My name is Yoko Chapman. I am a Business Design and Marketing Consultant with Ayoko Design Inc., specializing in graphic design for print and web marketing, branding and merchandising.

After a successful 14-year career with a market research firm, I founded, owned and operated Pulp & Circumstance, a sustainable event stationery business, retail outlet and design studio in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. During my 12 years in business, I developed a wide range of eco-friendly products and services. In 2007, I launched Greenvites™ Eco-Stationery, the first 100% post consumer waste, Forest Stewardship Council certified and biodegradable wedding stationery line. Later that year, I spearheaded the development of Eco Luxe Event Design Group, Winnipeg’s first collective of like-minded businesses offering eco-friendly products and services. I coordinated several Green Business networking ventures developing relationships with television, newspapers, magazines and other businesses in Canada and the United States. After a successful run with Pulp & Circumstance, moving to Ayoko Design seemed like a natural progression.

And after 12 years in business as a designer and entrepreneur, I am thrilled to present the Ayoko Design Portfolio Magazine! In addition to providing an outlet to showcase the full scope of my past work, my main purpose in creating this magazine is to sincerely thank the featured Winnipeg artists and entrepreneurs for being part of my heart and soul, my endless inspiration and my personal team of experts. Their unconditional support continues to motivate me to work hard and give back to our local entrepreneurial community. These women are all glowing examples of those who have combined their creative powers, to mutually inspire each other and collaborate to transform great ideas into brilliant work. Their projects have become my own. The evolution of creativity in their lives is truly exciting and interesting to me, and continues to motivate me to be even more creative. I have loved watching how each of them has continued to raise the bar for herself, and bettered herself with every effort. They are all world-class talents, and I burst with pride when I see the growth we have experienced being part of each other’s lives.

I am so honoured and blessed, not only to be inspired by all these outstanding creative talents right here in Winnipeg, but to be part of the heart and soul projects of all these incredible entrepreneurs! Over the two years I have worked on this portfolio project, I have come to realize that I am completely spoiled to be part of a community where people truly believe that anything is possible. Lots of people have great ideas, but not everyone makes them happen. As creative people, we possess incredible vision and confidence that allow us to think and speak ideas freely. As much as we cherish our own ideas, we are also the first to recognize the benefits of collaborating and sharing them with other like-minded talents, to put the pieces of the puzzle together and make it happen!

I sincerely believe there is an absolute necessity for the existence of a mutually dependent, solid group of people in our lives who we can trust to be there, to support us and inspire us unconditionally. I feel one of my greatest strengths is my ability to bring people together. There are no original ideas. Everything comes from something. We are inspired by other things and other people and I am always looking for ways to connect creative minds. Each feature article in this magazine illustrates just how people can be mutually inspired, and how ideas grow.Each of these incredible women has been a role model to me, and has inspired me to significantly improve myself both on a personal and professional level.

The necklace featured on the cover is a collection of family heirlooms and special pieces that I have saved as keepsakes. I had the idea for the necklace and this portfolio when my daughter and I were looking through my big drawer of family jewelry. I wanted a way to explain my legacy to my children, as I feel I am also doing with this portfolio. Building this necklace is a perfect example of how I distill my thoughts and dreams, then collaborate with others to turn ideas into reality. The necklace showcases how ideas can evolve, and have layers of meaning and complexity. My mother, Marilyn Chapman, who is an artist, as well, drew the illustration of this necklace so that I could document its history for future generations. My dear friend and vintage jewelry designer, Dayle Goertzen, embraced the task of artfully connecting all these special pieces for me. Erin Alexander, my portfolio photographer, took the beautiful picture of the necklace for the cover. Now, not only does this necklace symbolize my family history, it also illustrates how all the pieces of my life are, literally and metaphorically, artistically linked. To me, it represents who I am and what I am made of and that I am this way because of the help of many other creative people.

My husband and kids have been my biggest supporters and have been inspirations in their own ways. A few months ago, my daughter told me she thought all my friends were very talented. Even as a ten-year-old girl, she is able to recognize that there are very special people in my life. I know she has learned so much from experiencing first hand the give-and-take relationships we have. One of my friends once pointed out that, as working moms and especially as entrepreneurs, we should never feel guilty about the time we spend away from our family to better ourselves and our careers. Doing so is not at their expense but to their benefit. Our families are able to learn how to fulfill their own dreams by seeing examples of creativity, independence, confidence, and motivation. When I closed Pulp & Circumstance and shifted my focus to Ayoko Design my kids witnessed this metamorphosis, not as a loss but as quite the opposite. They saw that, through this transition that temporarily compromised their family’s stability, there was constant involvement and support from my friends and collaborators that helped me fully embrace change and move up to the next level.

Balancing my work and family life to get this portfolio magazine done has been like moving heaven and earth! I am so proud of what all these women (myself included) have accomplished. Everything we are is a reflection of the influence of others in our lives. I am thrilled to have finally completed this portfolio to showcase these incredible examples of what creative minds can accomplish together.

Thank you to all the women featured in this magazine and to my husband and children for making my life complete. My works in progress are what keep me going and thanks to all these people and many others like them, that will likely not stop anytime soon.