BCBusiness

28 B C B U S I N E S S . C A S E P T E M B E R 2 0 24 fresh eyes. But it's anywhere from paying the bills, making appointments, scheduling Zoë's travel, closing sales, pitching people on Zoë's work. When one of us is up, the other can be down and vice-versa. It's just us. We both kind of do everything." Pawlak says her goal has always been to pair creativity with commerce. "And I think a way that I exemplify that for emerging or mid-career younger artists is that I show that it's possible. As a studio, we embody that. I believe that, when you're creative, there's a way in which that can remain a hobby. And when I mentor, I want to step into the capacity to start to create bodies of work, look into the meanings of it, how it's connected. And then look at more practical things, like pricing, sizing, shipping." Just like Pawlak received from Li-Leger and her other mentors, Bowe now is get- ting an inside look at the things she may or may not want for herself in the future. She likens her time with Pawlak to getting a master's degree in business and art. "She came out of it paid and not hav- ing debt—just the debt of her time, energy, blood, sweat and tears, that's all," says Paw- lak with a laugh. "She gave a piece of her soul. It seemed like a good exchange." Bowe doesn't regret the price. "I'll happily give away my soul to something that also feeds it and makes it grow. I feel like I've expanded in ways I still haven't comprehended... it's changed everything in how I saw my life before I started this job. I started modelling when I was 15... but Zoë cracked me open and showed me that I'm more than what I am on the out- side. She made me see the substance that I have inside and I want to explore that and connect with the narratives in my life and translate that into physical artwork." Pawlak has had staff for over a decade and has seen the transformative impact she's been able to have on the people who have helped her. "We don't men- tor enough," she says. "There's this gap between being 18 and 23 and 30. There's not enough skill share and transfer of knowledge. It indicates to me that there's a lack there." –N.C. HELPING HANDS The Burnaby Hospital Foundation's Kristy James and Danielle Sleiman have worked together across multiple organizations OFTEN, the hardest part of changing jobs is leaving your team behind, especially when you've developed strong relation- ships with key staff members. So why not simply skip that part? Danielle Sleiman and Kristy James met when the former was hired as the market- ing and events coordinator for North Van- couver's Lions Gate Hospital Foundation in 2011. James, then the director of donor relations at the foundation, saw something in Sleiman. "My first impression was that she was young and eager—she hadn't had a lot of experience in nonprofit but was extremely creative and willing to try new things," James says. "She was great at learning and always asked questions like 'What could I have done differently in that?' and 'Do you think it was okay?'" L E A D E R S H I P A STRONG FOUNDATION Danielle Sleiman (left) and Kristy James have developed their mentor/ mentee relationship into a decade-plus partnership

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