I was honoured to be directly involved in creating work for two performances in the 2025 Celebrating Gaia Series in partnership with Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund.

The first included a collection of my personal images shown at Christ Church Cathedral as a part of a fabulous concert by the Emily Carr String Quartet and the second being the creation of Beyond VIMY, a creative remembrance that premiered to a sold-out audience at the Mary Winspear Theatre.

This 7-minute video features highlights from the premiere performance of Beyond VIMY, a 110-minute live stage production presented October 25, 2025 by the Creatively United for the Planet Society in honour and remembrance of the importance of peace and the sacrifices made by incredible individuals to ensure our sovereignty, freedoms and democracy remain intact.

More than 600,000 Canadians served in WWI, almost 10% of Canada’s population at the time. Of those, 60,000 Canadians were killed, most under the age of 30, in a war that became known as “the war to end all wars.” Despite it all, WWII occurred and Remembrance Day followed.

This creatively Canadian remembrance is anchored by the Juno-nominated band The Fugitives and includes letters and songs written by WWI Canadian soldiers with the melody and arrangements re-written by Brendan McLeod and Adrian Glynn with the original lyrics remaining intact.

Visit CreativelyUnited.org to learn more about this production and the cast.

Beyond VIMY
Presented by the Creatively United for the Planet Society

Producer: Frances Litman
Co-producer: Blair Ketcheson

Featuring:
The Fugitives
Brendan McLeod and Adrian Glynn (songwriters)
Chris Suen (banjo), violinist Carley Frey
Pipe Major Roger McGuire

Voice overs by:
Jason Geddes, Dean Kalyan, David Schwab, Barbara Parker, David Shaw

Vimy National Memorial monologue:
Blair Ketcheson

Dancers: Andrea Bayne and Peter Starr

Cellist: Amy Laing

Members of the Victoria Philharmonic Choir:
Peter Butterfield (Choir Director)
Alex Chen, Flori Ens, Robin Hine, Shelley Hordiyuk, Aidan Johnston, Valerie Kuehne, Sherry LePage, Graeme Linton, Holly Melville, Hannah Nickel, Rachel Nield, Jon O’Riordan, Christon Smith

A 2025 Celebrating Gaia Series Event sponsored by the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund/Victoria Foundation

With support from:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Lifestyle Markets
InternationalPeaceCharter.org
Barbara Armstrong, Ray Harris
Horne Coupar LLP
McAvoy Rule & Co.

@2025 Creatively United for the Planet Society

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The second is in the creation of the Beyond Vimy production to premiere Saturday, Oct. 25th with two shows at the Mary Winspear Center in Sidney at 2 and 7:30 pm. This will be an incredible collaboration featuring Juno nominated musicians The Fugitives, with special guests including members of Ballet Victoria, the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Pipe Major and storytellers Roger McGuire and photographer Blair Ketcheson, and will also include a cello soloist. Stay tuned!

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Did you know that British Columbia is named after the Columbia River which used to be one of the world’s largest salmon bearing rivers in the world?

In honour of World Water Day, Changing Course: A River’s Journey of Reconnection, a film I co-produced and narrated on the Columbia River, premieres March 21, 2024 at the University of Victoria, in partnership with the Creatively United for the Planet Society, the POLIS Water Sustainability Project and the Centre for Global Studies.

Admission to the world premiere of this 60-minute documentary is free and includes conversations with very special guests: Greg Utzig (Conservation Ecologist & Technical Advisor, Upper Columbia Basin Environmental Collaborative), Larry George (Director of Lulumexun (Lands & Self-Governance, Cowichan Tribes), and Katrina Adams (Senior Aquatic Biologist, Peninsula Streams & Shorelines).

Changing Course: A River’s Journey of Reconnection will be available after March 21st to freely view on Creatively United’s YouTube channel. For details of this March 21st event, please visit the homepage of CreativelyUnited.org.

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This vision turned into a live stage production and art book that premiered April 27+28, 2024 called Metamorphosis: A Healing Journey, a multi-dimensional experience that features the cathartic stories of real people, many of them artists (including myself), whose relationship with nature changed after a life changing event.

I’m delighted to share that this book has been chosen by the Greater Victoria Public Library as part of its 2025 Emerging Local Authors Collection.

Metamorphosis: A Healing Journey is a feast for the eyes and soul with 120 richly illustrated pages of photography, art and prose. Print books are on display at the Central Branch in the rotunda for one year. You can browse the titles and place them on hold to pick up at the branch of your choice. Ebooks are showcased online through BiblioBoard, with unlimited borrowing. The book is also available for purchase here on CreativelyUnited.org and at Russell’s Books. See a sample of some of the content here.

