Strictly Creative!

Garmamie
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"Strictly Creative! - Conversations with artists, innovators, visionaries, researchers, and champions of creativity."

  1. CHAMBERS: Jamaal Amir Akbari on Identity, Transformation & the Creative Journey

    Jun 7

    CHAMBERS: Jamaal Amir Akbari on Identity, Transformation & the Creative Journey

    Almost a decade ago, I sat down with poet, performer, and community builder Jamaal Amir Akbari. A lot has happened since then. In this episode of Strictly Creative, Jamaal returns to discuss his debut poetry collection, CHAMBERS, and the personal journey that shaped it. We explore identity, transformation, fatherhood, creativity, vulnerability, and what it means to continually evolve as both an artist and a human being. As Ottawa’s former Poet Laureate, Jamaal has spent years using poetry and storytelling to connect people, build community, and encourage reflection. Now, with CHAMBERS, he invites audiences into a deeply personal exploration of self-discovery, truth, and growth. CHAMBERS: Book Launch & Concert On Sunday, June 21, 2026, Jamaal Amir Akbari will bring CHAMBERS to life at the Richcraft Theatre inside Ottawa’s Shenkman Arts Centre. This immersive performance combines poetry, music, spoken word, dance, and storytelling, featuring special guest artists: ​ Apollo the Child​ Abena Beloved Green​ Amanda Lowe Warnakulasuriya​ Miss Ticca Event Schedule Marketplace & Reception 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Main Concert Experience 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM Post-Show Marketplace, Meet-and-Greet & Book Signing 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM EVENT LINKS 🎟️ Tickets & Event Information: https://shenkmanarts.ca/en/CHAMBERS 🎙️ My Original Interview with Jamaal (from 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG5DWS5soc0 🔗 Jamaal Amir Akbari: https://www.instagram.com/jamaalamirakbari/ ABOUT STRICTLY CREATIVE Strictly Creative is a podcast featuring conversations with artists, creators, dreamers, researchers, innovators, and supporters of all things creative. Hosted by Garmamie

    1h 31m
  2. The Mental Health of Fathers-to-Be: Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout on a New McMaster Study

    Apr 21

    The Mental Health of Fathers-to-Be: Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout on a New McMaster Study

    Becoming a parent can be a major life change, and mental health during this time does not get enough attention. In this episode of Strictly Creative, Garmamie speaks with Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout about paternal perinatal depression — what it is, why it matters, and why it is still not talked about enough. Dr. Van Lieshout is a professor at McMaster University and a perinatal psychiatrist whose research focuses on mental health during pregnancy and the early postpartum period.   The conversation also looks at a McMaster-led pilot study exploring group cognitive behavioural therapy for fathers and fathers-to-be experiencing perinatal depression. The study is designed to test whether this kind of support is practical and acceptable before a larger study is done. Participants are randomly assigned either to a 9-week online evening CBT group plus standard care or to standard care alone, with follow-up questionnaires and interviews over time.   This episode is about fatherhood, mental health, support, and the importance of recognizing that asking for help is part of becoming stronger for yourself and your family. Hosted by Garmamie, Strictly Creative is available wherever you get your podcasts. Relevant links: Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout – McMaster Experts Scholarly WorksMental Health for Fathers Santé mentale pour les pères

    27 min
  3. Endless Becomings: Co-Curator Elisa Jiménez Robles

    Feb 23

    Endless Becomings: Co-Curator Elisa Jiménez Robles

    In the final episode of our Endless Becomings series, Strictly Creative's host Garmamie speaks with Elisa Jiménez Robles, co-curator of the exhibition. Endless Becomings brings together eleven visionary artists shaping the future of contemporary art, united by a commitment to continuous transformation — across identity, memory, resistance, displacement, care, and change. The exhibition runs until March 15, 2026 — go see it. Exhibition details: ENDLESS BECOMINGS: EXPLORATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY ART September 20, 2025 – March 15, 2026 Spencerville Gallery | Level 3 Curators: Elisa Jiménez Robles (Co-Curator), Shems Benmosbah (Co-Curator) Artists: Aylin Abbasi, Annie Bérubé, Armand Diansambu, Elaine Diguer, Sophie El-Assaad, Emily Escoffery, Lea Hamilton, Sarah Hughes, Éric Mailloux, Shiva Nasiri, Leigha Stiles Previous interviews (listen next): • Leigha Stiles • Armand Diansambu

    1h 7m
  4. Armand Diansambu | Art contemporain, mémoire ancestrale et identité | Entrevue (FR)

