 Hi, welcome to Think Tech. We are raising public awareness about technology, energy, diversity, and globalism. This show is center stage. I am your host, Donna Blanchard, proud managing director of Kumukuhua Theater. And we're coming to you live from Pioneer Plaza in the heart of downtown Honolulu, very near Kumukuhua Theater. I had a surprise guest for you today. I am interviewing Chantelle Saville, who is a host of another show here on Think Tech, Savvy Chicks. And this is a fortuitous event that, unfortunately, if you tuned in to see Tali, we had to move her show back in week. She's a little bit under the weather, but it just so happened that Chantelle is right here. So we're probably going to have the best conversation ever. Welcome to the show. Thanks. I'm not under the weather, but I might go into having a baby now. You might go into labor in a moment. Is it your first one? First, yeah. It'll take hours, don't worry. Not the hard stuff, but the initial stuff. So we're safe. So we're safe, guys. So we're fine. We're going to talk about expression. And it's really cool. On my show, I talk with artists about what they do and how they do it, but most important to me is why they do it. So I think there are a lot of intersections within our shows, because we're both geeked out on how we express ourselves and why, what we're doing. And bottom line, I don't know if you've found this in your show when you're talking with different people. The bottom line for me that I always find with artists is people feel like they just have to. It's like, you know, climb the mountain because it's there. I don't get that. There's mountains around here. I haven't climbed them. I'm okay with that. But when it comes to expression, it will leak out of me somehow when I've had, you know. It's like I believe for myself and for my guests, it's deep. And once you sort of get a taste for that expression, you just keep wanting to express it, and it's almost like you can't turn back. I feel that's what creatives find within themselves. It's just people think, you know, they're weird. We're crazy. You know, why are you doing this oftentimes? It's not going to work, but yet there's something just deep within you that fire burns and you just keep going no matter what, and resilience and whatnot. Have you had, I want to get into what you do and your guests and actual forms of creation, but first let me ask this question. Have you had a time in your life when you didn't have access to a direct line of expression and had to deal with that? Well, it's actually interesting right now just about to transition in my life to be a mother, to having a baby. And I think my whole life I've always been like with a big imagination and big dreams and wanting to do things and wanting to inspire others to be healthy and to live their dreams. And I'm at a point in the moment it's like, is that still what I do? Or am I just going to, not just going to be a mother, is it like motherhood? But what I find that brings me most happiness is to keep that fueled within me and knowing even though I'm going to have a little girl soon, that I still continue to follow what's deep and inspires because that keeps me happy and lit up and going. So to answer your question, in the middle there, it kind of, that's just one example of a time that you almost feel flat. And then when you bring that inspiration back in you, it's just like it brings life back to your face. You might find, a couple years ago I interviewed the poet, Jamie Gusman, and she writes very beautiful poetry but it was always dark. I mean some amazing dark stuff that would touch sort of the underbelly in everyone, you know. But she has, her baby is I believe nine months old, or seven months old now. And I asked her if it's changed her poetry at all because she's going, she's editing some stuff that she wrote before the baby was born. And she said yes, it is definitely changing the way she's expressing herself. She's finding more light in her work and I think that gives me goosebumps to think about how, you know... Then it's exciting, it becomes very exciting and I think, yeah, every time I've pursued something that seemed really true to me, it's like the universe sort of, everything meets you and goes on your way. So for instance, those times I'd pursue something that I thought was a good idea or I should do and then it doesn't really happen. It's like you're knocking on doors and they don't open but yet something you really want to do, you knock on the door and like, come on in. And I just find, and when I speak to other artists and creatives, they say the same thing. When they actually go for what they really want or give themselves permission to be their true authentic self, it's like you just attract those people that are like you and they might have seemed out of reach but they understand you. So they're welcoming and I find that really interesting and it seems like a synergy throughout all of those different, whether they be designers or musicians or actresses or actors or whatever they are. As soon as you're really true to yourself then you can collaborate with those who are. As soon as you're clear. Clear. Yes, clear. And then you recognize when you see those people that you are aligning yourself with. What is that, New Zealand in your accent? So I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Little girl, big dreams, the freezing cold prairies of Canada. And then I always knew I wanted to go to Australia so I moved