Exploring Creativity in Toronto

Featuring JP Michaels | LinkedIn

When my creative juices run dry, and inspiration seems elusive, I often turn to my network of friends for a fresh perspective. One such friend is JP, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a cannabis event in Toronto. JP's immense talent and breadth of interests have been a constant source of inspiration ever since. Recently, we met at the bustling Balzac's café at TMU, where we delved into a captivating conversation on all things creative.

Let's embark on a journey of discovery and creativity as we explore the captivating world of Toronto's creative scene through the lens of a true visionary like JP.

What makes Toronto's creative scene genuinely unique? How does it compare to other major cities?

The city of Toronto is often cited as the most multicultural city in the world. It is precisely this distinction which makes Toronto's creative scene genuinely unique! My work as a? Conceptual Stylist and Branding Agent, primarily for Hip Hop and Rap artists in Toronto, causes me to intersect and experience Toronto's multicultural and multilayered richness. My job is to interpret and conceive a unique branding style based on the rich traditions, musical and otherwise, which uniquely inform each of the emerging artists with whom I work.?

I think comparisons of any kind when it comes to creativity is counterintuitive. “I create therefore I am”, or something like that. Toronto's creative scene is very busy being creative. The music niche in which I operate is very much alive in Toronto. My learning curve over the years continues to this day. Toronto has a solid international creative presence in the music industry. Toronto is highly regarded as an industry networking hub for collaboration and execution of all things creative.

Please share with us what fuels your creativity. Are there specific factors or experiences that consistently ignite your imagination?

When I'm not a full time teacher, I'm a full time student. As a young person, I derived much pleasure and creative inspiration from witnessing first hand the talents of others who were much more experienced and older than myself. I am now that older and more experienced person in the room. So now I derive much pleasure and creative inspiration from being the one bearing witness to my talents and skill-sets by sharing these with young and emerging creatives. My daily interactions with young, creative and vibrantly brilliant minds have taught me so much about myself: always the sign of a good teacher. Their aspirations to be great consistently ignite my imagination and nothing beats great but greater. If that's not exciting, then I don't know exciting.

Keeping creativity fresh is an ongoing endeavor. What strategies or practices do you employ to infuse new life into your creative pursuits?

Styling for me is a process of reaching inwardly to express outwardly. As a daily practice:

• Strategy #1 When possible, I do not plan what I'm going to wear for that day until that day.??
• Strategy #2 is what I call my “Brain-Heart” moment; when the brain knows what the heart feels.?

For want of a better understanding, each and every day my sartorial choices are a result of my brain having a conversation with my heart. These two strategies help me look the way I feel. The brain-heart moment is a moment of choice. The act of choosing is evidence of Enlightenment. Through Enlightenment we experience the transformative power of dressing with intention. I discover more of myself moment by moment during my waking hours because of the intentionality in my message as to what is going on inside of me by what I am wearing outside of me. This prompts conversation with colleagues and strangers alike. In a very real way, I start the conversation without saying a word. Having and being in more control of your own narrative is a technique I teach my celebrity clients so that they have more control over the narrative when they are in public so as not to be misquoted or misrepresented.

As a seasoned creative, what advice would you impart to the next generation of talented individuals seeking to make their mark?

If you lead with your brain, feel more if you lead with your heart, think more. Your life as a creative will oftentimes be a series of Reinventions. The goal of any Reinvention is to create a strong and mindful opinion of yourself so that you don't accidentally believe what others say about you. Furthermore, if Necessity is the Mother of Invention, then survival is the Father of Reinvention.

Enlighten us about your current and future projects fueling your creative fire. What exciting endeavors are you working on at the moment?

I've been blessed with a busy fall. I was part of a 3 1/2 day film shoot for a music video that is going to be released early in 2024. Stay tuned because this is going to be much more than a music video release. I predict it's going to be a movement. I served as Creative Director for a two?videos/photo single releases by the fast rising Matt Somber. I was recently interviewed for a documentary on creativity with no release date atm.?

Currently I am working on the writing of my memoir: ‘Died and Gone to Fashion: Surviving a period of unwellness one outfit at a time’. I am aiming for the first draft to be completed Spring 2024.

As well I have been soft-lending my brand?support to @afterbreastcancer (IG).? Alicia Vianga, after BREAST CANCER Founder & Executive Director and her team provide a gap service in the post-op care and treatment of cancer patients, offering after breast cancer support and “kits” to marginalized women at no cost.

Thanks for your time and insights JP! See you around Toronto!

Follow www.jpmichaels.ca / IG @jp.michaels / TT @styleiconjp / FB @JP Michaels / YT @styleiconjp

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