I am writing a first draft of an illustrated collection of stories on parents who live in the West Kootenay. My goal is to interview 100 moms who are living or have lived in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. By "moms" I mean to offer engagement opportunities for all women, gender diverse/fluid individuals and their children (optional). You might be wondering what "Notes from the Parenting Underbelly" means... I mean having heartfelt conversations about difficult topics in parenting - the whole range.
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
I'm an early career artist. My practice includes: writing essays, stories and poetry, as well as photography, illustration, facilitation. These days, I am a passionate about art, cultural anthropology and of course, "momming".
I have an understanding of community engagement and collaboration in research. I'm told I possess organizational skills and a solid attention to detail. Project coordination of this scale including: progress reporting, project planning and control, risk management and stakeholder relationships which are are also within my skill set.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE?
I've freelanced as a writer, editor, and project manager in communications. I've worked as a marketing analyst, a graphic designer, and an employment counsellor. I've also been a waitress, a busier and worn a chicken suit in the middle of July! One of my fave gigs was being a contributing editor and a former managing editor at the Black Bear Review - The literary journal of Selkirk College.
My day job these days is practicing mom and practicing artist. Read more about me including my motivations for this project here.
WILL YOU PROFIT FROM THIS PROJECT?
At this time, I await a decision from a peer assessment committee regarding external funding. Results will be in by Fall 2025. Currently, this is an independent project. I have no affiliations. If the project is successful and a grant awarded, I will making an artist's living wage for 12 months thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts - Explore and Create Program for early career artists.
WOULD YOU PASS A CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECK TO WORK WITH VULNERABLE PEOPLE?
Yes. And I have previously while working for local nonprofits.
CAN I PARTICIPATE ANONYMOUSLY?
Absolutely. And yes, you can change your mind later if you choose to.
DO I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT MY KIDS?
Not if you don't want to. I am looking to learn about your lived experience as a parent. We will be walking the fine line around confidentiality and respecting the stories that belong to our children (and other family members). Ethics first. We'll be learning together about how to do this well and safely as we will have more than one consent check in along the way.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TALK ABOUT?
No worries, you're not the only one. Open ended questions like, "what is your family's unique question" feel BIG and complex. I will be crafting some warm up questions to support us - which you can look at way in advance - and then I'll be glad to let it flow where it wants to go.
WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
I'm guessing, 3 x 1 hour session = 3 hours total. It could be less or it could be a little more. This includes time for an interview and a portrait of you or of a meaningful object (optional). We can adjust as needed. If something is not to our liking, "redos" are a thing for adults too, right?
