Strictly Creative!

On this episode of Strictly Creative , we explore Qillaniq , a landmark exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada featuring more than 80 works by over 70 contemporary Indigenous artists from across the circumpolar world. Through themes of identity, kinship, resilience, activism, and radical joy, Qillaniq celebrates the creativity and vision of artists shaping contemporary culture across the Nor...

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 ar...

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 resea...

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 u...

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 m...

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—inclu...

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 Spencervil...

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 aud...

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 this episode of Strictly Creative , we speak with actor Cassel Miles , co-creator and performer of Josiah — the powerful one-person play that brings to life the story of Josiah Henson , a man who escaped slavery and helped build an Underground Railroad community in Canada. Henson’s journey from bondage in Kentucky to freedom in Ontario in 1830 is one of courage, faith, and leadership.  Cassel s...

Steve Zytveld is an ordained deacon serving as a community chaplain in Ottawa’s West End, where he walks alongside people from all backgrounds facing real challenges in daily life. His ministry has also taken him into parish and hospital settings, giving him a unique perspective on compassion, presence, and resilience. In this follow-up interview, recorded in the summer of 2025, Steve reflects on...

In this episode of Strictly Creative , we sit down with Captain — a community leader, hip-hop artist, filmmaker, and cultural entrepreneur who has been shaping Ottawa’s creative scene for over two decades. From founding Soul City , a one-stop urban shop and cultural hub since 1999, to co-founding The Origin Arts and Community Center , Captain has consistently built platforms for artists, storytell...

Join us for a conversation with Stephen 'Buddha' Leafloor, a legendary Canadian B-boy Elder, street dancer, youth outreach worker, and social worker. In this interview, we discuss the exciting debut of breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Stephen's impactful social work using hip-hop culture. Stephen Leafloor, founder of BluePrintForLife, holds a Master's degree in Social Work (...

Ken Fukushima is a judoka, artist, and architect from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In this episode, we cover a range of topics, from the centennial of Judo in Canada and its impact on the community to Ken's training at the Kodokan in Japan. Ken shares insights from his three decades of coaching, discussing the traits that connect judokas and how Judo has shaped his personal philosophy. We also lo...

In this interview with actor Adrian Walters , we discuss his role in the film ROADMARKS, which was featured at the 2023 Ottawa and Toronto Black Film Festivals. ROADMARKS follows the story of Kory, who turns to street-fighting to fund his daughter's music school, against his better judgement and the wishes of his loved ones. Adrian shares insights into his character, the themes of economic surviva...

Karim Byron speaks about meditation, calming the mind and finding clarity and reverence, one breath at a time. Karim is the co-host of Oneness Radio, a podcast series that "brings attention to, inspires the pursuit of, promotes inner healing through, discuss the journey to, explore the concept of, share experiences of, encourage all minds towards and to be of service to .... Oneness." Oneness Radi...

Aaron Hill speaks about the performance art that is comedy and how he began his creative journey in writing and reciting jokes! Comedy ain’t no joke, it’s a dynamic and competitive art form! He also shares his opinions on content vs delivery, the writing process, practice, musical comedy and audience engagement and analysis. The learning never ends, stay creative! This interviewed was conducted in...

Alexander Cruz speaks about storytelling and filmmaking and his creative process and approach in telling a story. He also shares his views on the challenges and opportunities in pursuing and executing creative projects along with the need for continuous learning and professional development, as a filmmaker and all around creative! About the director, Alexander Cruz Alexander was born and raised in...

Rise Ashen has devoted his life to the study of sound and movement. His record collection spans the 4 corners of the world with club music of all tempos as his primary focus. As a DJ, he blends it all in a worldy mash and is always the sweaty and dynamic life of the party.  He has played in clubs and festivals across the US, Canada, Europe and Asia and has licensed music for use in dozens of...

Born in Bermuda, and based in Toronto, Mr. Swan is a past finalist for the Trillium Book Award for poetry, and is the author of 3 poetry collections and 2 books of fiction. Dane is also an emerging literary editor, compiling and editing Changing the Face of Canadian Literature, which was featured on CBC's The Best Canadian books of 2020 list (non-fiction). Mr. Swan is the co-founder, co-editor and...