Achievements| StrataXL | Valerie Arntzen, Assemblage Artist

StrataXL | LiveInStrathcona | LiveinCommercialDrive | LivinginMountPleasant | XLSuite

My work affords me little time to find a singular groove to get comfortable with. I bounce around from assignment to assignment, and brush-fire to brush-fire, when and as required.

We're a small start-up, and being conscious of each others' strengths and weaknesses, we know how to support each other to get the job done. Even then, balls get dropped. Every time we experience these bumps in the road, we also find better ways to do things.

Where our development project is concerned, this has been a particular bonus as there have been significant improvements to some of the processes, usability, and functionality in the back-end, as well as re-publication manipulation. When wanting to create traffic, generate interest, and respect Internet publishing, we also want creative control in the greatest tradition of fair-play.

We give what is due, we give credit to contributors, we help promote their rankings and sites relevancy, and we endeavour to offer a valuable community resource with dynamic and interesting content. Getting people to a site is one thing, but more and more people are choosing homes in various online properties. RSS baby, that and Social Media, that's the way to go.

One of my favourite accomplishments this week, is the next topic, Valerie Arntzen. A feature profile I was inspired to create after meeting her during the Eastside Culture Crawl.

Valerie Arntzen, Assemblage Artist | Eastside Culture Crawl Executive Director

Working on developing content for the LiveIn sites entailed familiarization with neighbourhoods. There are specific quirks, traditions, events, and lots of things about communities that are noteworthy. Strathcona happens to be home of the Eastside Culture Crawl, and Valerie Arntzen happens to be the Executive Director for the past decade or more (I think).

Visiting her to write a piece on the upcoming event, Eastside Culture Crawl, I visited her studio. I'm a very curious sort so I went off topic frequently as I was overwhelmed with fascination at the things in her studio, the life she has lived, the work she has done, the man she is married to, the studio she occupies, and so on. Fascinating woman, fascinating people - her and her husband, Arnt Arntzen.

The other thing to note is that she is a strong voice for the Arts Community here in Vancouver - Strathcona in particular and the entire Eastside area defined by the Eastside Culture Crawl. The Artists are a main force behind the increasing value and popularity of Strathcona as a place to live. Of course, real estate in Vancouver has sky-rocketed all over as well. This gentrification process was inevitable. And it isn't this that really irks the community and the affected artists pursuing their expensive craftsmanship in private toil on modest incomes until they reach their break-through. No, it is the lack of city policy that creates win-win scenarios for urban development.

A property owner is entitled to seek application for redevelopment. Existing long-term tenants have a right to express a concern. A city would be wise to seek the right to protect cultural traditions and events that have created a positive image for the city, the neighbourhood, and benefits the local economy and livelihoods of many. We're not talking about Yes / No decisions, we're talking about developing solutions that seek inclusion and safeguards for segments of our population who have continually had a long-term positive effect on society, culture, humanity, commerce, and property values.

Ladies and gentleman, that's a personal plug in support of one of Valerie's causes: Saving the Artists in East Vancouver. Visit Arntzen's Profile page and check out her cause, and the Save 901 Main Studios.

If you'd like to get involved in any discussions, visit http://liveinstrathcona.com to Register - it's free and your information stays private. Then you can start or join conversations in the Online Discussion Forum. I really do encourage it. Our voices are needed to rationally discuss how we move forward with our lives in community. Look at the senselessness of actions and lack of understanding and accountability that has otherwise been experienced.