to Australia when I was 18. I lived there for most of 15 years and now here in Hawaii. So my accent is sort of Canadian, Australian, Hawaii. Which sounded strangely like New Zealand to me. I've never been called New Zealand. I've got Irish before but never New Zealand. So did you move to Hawaii and what was your pursuit that brought you here? Well I came here with my other half who's come for his work here but I ended up finding my big purpose as well. I continued here right at the ThinkTech Hawaii studio. So I just had that vision to interview really inspirational people with neat careers. And I remember a long time ago when I took a leap of faith to create Savvy Chicks. I was like if there's people out there being mermaids, as a profession, surely I can create a business that I love that is from my own inspiration within. And sure enough I met Mermaid Carriel here on the island and I've interviewed her. And it's just neat how coming here, I mean we're going back in January so not far now, cut short a year. But to be able to have had a great experience here and got some creative inspiration and met these mermaids who make a living from being a professional mermaid, it's been quite neat. So let's talk about your show. What can we expect to see on Savvy Chicks on any given week? So the main intention of Savvy Chicks is to inspire and empower women and girls to be themselves, believe in themselves and follow their dreams. So most of the shows are dedicated to young women and girls that I'm very passionate about but we get a lot of women and even men that watch. And I interview people who have really cool careers and who have really put themselves out there and given themselves permission to be themselves at all costs and whatnot. That's the main prog of the show but I also am passionate about wellness. So sometimes you'll see some guests who are personal trainers or nutrition advocates as well as confidence. So a lot of times again you'll find some of the guests that help empower women and girls with confidence. So it's just health and wellness, the confidence and that's what you need to get basically the confidence to your creative expression. Because I mean this is a personal opinion is that when your creative expression is not unleashed and you are doing something that's not true to you, I often see people who are in careers and they become quite depressed or insular or which leads to alcohol abuse or different things like that that can be prevented should you have more creative expression and that's a personal opinion but I believe pretty strongly in that. Do you feel like that sort of repression is more of a female issue? You know, I don't think so to be honest. I think I love to speak to women because I am one and I can understand but from being surrounded by a lot of men I think that they put a tougher face on but when you really get to talk to them they're just dying to express and especially you know you see it in the Hollywood actors and comedians and these types of people that if their creativity isn't fueled through something positive they're using these types of things as a crutch to keep them going. Yeah, agreed. I feel like yes there are men experienced that sort of repression as well but I think that there are more things blocking women from following their dreams and you know I'm 52 the longer the more I see the more I recognize that I didn't even realize that I really was always trying to be a you know a gracious host in any situation I'm not talking about the show but you know Smile and where I don't think my brother was raised the same way it's not that my parents were trying to harm me and not him but I think as girls very often we are raised to you know smile and be pretty and be graceful and gracious and all of those things and not so assertive and resilient and get a good job and you know they're told to exercise what's going on inside of them rather than to shield it so that goes along with expression too and I think a lot of times with women girls we can tend to laugh self-confidence which in turn holds us back from doing those things whereas men can kind of be like oh I can do that and they'll just go whereas women might tend to from my experience in seeing doubt themselves a bit more whether or not the men are actually more confident they just have that you know oomph about them that says I am so it's something that as women and girls we really need to instill that within ourselves and surround ourselves with people who believe in us as well because I think that's huge oh yeah I think we just saw all this played out in the election in the presidential election we just saw a man with so much bombast and arrogance you know swinging it around out there and then we saw a woman who with all of the answers literally they both have their issues but you know with a lot of answers and a lot of important people in the know saying this is the woman that you should choose and if she had done an eighth of what he did she wouldn't have been on the ticket let alone you know and if he had her credentials we all would have voted for him oh yes I mean when it comes to that that's a whole another ball game but it does really you know sit on a table how society perceives things and people and whatnot so yeah it's a framework to look at it because I do think I'm extra glad that you're here today because I'm dressed in black because I'm in morning I like to bring the light to any situation so I try to wear pinks and yellows