Dialogue Through Design

The Stick To It Award
A piece of driftwood from the shores of the Baltic Sea made the perfect icon to create an award that I gave to Sam Carter of Emily Carr University. After 36 years of teaching, he is retiring and his contributions to education and the creative community are significant.

In short, he has continued to live his life by sticking to it.

Because Sam is also very globally minded, having this wood come from another part of the world also held meaning for me. He has a great love of other cultures and materials so driftwood seemed like a perfect fit. Who knew driftwood could do all of this?

[It] provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other aquatic species as it floats in the ocean. Gribbles, shipworms and bacteria decompose the wood and gradually turn it into nutrients that are reintroduced to the food web. Sometimes, the partially decomposed wood washes ashore, where it also shelters birds, plants, and other species. Driftwood can become the foundation for sand dunes."
(Wikipedia)

Douglas Coupland reflected on Sam's influence and shared that he owed him his life.
Sam, like the driftwood, provides a space for others to be sheltered and nourished. And because of this, I realize that I now want to be on the lookout for other reasons to give this award. There is nothing more powerful than meeting someone who lives their life to give it away. So don't be surprised if you find me combing the beaches of the world hunting for more sticks of driftwood. Because we need more like Sam who live it to stick to it.