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Ever since I first witnessed speaker after speaker deliver flawless TEDx Talk after talk, I automatically assumed that they must have had a teleprompter or some clever way to access their talk without it appearing obvious. How wrong I was!

I was amazed when I learned that TEDx presenters must know and feel what they want to say so intimately that they can walk out onto a stage without a podium, notes or visual aids and engage an audience in a humbling way with conviction for 10 or more minutes.

Unlike actors who can hide behind a character, TEDx presenters share from their experience and personal stories. As someone who just delivered their first live TEDx Talk on February 19th, 2022, I can attest to feeling exposed. I’m someone who is generally found behind cameras, not in front of them. No wonder public speaking is considered to be the number one fear of most people. Myself included.

Despite being mistaken for an extrovert, I’m actually an extroverted introvert and prefer to be behind the scenes. So, when I was asked if I would consider applying as a TEDx speaker it wasn’t on my To Do list…until, I was encouraged by others who helped me realize that perhaps this could really help raise awareness of the fabulous community, positive solutions and events to be found on the free non-profit sharing hub I represent at CreativelyUnited.org

I learned so much in the process of applying and consequently being chosen as a speaker, writing and rewriting my script, and having to memorize every word of my 14-minute talk. I doubted whether I had the ability to memorize a phone number, let alone more than 1000 words in a script where every word matters.

And the delivery of the talk…well, that was the ultimate challenge as it brought back the incredible stage fright I felt when I was encouraged to run as a federal election candidate in 2015 (despite having zero experience in politics, but a strong desire to make things better for people and the planet).

The level of support provided by the TEDx Surrey team during the entire journey was impressive. Thanks to their incredible coaches, in three short months, I went from wondering how I could succinctly deliver everything that I wanted to say and doubting I could remember it, to the reassuring awareness that my memory is far better than I ever imagined possible and that anything is possible. Solutions really do exist!

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Through music, dance, song and stunning visuals, I was given the opportunity to artfully express the importance of protecting, preserving and planting urban trees in this 7 minute production. This unique collaboration involved members of the Victoria Symphony, the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, the Emily Carr String Quartet and Ballet Victoria.

Produced for Creatively United for the Planet, a non-profit society dedicated to showcasing creative climate solutions, the Trees Matter narrative is presented from the point of view of a sage elder who shares his knowledge with three delightful youth.

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What an incredible year it has been for creative collaboration. Eight cellists from University of Victoria Cello class, under the direction of Pamela Highbaugh Aloni, recently debuted a new composition by Hollas Longton that features my poetry set to outdoor imagery I captured in various inspiring locations throughout southern Vancouver Island.
This four minute compilation was funded by the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund.

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For our first Readers Spotlight, we’re highlighting a local environmentalist and community organizer, Frances Litman. She was nominated by Bev Bacon for her work with Creatively United for the Planet. (Interview edited for length.)

Q: Can you introduce yourself, including what neighbourhood you live in, how long you’ve lived in or around Victoria, and what roles you have in the community?

A: For more than 30 years, I have lived and worked as a freelance photographer and multi-media specialist in Esquimalt and have volunteered many years as a community event organizer and founder of the non-profit community solutions hub, CreativelyUnited.org. Prior to this, I lived in View Royal and worked at the Times Colonist’s editorial department for 16 years.

Give us a brief taste of the great work you’ve done for our community. What are you most proud of?

My passion to unite community through art and culture resulted in more than 10,000 people annually attending some of North America’s largest zero waste sustainability showcases for 8 consecutive years.

I have collaboratively produced and hosted more than 40 videos to inform and inspire people to lower their carbon footprint, as well as created two films about the importance of protecting, preserving and planting trees in collaboration with Ballet Victoria and professional musicians. I have also led numerous, all-ages art and eco-based school programs; produced a book outlining a transformative experience with a school, called Stepping Into Nature; conceived, collaborated and produced an educational cartoon colouring book; plus created the free resource Solution Guide: 58 Solutions for Lighter and Healthier Living.

What would a perfect Saturday in Greater Victoria include for you?

Riding my bike to the Moss Street Market and bringing home a week’s worth of fresh, delectable, locally grown veg and food to eat, share, and enjoy while sharing in conversations with friends.

Tell us about something local (either a person, project, group, object, or business) that’s brought you joy recently. What is it about this that you enjoy the most?

I recently attended the Fairy Creek one year anniversary at the Victoria Legislature and felt a lot of joy and gratitude to be sharing in such a diverse and multi-faceted event with people who share common values, passions, care, and concern for each other and the world around us. Despite the hardships faced by the forest defenders, their conviction, bliss, and eloquence in expressing the unity of their experience really sent my heart soaring for the first time in a long time—not to mention the other fabulous speakers, music, and dance.

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