I have two library talks scheduled for the beginning of June 2018!
The first talk is part of the Toronto Public Library‘s Fragile Earth program series. I will be talking about sustainability issues surrounding beauty products. If you have always wondered whether ‘natural’ is better than ‘synthetic/man-made’, or what happens to product packaging once you are done with it, this is the seminar for you!
Seminar: “Moving Towards Sustainable Beauty”
Date: Saturday, June 2, 2018
Time: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Place: Toronto Public Library, Eglinton Square Branch
Eglinton Square Shopping Centre, 1 Eglinton Square, Toronto
416-396-8920
The second talk is part of Seniors’ Month, so I will be talking about product recommendations and skin care “best practices” for mature/ageing skin.
Seminar: “Finding Skin Care Products That Work: Mature Skin”
Date: Monday, June 4, 2018
Time: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Place: Toronto Public Library, Bayview Branch
Bayview Village Shopping Centre, 123A -2901 Bayview Ave., Toronto
416-395-5460
As always, admission is free but please call the library branch in question as space may be limited.
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On a personal note: I realize it has been a very long time since I posted… After finishing design school and returning to Toronto in 2016, I spent more than a year twisting and turning, trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do next. All I knew was that I somehow had to find a way to bridge the gap between science and art, and to make a positive impact. During that time, it seemed like the world started to disintegrate. The pursuit of fashion and beauty seemed completely self-absorbed and frivolous in comparison and this website fell by the wayside while I was trying to figure out my next steps.
Last fall, I was fortunate enough to get a job at the Ontario Science Centre. It has been a whirlwind of training and new experiences since then, not least of which is that I have been able to incorporate some of my design training into my work and there will hopefully be more opportunities to do more. It’s very exciting to do something that is science-related, while having the chance to flex some creative muscle.
When I first started the blog, I meant it as a means of demystifying the science behind beauty products. I did not know that the frenzy for social media-based marketing was at its peak at the time, and I fell into the trap of writing reviews for companies offering free products and tickets to PR events. After a while, it seemed pointless and purposeless.
My time at Parsons really helped to clarify and distill my sense of purpose. Do I really need to contribute more stuff to the mountain of useless stuff that humans already have? (Obviously, no.) Is there a way I can create something with purpose without adding to that mountain of stuff? (Hmmm.) Can I come up with sustainable solutions that somehow combine my science background with my artistic drive at the same time? (Question of a lifetime.)
While I am tackling these big issues, I have not forgotten about this website. When I returned to doing talks at the library, I was struck by how it seemed like people were desperately searching for any kind of objective information based on fact, not personal opinion, i.e. the kind of information I was giving out. This was just about the time that the notion of “fake news” started to gain more attention in the mainstream media. “Fake news” is nothing new for scientists – it has been steadily rising for the past 2 decades, fuelled by Internet usage and social media. It made me realize that the library talks are important and an effective means for public outreach. To that end, upcoming posts are going to focus ever more strongly on understanding basic science concepts and sustainability issues. My hope is to start a conversation about what kind of products we want to spend our time and energy on, how to consume more thoughtfully and think about what kind of impact we are making on the world around us.