because I mean at the end of the day what's sort of meant to happen happens and you know there's what do you do now there's not much you can do so all you can do is just hope that perhaps the people he's surrounded with will you know bring some good things to the table well and maybe it'll be an inspiring story for all women to know that we're not gonna stop here oh yes we're gonna keep going oh just having her in that position just gives other people I mean even Barbie I don't know if you've seen Barbie lately but Barbie has brought out you can be President Barbie Entrepreneur Barbie and these are really neat I'm so passionate about these neat different types of Barbies because I mean what is that doing to women in the next generation just saying that you can really be what you want to be and when we talk about creative expression I mean there's creative expression as I said in designers and you know architecture and all these types of things but it's also in business like there's so much creative creative expression in business and if that's allowed to be you know let out it really brings a lot of solutions to different challenges and it also brings light to you know sometimes a corporate world that can be quite yeah well and it's yeah yes and hopefully it will be welcome welcomed and recognized as we go on I think more and more companies are welcoming and recognizing the need for expression and creativity and it started with oh there's a design an advertising firm in Chicago that started they're the ones who started having apples they gave away apples at their reception desk and it was kind of a new thing but they had a play room for their employees and Microsoft you know knows that you got to give people time to play and exercise their creative sense as well yes play everyone needs to play more no matter what industry you're in you got to play and when I did my marketing degree that's what I also learned that they had all these cool companies that had games rooms and nap rooms and all this sort of thing when you go and put someone in a desk and just go nine to five do this clock out you're not going to get half the productivity than you would because everyone is creative inside I believe everyone has creative expression and as soon as you give them permission to use that they're not only more loyal to you and the company but what they come up with is incredible I'm sure you might fail a bit but at least you've been better okay we're going to take our first break we're going to come back and talk some more about how we're unleashing our creativity and how we can better ourselves through it you are watching Center Stage I didn't think of the name of my show Center Stage I'm on the Think Tech Hawaii digital network and we'll be right back Hello I'm Marianne Sasaki welcome to Think Tech Hawaii where some of the most interesting conversations in Honolulu go on I have a show on Wednesdays from one to two called Life in the Law where we discuss legal issues politics, governmental topics and a whole host of issues I hope you'll join me music Hi we'll back this is Center Stage on the Think Tech Hawaii digital network if you would ever like to join us in the studio downtown here in Pioneer Plaza you may do so just email J that's J-A-Y at thinktechawaii.net and he will.com. I don't know why I said net. Thanks, Zuri. Email Jay and he will hook you up. If you or someone you know really should be on my show talking with me about your artistic expression and why you do it and how you do it, then please contact me. You can do it via Facebook, dana.blanchard or at it's all about Donna on Twitter. Okay, we're back with Chantal Saville. I wanna say Saville. I wanna make you French. Yeah, that's where the name came from, Saville. Saville Chicks. Nice. SAVI. So here's what I think. I think a lot of people would agree with the statement, yes, creativity and having fun is important. Yes, we all need that in our lives. I think the difficult thing is that it's the same way often with exercise. You get a busy schedule and you exercise is the thing that goes because you don't see the immediate inherent value as much as I have to make these phone calls. I have to get this grant proposal out. Speaking from my personal experience. We know what you're doing today. You're thinking about those things. So the low hanging fruit to kick aside may be what it is that you need most. Engaging in some sort of creative outlet or maybe figuring out how to make that creative outlet do your job for you. That is so, so true because as I said I'm quite a health and fitness advocate and when you push those things aside long enough that's whether it be health and fitness and creativity. They're two main pillars in actual success because to me success isn't measured by I've got this big empire. Success is measured by how you feel and when you keep pushing those aside and keep pushing that forward and making sure all those things get done you're actually sacrificing your health and your mental health when if you just slip those in a bit each day consistently because it's all about consistency you'll find that whatever you do achieve is so much more rewarding. And I think that's why pushing them aside is I've told people many times don't book it in your schedule then. If you think you need to push it aside book it in your schedule because you'll always find time. If your friend calls and she's in dire need of help what will you do? You'll go help her. What if you have that