Boardom

When I moved into my office a few years ago, I was confronted with a blank bulletin board. I never used it for work stuff, except my calendar and the FMR print schedule in the lower left corner. The rest of it I plastered with pictures of polar bears and penguins, drawings done by my niece and nephew, greeting cards, and poetry that had nothing to do with my job and everything to do with my life.

Last year, I covered the board with brown paper, pinned up a few favourite pieces, and left the rest blank for scribbling. By the end of December, it was covered with handwritten quotes and lines of lyrics in bright Sharpie colours. It was such a hit that I did it again this year. In January, I rolled up the 2012 model and started a new one for 2013 themed, “Yes, but is it Art?”

The perennial buttons and the Banff bear are in place; everything else is new. I sprinkled the stars on the day I learned that Laura was ill. Quotes from Eckhart Tolle, Albert Einstein, David Usher, Kurt Vonnegut and Nick Rhodes are posted alongside poems from Leonard Cohen and my buddy Nicole. Pictures of Bernini’s “David” and Julian’s Jaguar share space with Darth Vader and the full moon – and there’s still half a year to go. It’s fun to make, fun to read, and people think it’s a great idea.

It’s colourful, creative, comedic – and a little cracked.

It’s me.