Iggy Interviews Team Iggy
I have a special surprise for you today!
I interviewed my Team Iggy Business Partners!
These three super nice and super talented people have helped to make my dreams come true. Because of their hard work and dedication, I have a beautiful website and a collection of Iggy T Hippo books that I’m really proud of.
Miss Ashley, Miss Ebonie and Miss Yulia, know that I love you all so very much.
Miss Ashley
I am so excited to introduce you to Miss Ashley. She helps me with my website and she designed my new logo this year. I am so happy to be her partner and her friend.
Hi Miss Ashley! Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed today. It means a lot to me.
Where were you born?
I was born in Brampton Ontario!
What memory about your childhood makes you happy?
A childhood memory that makes me happy is going to the cottage and enjoying my grandma's baking and cooking!
What hobbies do you have?
Some of my hobbies include crafting, sewing, gaming and cuddling my guinea pigs!
You have guinea pigs? I love guinea pigs! What do you think they would say if they could talk to you?
I have two guinea pigs! I think both Tina and Teddy would just be asking for treats!
What sounds do you like the best and why?
I love the sounds my guinea pigs make, especially when they are happy because it makes me happy!
Describe a great day! What are you doing that makes it special?
A great day would look like sleeping in a little bit, hanging out with my best friends and having some delicious food!
If you opened a store, what would you sell?
If I ever opened a store I would sell homemade crafts!
Pretend you’re a chef and tell me about your restaurant: what foods would you serve?
It would probably be a desert restaurant that specializes in strawberry dishes!
You know a lot about making a website beautiful and interesting. How did you learn these skills?
I learned these skills in my college days during my photography program! I actually even won an award for demonstrating outstanding proficiency in website design back in 2020!
If you could do any job in the world, what would it be?
If I could do any job I’d be a professional guinea pig cuddler!
I know that you’re a kind and generous person with a super sense of humour. I know that you love deeply and that you are a wonderful friend. I know that you are a talented photographer and a great website designer…What is something about you that you think I might not know?
You may not know that my favourite movie is Coraline!
Thanks so much for spending this time with me today. I always look forward to our time together.
❤️
Miss Ebonie
I had the pleasure of interviewing Miss Ebonie and I am excited to share her answers to my questions
with you.
Miss Ebonie has many talents. She did the layout and graphic design for my third book and I am so
grateful to her for all the work she did to make my dream come true in such a beautiful way.
Hi Miss Ebonie! Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. It means a lot to me.
Hello Iggy, what a pleasure it is to be interviewed by my favorite little world
explorer!
Where were you born?
I was born in a town called “Renfrew” which is known to be “The birthplace of the
National Hockey League (NHL) isn’t that neat? I then grew up in a tiny village called
“Griffith”. A place that is filled with the beauty of nature.
What is a childhood memory that makes you happy?
One memory that makes me very happy is my birthdays. When all my friends
and family are with me, singing the iconic song together and smiling. There’s a
beautiful cake with lit candles in front of me and I get to make my big wish for the year!
What makes you happy as a grown up?
I find happiness in all the little things that surround my life; The wind rustling
through the trees as a bird sings their sweet morning song, painting and drawing
especially when it’s something I have never drawn before, and my pet turtle splish-
splashing in his tank. But, I’m happiest when I’m with my loved ones playing
boardgames and laughing until our faces hurt from smiling.
Where would you like to travel and why?
I would love to travel to Ireland. It is a beautiful island in Northwest Europe. It
is filled with beautiful castles, unique cities and has more sheep than people. My dream
is to go around the island and paint what I see. To fill a sketchbook full of unforgettable
views and memories.
If you could sing with anyone, who would that person be and why?
Kermit the Frog. He seems very kind and he’s an incredible banjo player. It
would be a dream to meet the most popular frog on Earth.
What do you look forward to when you wake up?
I look forward to thanking God for the fresh day ahead of me, and I can’t wait to
get in the kitchen to make a hearty and healthy breakfast.
What makes you feel energized?
Being outside in nature! I love smelling the fresh air, the sparkle of light dancing
on the top of the lake and the sun peaking through the forest.
What was a time that you felt lucky or blessed?
Every moment of my life I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I am incredibly
blessed. I have a roof over my head, shoes on my feet, food in my fridge, clean water
and I’m surrounded by loved ones. God is good. Life couldn’t be better.
If you were in a play, what would your character be like?
She would be very bubbly and kind. She would go out of her way to make sure
others see the beauty they hold in their soul. She would be very imaginative and
creative. Although, she would be occasionally forgetful, getting lost in her own world
and as much as she tries not to be, she would struggle with being late all the time.
What five words do you think describe you most?