proposal do? You will go for coffee with her wouldn't you? You know, so... Yeah, well not that nice. No, yes I would. No, but you know something else came up if your child was sick or something like that there is a bit of time but we just don't give ourselves permission because as you said we just think that it's the low hanging fruit it's no big deal but actually it'll give so much more oomph to your work if you do that. And in fact I find I work faster if I do the things that I love more because I'm just enjoying it more. You know what I discovered that there's actually work that I do that I have been doing for years that is part of my daily work and I took one of these personality profile tests and it came out that I should, I excel at and I should look for jobs that involve research because I realized when I saw it I really do love research. So sometimes at work here's an example of way to put creativity and fun into your work easily all I have to do is name it and say this is, oh now I have to research this and then I feel differently about it and then when I do it it's like a little break. Yes, this is exactly it that's what I'm saying about business if you feel like you're not being creative in business but then you tell yourself oh I'm actually doing creative research all of a sudden it doesn't seem so hard. Yeah. Yeah. Okay so what other examples what other people have you run into have found interesting ways of bringing creativity into their work? Well I mean I have to, I'll have to name a few because they're just genuinely creative people I'll start with and then I can find some examples of people who found creativity within there and maybe not so exciting jobs. But for the first part I mean Charles Billich who's Charles and Krista Billich have the Billich Art Gallery in Sydney, Australia and he's just been one of those creative people who's pushed the boundaries and he's quite controversial. If anyone looks about he's quite controversial but the man has got pieces in the White House and the Vatican everywhere. He's 82 I believe paints every day. That's all he does he paints. Krista runs the gallery. So this is something I find interesting as well about creatives. A real artist's creative if they pair themselves not doesn't have to be a husband and wife sort of thing but with someone who's more business minded it can really help extend their art. So he just literally paints all day long. 82 he's been doing it for years and these paintings are worth I don't know $300, $500,000 so he's making a great income per se from painting but what he says is he just he creates his reality on a canvas and he'll sit there and it's kind of a meditative thing for him. He doesn't really stress and he just paints all day long and it's just about him not caring. He's not painting for anyone he's painting from within onto the canvas. So I think that's someone who's taught me about real creative expression. Doesn't matter what people are saying or judging and it's just from if you take what's in and really true instead of trying to you know the market wants this or this wants this then just to keep going from within. So he's done that. Another neat thing is Jason Gretch, a friend of mine who's a fashion designer in Australia. He was doing amazing work. He's doing bridal and all kinds of different things but when he again gave himself permission to just go with those crazy sort of ideas he had in his head sketch them out and start creating them he just got more notice and more notice and more celebrities are coming to him and then recently IBM even approached him and they've done a collaboration. So IBM has created, they have this program that helps designers enhance their design by helping predict the fashions and the colors and things like that. So Spring Racing Carnival, huge in Australia. He pretty much, I don't know how many that and also the, all the football they have these red carpet events dressed majority of the celebrities front page of every paper, literally from using his creative expression and then being recognized for that creative expression because when you're really true to yourself IBM before you know it so those are another couple. IBM kind of, well I gotta stop for just a minute. IBM contacted him and said we'd like to work with you and they're predicting what the trends will be. I guess so. It's like, you know, there was pastels so it wasn't something he was usually using so they had like this, almost a pastel color this color and a purplish and so, yeah. I mean, I need to research it more myself but I just was like IBM so like technology and fashion, that's cool. Yeah, that's cool. You know, but what's interesting and as we're saying so there's people there in that technology world just technology like, oh yeah, technology but technology is sexy. I mean, technology paired up with this technology I mean, they can, they're the ones behind all of the cool creations that come to the front. I mean, without technology we wouldn't have things like Facebook, like the show. