ARTIST PROFILE
Cindy Ellen Crawford is an artist in the literal sense of the word. Her linguistic skills are matched only by her passion for the written word. As Communication Strategist for the Downtown Association she is the woman behind the words of the Downtown News, the Downtown Times and occasional freelance writing for other local publications. In addition to the work she does with district publications she is also currently involved in writing a historic literary work which will focus on a series of 135 letters from soldiers in World War I. This work is still in the developmental stages.
A published author, Crawford takes advantage of the resources available to her within the community. “A lot of people believe to do something big you have to go away. Really there is a huge amount of resource people locally.”
She puts this philosophy into practice, much to the benefit of the communities she praises. A recent and very well received publication “The Plough and Packet” serves as proof in point of Crawford’s dedication to grass-roots writing. The publication has been a 3 year project of Crawford and her friend Wayne Van Sickle. This publication provided tourist information and marketing opportunities exclusively for St. Joseph Island. A success from day one, this 13,000 print publication was birthed from Crawford’s kitchen and Van Sickle’s living room as a completely self-sustaining project, with all expenses and time covered through advertising revenue. Although the “Plough and Packet” has now folded due to personal projects which took Crawford and Van Sickle elsewhere, the publication is a recent winner of an Apex Award of Excellence for a magapaper produced by one or two people.
Although Crawford is very modest about the awards she has won for writing, her list of accolades is extensive. She had her first work published at age 16 and wrote for the Sault Star through high-school. When in grade twelve she won the award for Top Teen Writer her life-path was clear. She studied Journalism at Humber College and worked for a Toys and Games magazine which allowed for her to travel the world as editor of the publication. After living in Toronto and working for a newspaper for a number of years Crawford was eager to get back to her roots in Sault Ste. Marie. When this opportunity appeared in the form of a contract with the OLG she jumped on it and moved home. Since that time Crawford has written as a free-lance arts writer for the past 10 years and created a name for herself in the community as an expert in the field.
In June 2006 the Downtown Association approached Crawford to develop communications materials and a marketing/branding strategy for the organization. Since that time Crawford has been an integral part of the Downtown Association office team which includes Udo Rauk, Liisa McMillan and Joyce Uhl (employee of the Sault Star). In addition to her Apex Award for the Plough and Packet, Crawford and the Downtown Association have recently been awarded an Apex Award for Publication Excellence for their work on the Downtown Times in 2006. When asked to comment about the award Crawford is quick to give thanks to her coworkers with whom she developed the winning September 2006 issue. “They are all integral to the success of the publication.”
Congratulations to Cindy and the Downtown Association!