I asked my friends and family to answer this one, these were their responses;
- Unique
- Kindhearted
- Vibrant
- Bubbly
- Dreamer
I had so much fun asking you these questions and learning more about you today. Thanks so much for spending your time with me. It means a lot.
Thank you for taking interest in me. This was very fun! Have a great day and
don’t forget to leave a little sparkle wherever you go. ❤️
Miss Yulia
Where were you born?
Dear Iggy, I’ve been born in Russia (needless to say, how much disappointed, frustrated, and ashamed I am feeling nowadays about this fact.) However, the best I could have picked from my family is the strong motivation to study throughout the life, and to be all the time ready to explore the unknown. It usually runs in families like mine, where doctors, geographers, and chemical engineers gather to raise kids, according to their strong parental beliefs in science and benefits of education.
What dreams did you have as a kid? Did any of them come true for you when you became a grown up? If so, what were they?
Fancy, I’ve always wanted to be an artist – since the earliest memories of my childhood, as early as of being maximum 3 years old. I dreamed as well to become an explorer, devouring voraciously all the books about travels, Nature, and adventures of courageous explorers who ever crossed the vast abandoned prairies of Old West, canoed through the Great Lakes, or submerged into the deep ocean waters.
As you can see, my friend, this passion didn’t fade or weaken since then, and here we are, on the road every summer, enjoying the boreal forests of the so-called “clay belt” up to the Northwest from Timmins to Kenora, and from Calgary to Red Deer and Medicine Hat (though Ontario, IMHO, dear Iggy, is the best place around the world!)
I know that you are a respected and beloved teacher at the Ottawa School of Art. What do you like best about being a teacher?
Most of all I love seeing the outstanding creativity of my beloved students, how they transform their original interest in Arts into the admirable combinations of skills and intuition with personal attitude, that shows and speaks as loud as they wish. I love to be buried under the piles of intricate (and the most unexpected) questions that may require profound research to respond; any time I see how they grow, make my teacher’s heart melt and proud of their accomplishments.
If you could teach your students other stuff, what would you teach them?
Social and cultural anthropology. Applied linguistics. Truly believe that the more the humankind knows about their historical ties, about all the languages, customs, traditions, taboos, and biases, circulating and being established in any society, the less conflicts, wars, and political quarrels occur around the globe.
What was a lovely moment for you today that you want to share?
The glorious game of light and darkness over the horizon during the early morning hours, how the deep ultramarine blue line of distant clouds yields to the pink and mellow orange streaks of a sunrise, proclaiming the start of a new day. The day that brings always a tad of something new to explore, something unexpected, someone to meet.
What do you like most about nature and how does being in nature make you feel?
Most of all, my dear Iggy, I like the current and intermittent process of cycles and changes that happens in and around the nature. We are all the same, quite unique combinations of atoms, genes, and molecules, picked up in some kinds of clusters. Do you know that, according to the latest researches, all of us, mammals, are sharing the same combinations of genes (up to the 77% of equality) with cucumbers? Actually, we have so much in common with daisies, beetles, and mushrooms – indeed, it makes me feel happy to see my distant relatives any time I encounter them on the local park trail!
If you could ask a wild animal any question, what would that be?
To the local raccoon: “What sort of tourtiére would you like me to bring right away?”
To you, my “dearest gentle friend” (c): “Do you know that hippopotamus has been considered in Egypt and some other African countries as a sacred, divine animal, the subject of worship and admiration? Do you know that there’s another suggestion, to name this animal as “Behemoth”, after the powerful imaginary biblical creature? (BTW, in my native, Russian language we call hippos as “behemoths”, as an old-fashioned shadow of respect to the Bible, I presume)
What is your favourite flavour of ice-cream?
Fruit sorbets! Cherries, peaches, blood oranges, all of the seasonal fruits to get blended and frozen!
If you could meet anyone, past or present, who would that person be and why?
Leonardo Da Vinci, the greatest artist of all the times, researcher, thinker, philosopher – the person who has been ahead of so many centuries, by all possible means.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I’d love to spare my next life traveling between UK and Netherlands, studying and practicing Traditional Arts & Crafts, hanging out for days in all the museums, art manufactures, attending workshops, and applying for all kinds of artistic apprenticeship that they offer.
What five qualities about yourself make you feel good about yourself?
Ability to change. I’m trying to stay non-dogmatic, non-judgemental, always open to any controversial opinion (unless it threats to one’s safety and well-being). I’m quite resistant to temptations like alcohol and drugs. I hike at least 7000 steps per day (if my schedule allows). I recycle vigorously and don’t waste more than an absolute minimum.
Being with you is so special. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. It means a lot.
All the pleasure was mine, Iggy. Happy to know you, wishing you many new chapters in your life; ready to accompany you in any travel you plot!