Nicole Bedford |

A big move: Am I crazy???

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 01:05:08 +0000

Back in 2020, or it might have even been late 2019, I was attending a meeting on community-campus engagement, and a colleague and friend of mine, Dayle Eshelby mentioned this festival called the Harmony Bazaar Festival of Women and Song. Ever since she mentioned it, the idea of doing a documentary on this festival has been at the back of my brain. Since one of my goals for 2021 was pitching a new project to CBC or Bell Media Fund, I thought I’d do some research on Harmony Bazaar to see if there might be a story there.

Over the course of January, I spoke to quite a few people about this festival. Each person I chatted with was incredibly friendly and generous. What made the research process even more exciting was that everyone was really proud to talk about Harmony Bazaar.

And frankly, they deserve to be proud. It is SUCH a cool festival with so many neat facets! Here are just a few of the reasons I am officially in love:

It started as a fundraiser for a women-led organization focused on women’s empowerment (the Shelburne County Women’s Fishnet)
It is Atlantic Canada’s only women’s music festival.
From day one, diversity and inclusion was a major focus, as was supporting local women with skills development. Volunteers learn how to run a festival and they are also encouraged to participate in the festival’s annual local talent event and its song-writing workshops.
Many of the artists who have performed at the festival in the past (including established artists), have contacted the festival in subsequent years to support it. This tells me there’s something magical about this festival.
The town that hosts the festival — Lockeport, Nova Scotia — is so small that attendees often end up boarding with locals and/or tenting on locals’ properties for the festival’s duration.
From what people have shared with me, the festival has had a big impact on the town, both in terms of social/cultural attitudes as well as economically (the festival was even a major contributor to Lockeport’s music stage).

I’ll stop there for now. Long story short, this festival is damn cool!!!

In addition to the festival’s backstory getting me geared up, I also met four really unique women who formed a band after meeting at the festival in 2019. In 2020, they started practicing together and even with COVID, they have found a way to continue playing.

This year, if Harmony Bazaar is able to resume (COVID-pending), the band is hoping to perform at the festival that birthed them!

Given how excited I felt just researching this documentary, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tell its story by following this emerging band. So, like any sane documentarian (haha!), I made a very quick and dramatic decision: I am moving to Nova Scotia!

I have zero funding in place but I have a story and people who are willing to let me follow them around with a camera (I also did pitch the story to CBC, so we’ll see how that goes). Thanks to Dayle, I also have a place to stay. Get this: I will be living with the former mayor of Lockeport!!! How cool is that???

I leave for Nova Scotia in just over two weeks. I’ll be riding out my quarantine in Wolfville before heading to Lockeport for mid-March. And that’s when the fun will begin!

Am I crazy to just pick up and go in the midst of a pandemic? Probably. But is it worth it to have an adventure and see where this story takes me? Absolutely!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @NicoleBedfordFilms to stay up to date on my adventures. For once I will have some beautiful-looking content to post on my mostly inactive pages (because seriously, how many shots of a person editing their first feature does social media really need?!?!).

Goals for a better 2021

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 22:28:06 +0000

Happy 2021 Y’All!

I’m not sure about you, but I feel good about this year!

The organizer that I am, though, I wasn’t about to leave it up to chance, so I made a point of taking a couple days over the holidays to do some goal-setting. (2020 felt like such an uncertain year so I was craving some structure, even though none of us yet know what 2021 holds.)

I followed the process outlined on Indiehustle.com by Suzanne Lyons, which suggests starting with the 25 to 30-year “obituary” (i.e. highlights of your long and successful life), and growing increasingly granular until you have a month-by-month set of milestones to achieve your main goal.

I found it pretty tough to think of the 25 to 30-year highlights to be honest. I’m still exploring. Plus, I’m not exactly the type who is craving an Oscar win or anything (not that I would ever say no!). After a long while staring at a blank page, I jotted down ‘rich relationships with friends and family’, followed closely by the standard “award-winning filmmaker and artist known for breaking the ‘rules’, carving her own path, and crafting films that really impacted people positively.” (I secretly want to be a rebel…)

The 5-year vision was much easier to create (again, another list), and then the 1-year goals even more so. In terms of my art, this year my goals include:

Completing my first feature documentary, the smallest steps, and screening it at least once
Crafting my first media arts piece (with or without funding)
Pitching a new project to either the CBC or Bell Media Fund (I already have ideas for both), and
Meeting and working with a new producer and a new cinematographer (hopefully a component of the previous goal)

After setting these 1-year goals, I broke them down into monthly ‘milestones’ – as Lyons says in the article, “These are not the long list of the daily and weekly action plans, it’s more a short list of the essential items that need to happen at each milestone.” As someone who is incredibly detailed-oriented, Lyons’ reminder was necessary, and allowed me to create a simple chart outlining a few tasks for each month. I plan to scratch them out as I achieve them each month (my favourite part of to-do lists!).

One thing I also learned last year through the Arts Network Ottawa mentorship was the usefulness of having an accountability partner. So over the holidays, though I was nervous about doing so, I started to advertise for one! I created a post on a Facebook group called Kinnd, which aims to “revolutionize digital connection by providing a platform that encourages all members to (a) be vulnerable by sharing what you need and (b) by offering freely what you can (for example, knowledge, skills, mentorship, time to hang out etc.) – with one rule ‘no coin allowed.’”

