Applications For The Canon FUTURES Program’s Third Year Are Now Open
A Promotional Graphic For The Canon FUTURES Program, Year: 2023
Applications for the third year of Canon’s FUTURES program are now available here via the Canon Creator Lab until Friday, June 30, 2023.
The FUTURES program is a 12-month mentorship journey designed to equip passionate, emerging creators and storytellers, ages 20 to 25 who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, with the opportunity to broaden their creative spectrum, expand their knowledge of the business and their craft, create community with peers across Canada, and further develop their skills.
This year is my second year as a FUTURES mentor, and specifically through a workshop I developed entitled Work On Yourself More Than You Work On Your Craft, I have taught the inner game of being a professional creator, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, meditation, transcending limiting beliefs, the psychology of money, the importance of clearly-defined values and boundaries, creating a unique value proposition, sales, and far more.
I have also asked the FUTURES creators challenging questions that would have benefitted me and my career’s trajectory during its early stages while addressing my many mistakes and how I lacked foresight and wisdom for a relatively long time.
The 20 young people I mentor through the FUTURES program are talented, curious, and have the skills and work ethic to reach their goals.
A Promotional Video For The Canon FUTURES Program, Year: 2023, Filmmaker: Canon Canada
I have learned a lot from the FUTURES creators, I am excited to continue to do so; and teaching them reinforces the valuable lessons that I have learned through trial and error, my incredible mentors, daily studies of all kinds, various forms of trauma, and many other sources of inspiration.
Challenging the first principles, assumptions, cognitive biases, and knee-jerk reactions of the FUTURES creators has benefited everyone involved, including me.
The feedback that I have received from past and current FUTURES creators about the program as a whole and my contributions to the program specifically has left me with an enduring sense of fulfillment. I have enjoyed developing the curriculum for Work On Yourself More Than You Work On Your Craft, commenting on the assignment associated with the workshop, mentoring the creators in-person and virtually, and witnessing the sheer joy and sense of fellowship that the program has fostered for its participants.
One of the highlights of 2022 for me was attending the first Canon FUTURES program graduation ceremony, which took place at Only One Gallery in Toronto, owned by my longtime colleague Cais Mukhayesh. Cais has significantly contributed to Toronto’s art world for over a decade, and certainly since I met him at his first and much smaller gallery on Harbord Street in Toronto in 2011.
During the ceremony, I was pleased to learn that some creators attended my solo Project T-Dot photography exhibit at Toronto’s City Hall independently since time constraints, my many projects, and other variables made facilitating a FUTURES program tour of the show impossible. I aim to give the current or future creators a tour of my upcoming exhibit(s).
Soon after, following remarks from the Canon Canada team, the creators witnessed their work on display as part of a showcase that they were not aware of before the ceremony; they were astonished, and soon after, we enjoyed some delicious food and drinks together before I left early to attend the 16th annual Manifesto Festival.
Location: The Canon FUTURES Graduation Ceremony, Only One Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2022, Photographer: Ajani Charles
I am grateful for the opportunity to share my skills, experiences, and wisdom through the FUTURES program, which has been a complete success thus far. I am thankful to empower the leaders of tomorrow alongside my excellent colleagues at Canon Canada and 7 Communications, and I have many assignments to comment on at the moment.
