November 05, 2007
editor kate bezar
Dumbo Feather, Pass It On is the passion project of founder Kate Bezar. This "mook" (a cross between a magazine and a book) is a quarterly publication that features five people who are pursuing their dreams. The same could be said for its founder and self-confessed dreamer Kate Bezar. She ditched a career in marketing to become a one-woman publishing machine, producing this beautifully crafted mook.
What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about passion... I'm passionate about finding out what really spins my wheels and the wheels of others. I love that passion is such an individual thing... no two people will have exactly the same obsessions, infatuations, drives...
Who inspires you? PEOPLE WHO LIVE THEIR LIVES WITH UNRELENTING INDIVIDUALITY AND INTEGRITY - those who've found what they're truly passionate about in life and have found the courage to pursue it against the odds. That's it in general. More specifically, pick up any copy of Dumbo Feather, and you'll see the kinds of people I'm talking about be they winemakers, film makers, teatoweltologists, spies, costume designers, philanthropists...
What’s your motto in life? "By love serve" was my school motto, but it never meant much to me back then, mostly because I only understood "love" as being romantic love or how I felt about my cocker spaniel, Dudley... Now it means the world to me. If we consistently looked at our motivations and asked ourselves, "Am I doing this out of love (for self/others/the environment, etc) or am I doing it out of fear/jealously/greed etc...?" and made sure that we were acting out of love, then we'd be a darn sight happier and the world would be a darn sight better place. I think.
What lessons have you learnt so far along life’s journey? Eek, very few... instead I seem to have developed a profound expertise in how to keep making the same mistakes over and over again! No, I think the biggest thing life has taught me is that IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ENOUGH YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING. Oh and, if you're ever in need of some perspective, spend time looking at the ocean and, let the end of the sellotape find you, not vice versa.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue their passion? In the words of a very famous shoe brand, "just do it". Seriously, you don't have to start huge, do it in a way that feels right for you and that's achievable, but just do it.
What book is currently beside your bed? There's rarely just one... This is not a book by Dr Michael Picard... a book on philosophy... beautifully designed, mind-bending stuff; Fat, Forty and Fired and Observations of a very short man both by Nigel Marsh... the funniest and frankest books I've read in a long time. A Lighter Footprint by Angela Crocombe... Angela's a Dumbo feather reader and sent me a copy of her great book. It's a "practical guide to minimsing your impact on the planet". The Slow Guide to Melbourne and The Slow Guide to Sydney... both awesome sources of tips for how to find quality, sensory stimulation, relaxation and soul in both cities.
photos courtesy of kate bezar