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? So people can really go, hey, why don't we try this or do this, those back end people have a lot of creativity. Oh yeah, sure. What did you say, Zuri? Did you say the name of the company? Oh, sorry. We're just chatting, sorry. Yeah, she's not even talking to me. She's talking to Zuri. I mean, everyone's talking to Zuri. You don't know what it's like. That's nice to be able to talk to you. I know what it's like having someone in my ear. I have someone in my ear. I wish I could have my therapist in my ear. I think the most though, I think, you know, the most powerful thing I'm feeling at the moment is so many different entrepreneurs coming out. Especially female entrepreneurs. I mean, female entrepreneurs are huge all around the world and they're actually taking over, taking over the world. Really, I mean, with the incomes and things like that, that female entrepreneurs are earning and what they're being able to create is just phenomenal. And that's the creative expression again. Oh yeah. So it's... Yeah, do you feel like we inherently express, whether you're male or female, we inherently express differently? We have... I ask the question and then I think like, you see so many male chefs and that is a male dominated world. Yeah, and I don't really understand why that happens. That's a creative... Oh yeah, totally creative. Yeah, definitely is a creative profession, but yeah, that's an interesting one. There's not as many female chefs. Yeah. When you look at clothing designers, I think the big houses we have, they're probably pretty closely matched. You do have Diane Van Frustenberg and Chanel and there's a lot of females in that. Talking about Chanel, that is creative expression and that is an amazing story. She was just an orphan girl. Yeah. You know, she's someone that... I mean, to be honest, it's not really my style and that's again, creative expression. You have to know who you are to know it suits you. I appreciate it. I love it, love seeing people in it, but it's just not my... This is my style. So, but her story coming from an orphan girl and where she got her inspiration from and it was sort of from going to the churches and she had herself her own little nickname and just had this fairy tale world and look what she created. And she went for it. I think sometimes, and we just have a few more minutes left here, when we talk about people who just go for it, that's a scary moment. Oh yes. You know, to say, I'm gonna give up what I know work, what I know will get me a paycheck but it's killing you on the inside. Oh yeah. You know, to say, I'm gonna take the sleep. I did it when I started managing a theater. I was making a good living. I went from making a good living to getting by but doing something that I'm much more passionate about. And that's what, I mean, going back to, for instance, say creatives or especially young people, if they start when they're young and they pursue what it is that they are interested in, slowly, slowly, slowly, they'll get there. And they might not make a bazillion dollars but they'll make a happy life. I see a lot of times in women say, you know, our ages is that they end up being kind of almost miserable for so long only to take a leap of faith or switch or want to switch and never get to switch. So best that you maybe don't have a pair of $2,000 shoes, you buy $80 shoes but you're happy because really, I don't care what shoes you're wearing. As long as you're happy wearing them and I do find that fashion though, don't get me wrong, fashion is totally a way of expression. If you ever wanna feel different about yourself or good about yourself, I'm not saying I spend a million dollars but I'm saying get a different lipstick out or put something on that's vibrant or really just channel that internal expression if it's as simple as that, if you don't have a way to, you're too busy at work, just think about your outfit in the morning. I think that's a good way. It doesn't have to mean it's great. I mean, it could be black but as long as it's black and I'm expressing myself. Exactly. Well, that's exactly, but everyone's expression is different and I think the more people can recognize and understand that, the more that they'll connect with it. So yeah, that's... Did you have, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. You were talking about ways that people express themselves that they find ways to build it in. Oh, build it into their daily lives. Like, I know people who are, for example, lawyers but they find ways of, you know, researching different things that don't have to do with their particular case just because it's interesting in their field. So they just, they keep different ways of finding inspiration within what they do but to them it's exciting but also then they'll have a hobby perhaps. So just because you love something doesn't mean you have to do it as a job. They can be a lawyer but then play horse polo on the weekend and that's their unleash, their creative because people say, no, I actually really like my job but how do I be more creative? And it's like, well, you can go do those things. You don't have to quit your job to do that if you love your job too. You just need to make sure that you take time to do it. Exactly. Thank you very much for being here. I was glad, really glad to get to know you in front of all of our friends here. Yes, welcome friends. Thanks for coming to visit us. Thank you very much for being here. I would also like to thank our floor manager, Robert, who's right over there. Thank you very much. And Zuri Bender, as always, our studio overlord who is in my ear. Thank you. And Jay Fidel, who somehow manages to put all of this together here at Think Tech. Thank you for being here. We'll see you next week. We will have Tali Ariyav, who is a playwriting instructor as well as an acting teacher from Israel. And she's very cool. We'll see you then. Bye.