    Jan 31

    Armand Diansambu | Art contemporain, mémoire ancestrale et identité | Entrevue (FR)

    Dans cet épisode de Strictly Creative, Garmamie s’entretient avec Armand Diansambu, artiste multidisciplinaire et chercheur bantou, dont le travail est présenté à la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa dans le cadre de l’exposition Redevenirs : Explorations en art contemporain. L’entrevue aborde son parcours créatif, sa pratique artistique et les thèmes qui traversent son travail, notamment l’identité, la mémoire ancestrale et les héritages postcoloniaux. 📌 Entrevue menée en français. 🔗 En savoir plus sur l’artiste : armanddiansambu.com 🔗 Détails sur l’exposition à la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa : https://oaggao.ca/fr/a-laffiche/exposition/redevenirs-explorations-en-art-contemporain/

    52 min
  5. Documentary film: “What does judo mean to you?”

    12/05/2025

    Documentary film: “What does judo mean to you?”

    In this episode of Strictly Creative, judoka and filmmaker Luke Thomson talks about how a tendon injury became the starting point for his first documentary. Unable to compete at the Quebec Open and Canada Cup in Montréal, he stayed mat-side with a camera instead of a judogi. Luke filmed fights and interviewed 27 people from the Canadian judo community—athletes, Olympians, coaches, and staff—including Christa Deguchi, Jessica Klimkait, Antoine Valois-Fortier, and Janusz Pawlowski. To all of them, he asked one simple question: “What does judo mean to you?” Their answers go beyond results and medals, into stories about routine, sacrifice, family, identity, and how judo can shape an entire life. In this conversation, we walk through how the project came together and what Luke learned by listening to the people who live this sport every day. Watch the full documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7f5VosP7iU

    57 min
  6. Leigha Stiles: Art, mental health & endless becomings at the Ottawa Art Gallery

    11/10/2025

    Leigha Stiles: Art, mental health & endless becomings at the Ottawa Art Gallery

    In this episode of Strictly Creative, Garmamie visits the Ottawa Art Gallery with multidisciplinary artist Leigha Stiles, whose work is featured in the exhibition Endless Becomings: Explorations in Contemporary Art. Leigha walks us through three of her pieces — Melancholy, SAD, and I can’t do this anymore — and shares the deeply personal experiences behind them. Recorded inside the Spencerville Gallery of the Ottawa Art Gallery, this conversation dives into mental health, wearable sculpture, memory, softness and weight, movement, and unfinished stories. Endless Becomings runs from September 20, 2025 to March 15, 2026 at the Ottawa Art Gallery — and admission is free.

    45 min
  7. Celebrating 50 Years of CKCU-FM: Ottawa’s voice of community radio

    11/09/2025

    Celebrating 50 Years of CKCU-FM: Ottawa’s voice of community radio

    In this episode of Strictly Creative, Garmamie attends a special event at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa celebrating CKCU-FM’s upcoming 50th anniversary — a live broadcast that captures the heart of community radio. The event featured two of CKCU’s longest-running programs, Canadian Spaces and The Back 40, performed live from Peter A. Herrndorf Place with local musicians and an in-person audience. Garmamie speaks with Michael Houston (aka "Tic"), host of Wednesday Special Blend, about CKCU’s rich history and how it’s evolved through the decades. Then, Lia Kiessling, CKCU’s Station Director, shares how the station continues to shape Ottawa’s creative community and the enduring power of local storytelling. 🎙️ Strictly Creative — conversations with artists, creators, and storytellers shaping our cultural landscape.

    51 min
  8. From closing a combat sports gym in Canada to building a new one in Panama – Jamie Hahn’s journey south

    10/20/2025

    From closing a combat sports gym in Canada to building a new one in Panama – Jamie Hahn’s journey south

    Five years ago, Jamie Hahn closed Arcana Martial Arts, a well-known combat sports gym in Ottawa, Canada. Not long after, he and his family left Canada and moved to Colón Island in Bocas del Toro, Panama, trading cold winters for life on a small island. In this follow-up to our 2020 conversation “Closing the Gym – Arcana Martial Arts’ Jamie Hahn”, Jamie talks about what it was like to start over in a new country and build Bluff Muay Thai, his new combat sports gym. We talk about the move, the ups and downs of change, rebuilding community, and what it really takes to create something new far from home.

    1h 26m
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About

"Strictly Creative! - Conversations with artists, innovators, visionaries, researchers, and champions of creativity."

Information

  • Creator
    Garmamie
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Garmamie
  • Show Website
    Strictly Creative!