12/52 Maxine Fish

“If you had told me in my senior year of high school, 10 years from now you’re going to be doing an MBA in England, in a field that you didn’t even know existed at 18..I would’ve told you to get lost. I would’ve been like “that’s not even possible, I’m going to go to law school, I’m going to go into humanitarian law, I’m going to be in the US, I’ll be married, I’ll have a house” and obviously none of those things have happened, but so many other things HAVE happened.
Sometimes when one door closes, another opens. I think the fact that I didn’t get into the school I wanted out of high school was a huge saving grace. Im so glad I went to Montreal and had a truly brilliant 4 years at McGill. I’m genuinely glad I didn’t get the score I wanted on the LSAT, because I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed law school, and I’m REALLY glad I took two years to do my masters of science because it gave me time to work and travel and explore other interests and just take stock of what I was doing as opposed to rushing through everything. None of those things are what I expected I’d be doing. Even though those pivotal moments seem like “oh my god I can never recover from this, my life won’t turn out the way I wanted it to”, in the end sometimes they are exactly what you need.”

11/52 Sam Morse & Sonia Jain

Sonia: It’s inevitable when we walk down the street that people look at us, like “That Is a brown woman with a white man”. It’s hard to avoid not thinking about it. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot, that mixed element.

Sam: There is an element that always exists- everyday it comes up. There are glass ceilings or invisible barriers to whatever Sonia does that has to do with culture and race. There are certain biases that we operate under being white guys that I don’t see, that Sonia does and vice versa. For me it’s been a huge eye opener. I think about it all the time now and I’ll read certain things or hear certain things that people say and I’m often like “that is completely closed minded”. I am here to learn. There are really difficult conversations that need to be had, but for me it’s been a great thing that’s helped me grow as a person.

Sonia: Yeah, for sure. I think we’re both learning though. I always felt like I was a burden almost, in the fact that I have all these things that I’m trying to bring into Sam’s life, knowing that I also can’t change Sam. I think we’ve got to compromise and adapt to each other. So it’s also been an experience for me to be patient and know that people are going to take their own time to learn. I have all this history and culture behind me, but I can’t expect someone to meet me at that same level immediately. I remember our first date three years ago, I snapped because I was like “wow we’re so different” it almost threw me off. But it was also like..I’ve just been in so many settings where no one is similar to me, it probably put me over the edge. Then it was just.. sitting down and being like “ok lets communicate about this, what can we do to have good communication”

Sam: I totally agree. Sonia has such a good grasp on social issues and she totally calls me on any of my shit. She’s so well educated on the topics and can easily explain why I might be looking at things the wrong way but I’m also here to learn things myself. It’s unfair to not take ownership in the process and it’s essential if you’re going to work through things as a team.

10/52 Calvin Bagirakandi

“For me specifically, growing up, I didn’t grow up like a typical black person does. I don’t want to say I didn’t fit in, but there were times where I felt like I was being put into a box and I was like “Shit, this isn’t me”. My parents came here in 93 from Burundi and they moved to Richmond Hill so that’s where I grew up… Like all suburbs there are different crowds that you hang out with as a kid. There’s the crowd that you’re like “You know these guys aren’t going to be up to anything good.” and then there’s the crowd where you’re like “These people aren’t going to get you into trouble”. Not that Richmond Hill is bad or anything, but you can tell that there’s a certain type of people that didn’t work to amount to much.

Being a black man, people tend to think “oh you’re a black guy you should be hanging out with those guys, acting like that” I don’t know if it was a conscious decision or not but I decided , “you know what I’m not going to do that, I’m just going to do what’s best for me”… At the end of the day, hanging out with the people I chose to, defined my path..my first job out of university was for Adidas, but under the hockey brand. Like, who would’ve thought that a black guy would be doing hockey right? But growing up a lot of my friends liked hockey and I just picked it up. People were always confused as to why I knew stuff about hockey, even those same people I grew up with! It’s just something a black guy wasn’t supposed to be knowledgable on. For me it wasn’t wasn’t about what a typical black guy should be doing, but what will help me in the long run and how to learn can I learn from everyone. At the end of the day that’s what got me that job and opportunity, because I was different from what people thought I should be, and I’m thankful for being uniquely me.”

