How did you get started in your career? 

In terms of my practice, I am constantly starting - this is an aspiration. I travel. I build and amass new arsenals. My practice takes on different turns with every project; working collaboratively in different cities/countries also means reinventing vocabulary, relationships and contexts. As far as jobs go, I've had a lot of different ones, used a lot of different muscles. Also aspirational, so as not to get numb. 

Did you volunteer or work in your field while you were a student?

The first few things I did were at the recommendation of OCAD profs while I was a student in the Integrated Media department; I interned with a Nuit Blanche curator and then at Vtape. It was eye-opening to see how things work outside of the classroom, at a different pace and with moving targets; it put the curricular into perspective. I'm really grateful to my profs for their generosity towards their students' development as members of a community beyond the school. 

What were your policies regarding internships, volunteering, and paid work?

 I had no policies - I was happy to do anything. It was a luxurious situation, aided and abetted by my mum whose house I flooded over the course of art school. I was working part-time and had minimal expenses, thus unpaid internships were possible to pursue.

What do you enjoy most about your work? What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

I enjoy the work taking on a life of its own and developing its inner logic; when its decisions surprise me. Exhibition is an afterthought. Administrating applications and reports is a perennial challenge. Separating my personal practice from the demands of professional networking in my various organizational roles is also a challenge, but more welcome than paperwork. Maintaining long distance collaborations is also mildly heart-wrenching. 

What skills or relationships developed at OCAD U helped you participate in your field? Is there anything you would have done differently?

There are so many formative moments of realization that occurred in that INTM corridor and those classrooms overlooking Grange Park. I realized that I could use a computer. I realized that I could take up space. There are plenty of practical skills and the foundation of a conceptual toolbox that have been instrumental, but mostly what I took out of OCAD was the sense that one could pursue an education of just being human. Now, I wish OCAD had prioritized studio practice instead of a strictly curricular structure. 

What are the key responsibilities you maintain for your practice? 

I am figuring this out as I go - in terms of basic survival, I've had a lot of different jobs. This is part of it - the variety is hugely informing. There are administrative tasks of course, meeting application deadlines, boring stuff. For my practice, I just try to get into a mode of being receptive to moments, fragments, situations, or angles of architecture. I go see exhibitions, plays, performances, lectures, and then discuss them with friends. I read a lot, swaying between fiction and theory.  Sustenance comes largely in the form of community and dialogue. 

What are your personal and professional goals for the coming years?

To make things and engage in things I care about, with people I care about.

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