Surrounded by the splendour of the Canadian Rockies, the Banff Centre is the largest arts and creativity incubator on the planet. It was in this setting that my sister, singer Andrea Koziol and bassist Ian de Souza, joined the Artist in Residence program. For me, they modeled creative courage to step away from the familiar, walk into the unknown and let nature guide them to fearlessly surrender to the creative process.

It is no accident that many centres of this calibre are found in naturally beautiful settings. Immersion in nature can often inspire and catalyze totally different emotional, intellectual, even spiritual perspectives producing many unique and creative collaborations.

In Andrea’s own words … “we kept marveling at how the mountains seemed to change every few hours. Same mountains…different personalities depending on the light and the movements of clouds and stars and sun. Much of the work we did was inspired directly by the surroundings, not just the people and facilities. When we made that video, I just walked around shooting beautiful small stuff and all those elements became characters in our story…or perhaps we became characters in their story…one in the same.”

Watch and listen to one collaborative piece produced at the Banff Centre (much richer experience with headphones).

Another Cold Ryme

Bravo Andrea and Ian! What personally inspired me the most about this story was how they dug deep and found the courage to actually share their creativity with peers from all over the world! May we all naturally find our own unique creativity and courageously search for ways to share those gifts, enriching both our own life and those around us.