you've carried so close to your heart. It's okay to admit you're grieving a loss and adjusting to change - even when it's a choice you consciously made for yourself. Signing off from the music channel today for me was one of those moments and it affected me much more profoundly than I imagined it would when I composed that blog post earlier this morning.

    There's absolutely no shame in showing your true colours - in fact, I feel that quite the opposite is true. Being transparent doesn't mean denouncing privacy for oneself any more than it entails showing up at work stark naked. All it requires is that we permit the truth of our individual intent and aspirations to rise to the surface, owning our mistakes and embracing our successes.

    After all, in a world so desperately in need of accountability and responsibility, what else is this fantastic global Social Revolution trying to communicate to us about ourselves if not to explore the possibility of a cultural landscape of earning and maintaining both trust and respect?

Thoughts on this post? I'd love to hear from you.

    I've loved music my entire life and been dreaming of becoming a bona fide rock star since I was very young. There are pictures of me in my diaper strumming a potato masher alongside others of me plodding away in my room as an awkward teenager channeling the fears and anxieties of high-school life into song. I've written with gifted talents (Heavy Sun, The Next T-Shirt, Black Hat Villain, Adam Sutherland), shared the stage with other incredible artists and belted my personal power in front of countless audiences. I've also strutted my stuff at The Commodore Ballroom. Twice.

 

     I've written hundreds of songs who have become dear old friends and allies to me along this path and created a unique album experience unlike anything else anyone has ever seen. I've been old school. I've been new school. I've been sensitive and I've been brash and cocky. I've been folksy and I've been rock & roll, baby. I've screamed to the heavens and shook the bars of the cage that surround me. I've said hello to you and been touched by your reply and now, my dearest friends and fans, I'm saying goodbye.

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  I've deemed the so-called "experts" of "proper social media engagement" #Gatekeepers on Twitter but they exist across the Web. You'll know them by the arrogant manner with which they abuse these amazing new communication networks to bully newbies while at the same time propagating and proliferating the same old, antiquated, out-dated and quite frankly piss-poor ideas that have existed from the days of stone-tablets and hieroglyphs. They have a vested interest in making their voice the loudest, even if they're saying nothing. To put it in simple Star Wars terms, if the humanization and personalization of Web 2.0 is "The Force" then they are the #EvilEmpire spreading cultural despair and intellectual destruction throughout the social galaxy.

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         With a not-so-subtle tip of the hat to the widely popular Saturday Evening Post of a world gone by, I have elected to create The Sunday Evening Post (and corresponding #SEP "hashtag" for any of you uninitiated Twitter users out there) in an attempt to establish a weekly ritual for sharing an eclectic collection of inspiring stories and insightful links from across the Web. While this unique online presentation is available for everyone to enjoy, it's geared toward local small business owners and supporters who might, like me, struggle to find enough time during the work week to catch up on some of the relevant information being shared across the ever-expanding array of social media platforms.

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Hello Victoria.

I'm looking forward to sharing insights, information and inspiration with you and hope you'll feel encouraged to do the same as this blog finds its legs in the weeks, months and (hopefully!) years ahead.

I have a strong vision for our community; one that empowers us as individuals with a respected voice, unique outlook and shared passion for building success across all of our varied passions.

I look forward to connecting and exchanging ideas with you all.

Scott_Valentine
Creative Director
Designs 20/20