The concept of creativity gets talked about a lot these days and it’s often regarded as doing something that is traditionally creative - like photography, art, music or writing. These are of course great expressions of creativity, but without determination and consistent practice its hard to get excellent or even good at one’s creative craft. It’s also difficult to make a dream a reality without the commitment of putting one’s self out there.
I’ve known Stuart Hoopfer for many years and his story is a cool one and a great example of creative determination. I first met Stuart when he was still in the restaurant business. While working as a manager at a downtown restaurant, I still remember the day when he shared with me that he wanted to get better at playing and performing, and he was going to do this by committing himself to a weekly gig at 10 Fourteen in Hintonburg. Last night we were lucky enough to catch Stuart play one of his many gigs at 10 Fourteen. It was super fun to see him in his flow and really enjoying performing!
In Stuart’s words, “I think a major thing that has helped me hone my craft is loving to play. I’ve played for 3 hours on countless occasions over the past many years. It’s helped with my stamina for vocals and improved my passion and technique. Also, given me more enjoyment seeing others enjoying it.”
If you’d like to see Stuart play, it would be best to follow him on Instagram at: @shoopf
Cheers, Dwayne.
