At aasman, we are passionate about branding. We love our clients and the work that comes with it. However, it's not the only thing we specialize in. Many aasmanites are volunteer specialists, often spending many hours contributing to the local community.

Did you know that Eleanor loves the arts so much that she volunteers her time as a board member with the Yukon Arts Centre? Corey helped out with the West Coast Music host committee. Neil loves the hoops, and is currently coaching basketball to the younger generation. Jennifer has a fondness for music and spends countless hours working as a board member of the Frostbite Music Festival.

Recently, I've been assisting the kids at Takhini Elementary with their annual Culture Camp. The children get to experience many aspects of First Nation culture—ice fishing, snowshoeing, archery, singing, drumming and dancing. My son and I are Ojibwe, and we have been sharing our knowledge and traditions all week with the Takhini staff and students. We showcase our dancing, singing and some of the teachings from our people.

"In our story of Creation, we talk about each one of us having our own path to travel, and our own gift to give and to share. You see, what we say is that the Creator gave us all special gifts; each one of us is special. And each one of us is a special gift to each other because we've got something to share."  – John Peters (Slow Turtle), Wampanoag

There is nothing better than giving back to your community. There is a sense of pride you receive when you support others. We all have a special gift that we can share. What's yours? And have you shared it recently?

On April 14,  pianist Ian Parker closes Whitehorse Concerts' presenting season with The Beethoven Experience. So, of course, we want to give a lucky music-lover the chance to see the show for free.

Tell us which famed music school Mr. Parker received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, and you'll be entered in the draw for two tickets to the show on Saturday evening.

What a sweet way to celebrate a dynamic concert season (and spring!) 

Contest  closes on Friday, April 13 at noon. Good luck! 

We're pretty excited about the newest addition to the team, graphic designer Kristen Will. Kristen brings a wide range of experience to the table, and we're looking forward to getting her into the swing of things.

But first things first—the newbie questionnaire:   

How long have you lived in the Yukon?
About a week. I’m a Yukon newbie.

First impressions of aasman?
I'm really feeling very welcomed here. I love the open, collaborative environment that exists here. It just seems to be a really great group of talented people. I can’t wait to get to know everyone better as the weeks and months progress.

What were you doing before coming to work with us?
I was pretty much being a bit of a gypsy, traveling around the world for the last few years, seeing all that North America has to offer. In 2011, I was back in Australia, so got to catch up with family and friends, which was nice after being away for so long. I left in January and went from +40 weather to well below freezing—it’s a bit of a shock to the system!

What's the best trait you bring to your work here at aasman? 
My best trait: being Australian... just kidding. Umm, I think that I probably bring a bit of a different, fresh perspective, being from the other side of the world. I am sure that I probably do things a little bit differently and bring different experience to the table, but I think that its those differences that can really create some amazing solutions. 

And now for the really important questions:

Favourite sandwich? 
Hmm, a chip sandwich. Its a bit of an Aussie thing: You take really fresh bread, butter it and then get chicken flavoured crisps (need to get those special order from Oz) and put a heap of those in there... and crunch away... its really delicious! I have introduced this to a few Canadian friends with mixed results

Best tunes to work by? 
I like a little bit of everything—love chilled out music: City and Colour, Powderfinger, John Butler Trio, Bon Iver to name a few. I also really love listening to the Juno soundtrack on Friday afternoons, not sure why but it just makes me smile!

Most exotic travel experience? 
Not sure if its exotic or not, but I really loved Arizona in the states, it’s just a beautiful place! Also I guess where I am from in Australia (Eyre Peninsula- http://www.southaustralia.com/regions/eyre-peninsula.aspx), is very beautiful, with amazing beaches, white sands, crystal clear water and national parks—and you can dive with great white sharks if you want.

Snowboard or skis? 
I attempt to snowboard, I would say that I am still in that covered in bruises stage of learning to board. I am hoping that one day soon it will all click and I will be able to do it properly.

Beverage you can't live without? 
A really great wine, I love my wine. Probably a Sauv Blanc from the Marlborough region in New Zealand, is a definite favourite! 

If you're a Yukoner with a business, organization or group that makes use of Facebook pages then you might be dreading March 30th. Don't know what this means? Click here.

Like it or loath it, the switch is upon us. I decided to scratch down five tips for Yukoners getting set to take the plunge:

Tip # 1 - Don't use a wide angle northern lights shot as your cover picture - Seriously, unless you're in the tourism world, nobody cares. The cover picture is the first thing a visitor will see; make sure it reflects your brand. The cover shot is an opportunity to communicate, not decorate.

Tip # 2 - Embrace your "Yukonness" - By removing the "new visitor" tab option, Timeline forces you to act like a person, not a spamming annoyance that nobody likes. If you've walked into a Yukon shop and watched the clerk / owner chat with customers in line then you know how to behave on Timeline. Yukoners have a competitive advantage on Facebook, we're already people before profits - embrace it!

Tip # 3 - Think Mobile - The percentage of folks experiencing your page from a mobile device is growing. If you're trying to chat with anyone under 25, this percentage sky-rockets. Timeline is organized to improve the mobile experience.

Tip # 4 - Don't make everything big - The new layout allows you to make your posts span the width of the entire page, use this sparingly. While the information lining the right-hand side of your new page might not seem relevant today, it's not going to stay that way. Use a wide post when it matters, when you really want to engage, it should signal something important.

Tip # 5 - Do not post  "Milestones" to the feed - When you're filling the timeline of your organization or business (yes, you should take the time fill in the timeline) make sure you aren't posting each milestone update to your feed. The fastest route to a un-like is 30 updates in your audience's news feed. 

Have you seen some great Yukon facebook pages? Post a link and tell us what you think in the comments section.

Saturday Night marked the annual Burn Away the Winter Blues Festival. Put on by Yukon Educational Theatre, the event is a chance for the community to parade their winter woes down the river and dump them into a massive bonfire at the Robert Service Campground.

The parade is lead by the spirit of winter, which was built by myself and fellow artist Brian Oman. Below is a short photo essay on the creation of an effigy.

Feel inspired (Winter the dog and the river starting to crack):

Choose and collect materials:

Start making a mess on the basement floor:

Think a fair amount, build a little, and play a lot:

Here's an interview with Brian about the process in What's up Yukon.

Take a moment for problem solving:

Feel encouraged as the final product begins to emerge:

Call friends around to take it for a test spin (Thank you Tess, Monique, Mike and Daniel):

Take a break and rest before the event begins:

Invite lots of families, friends, and photographers to a wonderful parade! (photo by Justin Kennedy, taken from Yukon News):

Final step: throw it in the fire!!!! I haven't seen any photos of this one yet.
Thanks for another great winter Yukon. We're ready for spring!