I ended up getting quite a few responses to my post. I couldn’t respond to all of them, but of those I did, a few were eager to set up a meeting to see if we’d work well together as accountability partners. I also got invited to a new co-working group AND I scored a pen pal through the process (for the win! Let’s just hope they can read my writing – cursive baby!).

Overall, I am feeling very positive and prepared for 2021. It might still have some surprising things in store (like the freaking USA coup d’état happening as I type – WTF America???), but here’s hoping it’ll be fairly smooth sailing, at least in terms of my artistic creations!

A Year (and a bit) in Review

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 21:12:23 +0000

This month, I got a newsletter sent by From the Heart Productions that had the subject line Bragging: Good for the Soul and Your Career!.

I have to say, it definitely made me sit back and think about the past year and a bit since jumping into film. So I thought, for the last post of the year, it’d be appropriate to do a quick review!

April 2019 - The Launch

Just over a year and a half ago, my full-time contract with the Communities First: Impacts of Community Engagement research project ended. At that point, I began to work “full-time” in film and video production (I put full-time in quotes because I still kept one foot in academia via a new part-time contract…because fear of no money, yo!).

At this point, I was leaning heavily towards ‘corporate’ video production with a focus on promoting community-academic partnerships. However, my documentary work was starting to expand in ways that would lead me to question this focus:

I’d just had my first film screening at the Toronto Indie Night Film Festival
I was a few months into my first documentary feature, the smallest steps
With the help of my team, I launched my first Indiegogo campaign.
I won a spot in the DOC Institute’s Short Film Lab and had film mentorship for the first time

2019 - High Gear

Between April and December 2019, I felt like I was in high gear in terms of my filmmaking. In that short period of time, I:

Directed, filmed, and edited three short documentaries (The Curated Self; to love, again!; and ROAR)
Supported the filming of a fourth short documentary, Mattman (working title)
Production Managed the narrative short Goodbye, Papi directed by Jedidah Nabwangu
Applied to and won a spot in the National Film Board’s New Identities – An Israel/Canada International Coproduction Partnership in Digital Creation
Pitched a film project for the first time in front of a crowd.
Experienced virtual reality for the first time (which started stretching my creative thinking towards media art).
Met and interviewed human rights activist Sally Armstrong.
Mentored a pair of budding filmmakers (my first time mentoring!).
Completed production for my feature documentary.
Screened films at 3 more festivals: Eve Film Festival, Digi60, and One World Film Festival.
Was paid my first ever artist fee.
Held my first wrap party!
Fundraised over $24,000 (cash and in-kind) for my feature documentary

2020 - New Experiences

By the time January 2020 rolled around, I knew I wanted to focus my energy on filmmaking as opposed to video production. I still wanted to take on client contracts, but I wanted the majority of my time to be spent on my own films. I also wanted to start branching out into media arts creation thanks to my experience with the National Film Board program.

Luckily, I started the year with another film screening — SAW Video’s Resolutions 2019. I also won a spot in the Arts Network Ottawa Mentorship Program, where I was paired with Amen Jafri, an Ottawa filmmaker who, at the time, was focused on branding for artists. With Amen’s help, I embarked on a process of discovering my values within filmmaking. From there, I worked with Amen to rebrand based on my filmmaking goals. Having a one-on-one mentor really made a difference for me — I realized that being accountable to someone helps me stay accountable to myself!

As a result of my work with Amen, I completed a full rebrand of my website and I started the uncomfortable process of pitching myself for podcasts, interviews, workshops, and more. I was also contacted independently by Kris Roley of the Roley Show (now named The Bluejacket Creative) and got the chance to be a guest for Episode 354. That was a fun experience!

While the pandemic meant I was out of work (and really down) for a solid 5 months, I still ended up with an amazing year overall. Some of the highlights included:

Screening to love, again! with a live audience at The Art House Cafe. It was a wonderful experience hearing the laughter and “awes” in person and knowing that my film brought people joy!
Maintaining my commitment to post once a month on my blog (even if some posts only appeared on the last day of the month!)
Growing my knowledge of anti-racism, having complex conversations about race, and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement (and others) to expand my understanding of the challenges we must overcome before we can ever have a fully equal and equitable society.
Winning my very first grant for my film work — and a Canada Council for the Arts grant at that!
Being a finalist for the From the Heart Productions Roy W. Dean grant.
Meeting with Kelly Payne of Ontario Creates to learn about her work, and get some pointers on documentary pitching.
Attending some fabulous webinars hosted by Film Fatales and by Sundance Collab.
Recording interviews with strangers from around the world during the first month of the COVID pandemic.
Winning my largest contract to date in partnership with Mailyne Briggs of Kilam Media (to be released in January 2021!).
In general, just getting paid to produce podcasts (2 this year! Super cool).
Having to turn down a contract for the first time since starting my film work — you know you’re doing well when you’re too slammed to take on another project!
Having to apply for my HST number!!!! (yes, I am a nerd)
Continuing to work closely with my amazing volunteer social media team for the smallest steps.
Having the flexibility to move in with my grandmother for a month while she recovered from being in the hospital (and learning, again, that I need to better balance my work and life!).
Staying connected with my Quest Friends Forever improv troupe through the power of Zoom!