9/52 Kathleen McDonald

“As an only child do you find there’s a lot of pressure? Not that your parents are putting pressure on you but, there’s like pressure to make sure that you’re fulfilling your parents lives in some way? I feel like I probably just worry too much, because I think ahead and I’m like, holy fuck some day I could be totally alone, trying to figure shit out. Like, what is it going to be like when both of my parents are gone. It’s an only child thing that someone with siblings will never understand. Even though I might have a partner and children maybe, you’ll feel that loneliness because your family unit will be just you left. I think about that the odd time, and theres not many people you can talk to about it.”

8/52 Virginia McKinnell

“Where did I get the idea to start Mind Over Miles? Honestly because I had psychosis and didn’t understand it beforehand.. I had known people who had psychosis and I think my own stigma towards mental illness was what prompted me to want to start Mind Over Miles. I remember before my episode thinking “That will never happen to me, I’m exempt from that”. I don’t do any drugs, I come from a nice family, you just don’t think it’s going to happen to you… But the reality is, It’s an illness, it’s not in your control and your mind can be completely hijacked.. so how are you supposed to help yourself unless people have a better understanding. I think if we share our stories, we’ll all be better equipped to help people and empathize.
I also wanted to create a fundraising vehicle because psych wards are so historically underfunded. We need to do something to raise money and help people. I just want to do anything I can to give back because they saved my life.”

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7/52 Devan Glover

“Hearing established artists talk about when they were first starting out and saying those were the days, and I’m like “These are the days!? Are you kidding?” These days are so hard! Obviously we’ve been really lucky and I’m very grateful for the position we’re in, but I’ve just been trying to shift my focus on overall happiness with progress, because it’s so easy to get tied up in it and let things bring you down…I think the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is how they react to things…Sometimes I can get into a creative rut and feel like I can’t make anything because I’m in a bad place, but I’m coming to the conclusion that it doesn’t have to do with what happens to you, or any stimulus that comes your way, it’s how you choose to deal with it. Taking the pressure and turning it into a positive motivator. It’s so in your control which is hard to remind yourself all the time, but I’m constantly working on it.”

6/52 Anthony Zanfini

THE 52/52 PROJECT
6/52 - Anthony Zanfini
“One thing you wouldn’t expect about me? I love to garden of all things. I’m serious about it.. because I’m Italian I grew up in my grandparents’ gardens… but when I was in high school, you’d look at me and maybe think - jock…you wouldn’t know me behind the scenes. There’s something about it, and there’s a bit of a commonality with sports and that idea of preparation, optimization, attention to detail, and dedication - to win something, to get something out of what you put in. Regardless of what it is, everyone needs an outlet. You can be into things without it consuming you or outwardly projecting to the world that “this is what I’m about or who I am”. I’m not running around in hemp clothes or living on a farmstead off the grid, but I’m sports guy, a marketing guy running my own company (@ambitgrams) who happens to be growing veggies 10 months a year.”

5/52 Laya Polowin

5/52 - Laya Polowin
“I’m not sure what I’m doing with my life, I’m not even sure what I’m doing next week. But while I figure it out, I know what I do love is people. I love meeting people, learning about them, really knowing them. Every person holds something I can learn from them and, hopefully, something I can help them with - even something so small as being a source of positive energy in their day. I’ve never heard of someone who felt they lost out by connecting with those around them. So I try to spend as much of my time as I can with other people.”

4/52 - Scott Goodwin

“I feel that I need to create. I think art is a way for me to communicate my truth in a way that I’m not always comfortable talking about. I think my vision can resonate through every piece of art I create, no matter the medium. I strive to keep myself open to every inspiration and opportunity that life holds. Art is subjective; create what you enjoy and others will appreciate it too.”

3/52 - Logan Semple

“Sport is part of my DNA and has taught me so much about the bigger picture. I learned freedom of will and the ability to focus on a purpose; and more importantly how to use this experience and these skills to somehow give back. Now through coaching youth basketball I get to contribute to the community that cheered me on. In these crazy times, especially, we have to be there for one another. Show up for your community and I promise it will change your life for the better.”

2/52 - Sean Pitcher

“I have always had a passion for art, there are a lot of things I’ve always had a passion for. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored but if I’m passionate about too many things, am I dedicated enough to any of them?

At the age of 27, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, maybe I’ll never know. But I will be passionate, I know that.”

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1/52 Kevin A Courtney

52 portraits. When people ask me if I’m a photographer, part of me cringes inside. Can I take photos? Yes. Do I consider myself a photographer? No. Thus far in my career, video has been my primary medium, but I’ve always loved still photography and honestly wish I was better at it. So what better way to sharpen the knife than tell some stories, capture some photos and try to get better at this one week at a time. Hopefully you’ll all follow along and even join me on this 52 project.