Inboxes are already being inundated with Black Friday deals. According to Adlock, consumers are shown between 6,000 to 10,000 ads daily. It’s increasingly a day that is cluttered with chaos and a pressure to spend. But, one B.C. tourism organization is inspiring a different action—to simply do nothing. In an effort to combat the days’ mayhem, the Southern Gulf Islands Tourism has announced the launch of The Art of Nothing Gallery Pop-Up. Open and free to the public November 24 to 26 at KOU Studios in Vancouver, this immersive art installation will have you yearning to escape the noise, unwind and refocus. Leveraging the sights and sounds of the Southern Gulf Islands, the creative heart of B.C., local artists are creating an immersive space that Vancouverites won’t want to miss. We chatted with Jamie Sterling of Southern Gulf Islands Tourism to learn more. —Vita Daily
Hi Jamie! Tell us a bit about yourself to start
I’m originally from Ontario and moved to the Southern Gulf Islands about five years ago. At the time, it was just another brief adventure in a long string of work and travel opportunities, both in Canada and internationally. After growing up in a rural area, I swore I’d never live in anything close to a small town again, but something about this place stuck. It’s partly because of this dream job with Southern Gulf Islands Tourism. I get to lead travel marketing that’s genuinely at the intersection of environmental, social and economic responsibility. I’m so lucky to do fun and fulfilling work every day. But it’s also partly because the islands are a special place. Long-time residents talk about the region’s negative ions, that it sits on a bed of rose quartz, and that being here is healing. I’m not sure I put much stock in that, but it certainly has something special that I haven’t experienced in the 30+ countries I’ve been to.
Many people think about visiting the Southern Gulf Islands during the summer months, but what should people be thinking about during a visit during “cozy” season?
Summer is tourist culture, but “cozy” season is when you get to experience the authentic island culture. This is the time to experience what the islands are all about—the slow pace, the quiet, the innovation. Yes, you can see locally-made art and products at the summer markets, but right now you can pop into a studio and have a one-on-one conversation with the artisan and learn about their process and motivation. You can go to a pop-up dinner at the bakery, a tea ceremony in a forested tea house and block printing workshops at the arts centre. Or you can just be, whether that’s alone on a trail or curled up next to a fire or however you envision being free from chaos and clutter. It’s a richer experience that’s only possible when there are less people around, when there’s time and space to experiment with new things, or when less distraction encourages introspection. It’s a great time for creative expression, artistic endeavors, and philosophizing.
What is your favourite thing about the Southern Gulf Islands?
They legitimately cultivate creativity. It feels like everyone here is an entrepreneur, and if they’re not yet, they’re likely to become one soon. There are new and unique small businesses all the time; a rentable tiki barge, a bookable DIY woodfired sauna, a hydrotherapy circuit in the forest, a cheesecake stand! And being around that energy really rubs off on you. I’m constantly thinking about creative opportunities that could be viable businesses here and I really appreciate the inspiration for that kind of innovative and conceptual thinking. Especially combined with strong community values of sustainability. Plus, it makes for a lot of variety for such a rural place, there’s always something fun to try.
This week, Southern Gulf Islands Tourism announced the launch of The Art of Nothing Gallery Pop-Up, open to the public November 24 – 26 at KOU Studios in Vancouver, BC. What can visitors expect to experience?
I’m so excited about The Art of Nothing Gallery. It’s going to be an immersive art installation that represents the mental whitespace you can find in the Southern Gulf Islands during the winter months, an original representation of what it’s like to unwind and refocus here. It will combine sights and sounds from the region with interdisciplinary art forms by The Automatic Message to showcase the power and creativity of nothingness. If you could give your mind a breath of fresh air, this would be it.
The Art of Nothing is an awesome concept! What’s your favourite thing to do when doing “nothing”?
Maybe it’s mindfulness, or a flow state, or just being present, but I love getting absorbed in noticing things I’m otherwise too busy to see. Often, my task-oriented to-do list runs the show, but when I’m out and about in the islands, I get to just be in the moment. It’s like, “hey let’s check the farmstand for eggs,” and “oh there’s the bakery, let’s stop for fresh bread,” and “let’s walk that trail to the beach,” and “wow check out the layers of clouds today,” or “look at this cool plant, I’ve never seen it before.” It’s so simple, but it can be so hard to achieve in our non-stop hustle culture. Doing nothing really is a skill, I’m working on it all the time. Being in the islands is a crash course.
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