Hello, I’m Gregory

Architecture

There is something magnetic about architecture. I am not sure what it is, but it attracts me in so many ways. Organization, logic, sense of proportions, and relation to whoever will occupy the space. And, above all, responsibility because what is on the drafting table will at some point materialize and will have an effect, possibly on generations. For my Master's Degree—and I did it with a friend as a collaborative project—we designed a park, using trees as walls, seasons as floors and sky as the ceiling. There is a lot of architecture in my design work.

Art

While rules and regulations surround architecture, with building codes, physics and everything in between, art is free. There are no rules in art. That's the beauty. After getting my second Master's Degree, I started to think about myself as an artist. So I grew a ponytail, and I had my works exhibited at a prestigious gallery. Life was good, but something was missing. Too much freedom, I suppose. So I turned toward graphic design - a mixture of architectural approach with a splash of artistic expression.

Design

With humble beginnings, CorelDraw, and an old PC, I started to apply what I learned from art and architecture. Clearly, I was in my element. Slowly, the design aspect of my professional life has become more active. Finally, I secured a teaching position at the State College of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, Poland - the same school I graduated from a few years before. Those happy days were interrupted by moving to Canada, where I landed with my wife in the summer of 1993. It was like pushing a "reset" button. Everything was so different. However, the design stayed with me.

Music

My mother is a musician. She was the principal of a music school in my hometown for many years. Instruments, music notations, and concerts filled my childhood. At some point, I chose the guitar and was inseparable from it for a long time. I am unsure why, but I did not take it with me when we moved to Vancouver, Canada. Years later, we reunited again with a nice Yamaha guitar I bought as a gift for my son. Since he is not interested, I play every day.

Multimedia

My dad was a film and theatre actor, and I spent many days backstage or on a movie set. He passed away two years ago. Theater, in a way, combines art, set design, music and architecture or space into a story - a story that is slightly different every evening with tiny, unnoticeable variations each actor brings on the stage. The human aspect. This combination, or Multimedia, as it was called in the late nineties, got my attention. So I enrolled in one of the first courses teaching Macromedia Director - the flagship for Multimedia Designers. I was lucky to land a job with what became the hottest multimedia shop in Vancouver or possibly Canada.

Advertising

Who was I? An architect, artist, designer or musician? Was there a way to combine it all? But, I had to try one more avenue - advertising. So, when a nice opportunity presented itself, I took it and started a new adventure as a Creative Director at an advertising agency. I like black clothes, so I had no problem fitting in. Long days, working late, campaigns, and meetings with clients. It was a lot of fun, especially working with many talented people. But it wasn't what I was looking for. To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted. So, I decided to combine my diverse interests into my own studio - emplus. On my business card, I wrote "multidisciplinary consultant," but deep down, I am simply a designer.

“Swimming in salty ocean waters is the ultimate way of grounding.”