I fell deeply in love with 'Littlest Rock'...

I first came to Lasqueti Island as an 11 year old in grade 6, it was 1989. I was straight out of the city, right out of my element and mostly grateful that I had a new Braun curling iron that I could use without electricity. Did my mother seriously move to a tiny, off the grid island while I had been living with my dad? The short answer is yes, she sure did and now I too was living on a tiny, off the grid island. I wasn't sure how this was going to work but I had my curling iron, so I was going to be ok. Litlle did I know, my gypsy soul would never be able to call another place home again.

There was a freedom that I had never known existed. I remember the first time I stayed too long at a friends and found myself running home in the dark, down a deeply forested trail with visions of 'lions, and tigers and bears' on my heals. The fear was real and I quickly learnt how to time my journeys home with the sun. We were a small group of kids and we essentially did what we wanted by day. It was simply fabulous. It was freedom.

My family and I left Lasqueti the summer before I entered grade 9, in 1992. My life took many turns and my itchy feet took my on many adventures. In all my journeys, I began to recognize that nothing and nowhere felt like home to me. I kept moving forward, I moved from city to city, small town to small town. I identified then and still do today as a gypsy. Hence, West Coast Gypsea.

After 20 years of moving about, 2 kids, 3 failed engagements and many, many loves, a broken heart led me back to Lasqueti and I fell deeply in love with 'Littlest Rock'. There hasn't been a moment in coming back to Lasqueti that I doubted that I was finally home again. There have been moments where I doubted my ability to build a life on Lasqueti. There have been years that I had to venture back to the city to work but never have I doubted that Lasqueti Island was home to me or that Lasqueti was the one place on earth that nourished my heart, my mind and my soul.

Living off the grid is a challenging lifestyle. I've lived in a van, an unfinished tiny home and an 18' trailer. I learnt to value living with roommates and sharing the responsibilities and workload that comes with living off the grid. I've learnt how to co-exist in a tiny community and cherish the bonds that have come of it. I've learnt to love myself and to live by the cycles of the seasons. Life on Lasqueti has genuinely been a journey of discovery for me and I have loved every moment of the journey. It's a journey that I never want to end.

One of my most valued discoveries has been the discovery of my creative self, my artistic nature; West Coast Gypsea. West Coast Gypsea is for me an outward expression of myself and the things I love to do and share with the world around me. It started when I had first begun studying wicca and wanted to create a few tools of the trade for my practice. I was wandering the beach one evening when I realized I was surrounded by potential wands. I collected some driftwood sticks and went home to make my first wand. That first wand turned into many wands and from there I began my creative endeavors and continue to do so today with macramé art, curating body butters, candle making and creating garden mobiles. The concept has always been to build a life where I get to do what I want, everyday. Just like we did when we were pre-teens, I crave freedom and Lasqueti offers that to me.

In returning home to Lasqueti again in January, I wanted to share my newly developed skills in Digital Marketing with the community that means so much to me. So I created an online presence for likeminded artisans; Lasqueti Artisans. This platform offers an online market, online event ticket sales and a blog for our local writers. I genuinely believe the limits are boundless and am excited to see where this new adventure takes us. All for one and one for all!

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little bit. I look forward to continuing to share my experiences and thoughts about my relationship with Lasqueti Island. If you too would like to write for our blog, please do send us a message.

Sincerely,

Dinika Marie

West Coast Gypsea