Happy New Year! The Vv Magazine Team Reflects On 2014

Nicki Laborie, Editor-in-Chief

As we enter 2015 I am smiling from ear to ear. 2014 was – well, to be perfectly honest – crappy. Now that said I don’t think crappy is bad – I think it forces you to challenge yourself and make changes that likely need to happen. So, while I say crappy, I should probably say transitional… In 2014 I was faced with looking at the reality of a business that simply was not working. Throw more competition into the market and I had to take a hard look at the pros and cons of moving forward. As difficult as this was, what happened was the rebirth of View the Vibe, now Vv Magazine, and the opportunity to create a new brand, work with a fantastic new team, learn from previous mistakes, and generate content that stimulates our audience as well as ourselves. Two months later I am so proud of what we’re doing and — even better — I’m having a blast doing it. But an entrepreneur is only as good as her team and I am so very grateful to have these outstanding people by my side, helping build a publication that stirs the mind and dances to its own beat. So this year I asked our key team members to contribute their own reflections on 2014. I’ve enjoyed reading them and hope you do too. But mostly, I thank you for reading Vv Magazine and hope you stay on this amazing ride with us.

2015 just feels like it’s going to be great, doesn’t it? Be BOLD, be BRAVE, and be HAPPY!

Happy New Year!

Xo nicki

Vicki Hogarth, Managing Editor

My roommate and I jokingly call 2014 “the year Canada lost its innocence.” Everyone from Jon Stewart to Esquire mocked the Rob and Doug Ford, Salon and Gawker critiqued the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, and Russell Brand called BS on Harper’s Bush-inspired televised response to the Ottawa shooting. Canadians have always begrudgingly accepted our place in America’s shadow – content to rest on the laurels of our healthcare as a sign we’re progressive, despite ongoing voter turnout painting a more apathetic national portrait. Then the digital age changed the game. The only thing more shocking to Canadians in 2014 than having our national controversies make global headlines was that we realized we’d clearly stopped caring when no one was looking. The silver lining to it was that we suddenly felt responsible. With the federal election months away, I expect Canadians to get more socially and politically active than they’ve been in decades. Hopefully, we’ll return to being the trailblazers for human rights that we once were — it doesn’t matter who’s watching when you’re too busy leading the way.

Philip Mak, Fashion Editor

In terms of fashion, 2014 has been my favourite year since the 90s – perhaps because the trends of the past 12 months were so inspired by the 90s. The oughts (the decade between 2000 and 2009) should just be written off clothing-wise – quite frankly, we were too busy trying to recreate Western culture in a post-9/11 world. That said, fashion continues to serve as a thermometer for where our society is at: 2014’s androgyny trend reflected the growing power of women in the workplace and increased LGBT acceptance and rights. What does 2015 have in store? I can only hope that our culture continues to grow and heal from the oughts. You can say what you want about crop tops, coloured fur, and dyed leather, but the 90s were brimming with the optimism of post-Cold War international stability, a strong economy, and the hope of a new millennium. Let’s keep trying to recapture that, shall we? Oh yes, and no more of this bloody #normcore shit.

Azra Hirji, Associate Editor

2014 has been one heck of a year. For starters, it was the year the View The Vibe team (now known as the most beautiful Vv Magazine) welcomed me with open arms. They became my new-found creative family who have taught me the ins and outs of Toronto’s media industry; the importance of being passionate about current affairs; how to incorporate a more fashion-forward lifestyle, and so many more incredible life lessons. It was a big year in pop culture, that’s for sure: Kim Kardashian bared all (and then some); celebs grew out their eyebrows; they also started using their fame to empower the concept of equality (Beyoncé. Emma Watson. ‘Nuff said); Solange became the ultimate indie badass; Renee Zellweger became ‘Renee WTF-happened-to-your-face‘; Instagram got 5 new filters; some Sony hacks, etc… And if 2015 is anything like it’s predecessor, you can be assured the year will bring some of the biggest, boldest and best headlines ever seen (read: Kanye’s dropping an album)! Cheers to 2015, we’re ready for you!

Danica Jeffery, Vancouver Editor

Woah. This is a big one. I suppose this past year taught me a lot about focusing on long-term goals and knowing when to let go.  Both are equally applied to personal and professional realms of life as I dealt with making some tough decisions in 2014. I made an incredibly difficult choice to step down from a few professional roles in order to make room for the pursuit of important personal goals that will have a long-term impact on my life and be incredibly rewarding. Sometimes you need to dig out the old pro/con list in order to arrive at an otherwise obvious realization and let go of the little things, di-clutter life (of work, people, distractions) to go after a bigger dream.

Oh, and it helps to surround yourself with others who are on the same page!

What are some of your 2014 reflections and what do you hope for in 2014? Share your thoughts with Vv Magazine in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.