I’m sure I am missing additional highlights, but this list is already pretty spectacular. And, of course, separate from this list, I have also been incredibly fortunate to have the support, love, and encouragement of my boyfriend, my friends and family, and also individuals within the film community. As everyone knows, no one can be successful on their own, and I am very grateful for everyone with whom I get to work, live, and play!

Well, From the Heart Productions, I’m not sure if this bragging post will end up being good for my career, but I do agree that it was good for my soul to spend some time recognizing the successes I’ve had in the past year and a bit!

Here’s to a new, and even brighter 2021! Happy holidays y’all!

via GIPHY

Superpower or Curse?

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:46:51 +0000

Okay, so, for the most part, I’m a highly organized individual. I’m good at thinking through projects in a process-oriented way, which is incredibly beneficial when I’m planning a video shoot, or quoting on a client project. I’m also getting very good at estimating how long it will take me to complete projects and tasks. And when it comes to managing budgets, so far, I’ve been excellent at maximizing small budgets, as well as balancing larger ones.

In many ways, being organized is like my superpower! And it’s a pretty awesome superpower because it means I can tackle a lot of projects all at the same time! For example, in 2019, there was a period of something like 3 months when I completed 3 different short documentaries, on top of finishing up a full-time contract, juggling a second part-time job, shooting (and grant writing) for my first feature doc, and working on client contracts.

As exciting as this superpower is, lately I’ve been wondering if it may also be a curse.

For example, when it comes to creative projects, my process-oriented brain frequently interferes with silly thoughts like, Well Nicole, before we start a creative brainstorm, it’s only smart to get organized. All projects start with a goal, or perhaps a bit of research. And there’s no way you can just scrawl all over that blank page — draw some boxes and you can work efficiently within those. Oh, and I’ve only allotted you 15 minutes for this brainstorm exercise because next, you must update your QuickBooks, and then attend a meeting, and then, and then, and then…

*Sigh* I’m not much of a superhero aficionado but I’m starting to feel like Rogue, except my organizing powers thwart my ability to be creative!

Part of the issue is that I take on too many contracts and projects at once. The creative industry is feast or famine, and with COVID, I’ve been compelled to say ‘yes’ to as many paid contracts as I can. And besides, my organizing brain re-assures me regularly that it can juggle all these projects because it, I, am an organizing superhero!

But you know what? Just like many superheroes drawn to their calling by the universe, something “out there” wants me to create. Here’s how I know this:

Just over two months ago, my grandmother was rushed to the hospital after a fall. They weren’t sure what happened, but when she got to the hospital, she had a brain bleed that was pretty major. For a while, she bounced around various hospital units due to complications. Eventually, she made it to the rehabilitation centre, where she finally started to show progress.

My grandmother being in the hospital for such a long time really impacted me. I’ve always been close to her, and for years I’d been thinking about how much I wanted to capture her stories, if not for a creative project, then at least for our family. Having her suddenly in the hospital was a wake-up call. My brain’s prioritization of organization and paid work had prevented me from following through on spending real time with my grandmother.

When she was first admitted, I promised myself (and the powers that be) that if my grandmother recovered, I would figure out a way to spend time with her. The universe heard my promise and decided to challenge me: Last week my grandmother was released from the hospital in pretty darn good health all things considered…

So, I made good on my promise. Days after she got home, I put my organizing powers to good use: I packed up my equipment, my computer, and enough clothes to last me a couple weeks, and I arranged to move in with her for an indeterminate amount of time.

You want to know the funny part though? My organized brain still thought it would be able to maintain our previous life of work, work, work, organize, organize, organize! No word of a lie, I wrote out schedules for the first few days: 9am – breakfast; 10am – record stories with grandmother; 12noon – XYZ meeting, etc. etc.

Each day, that schedule was kyboshed, and rightly so. There is no clear way to organize one’s day when staying with someone who is both healing from an injury while also living her life the way she wants to.

So I finally gave in. While I didn’t want to, I cut back on some projects. I decided it was okay to postpone certain tasks. I delegated and asked for support when I needed it. And I’ve taken a cue from my grandmother on the importance of relaxation and play, and taken most of my evenings off!!! (*GASP*!!!)

I hope I am able to maintain this prioritization of space and time when I return home. I truly think it might be the key to maximizing my organizing superpowers in support of my creativity. And in the meantime, while I’ll still be working towards a few project deadlines, I’m going to be thankful for, and enjoy spending time with my grandmother while I still can!

Obsessed with Time

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 21:15:59 +0000

Tonight, we set the clocks back an hour for daylight savings, and it’s got me contemplating a topic that’s been on my mind for a while now: Time.

To be frank, I never seem to have enough of it. I know I’m an efficient person, yet, when I look to other creatives and artpreneurs around me, I can’t help but think, “How are they doing so much?”

I especially have this thought when my fellow artpreneur is a parent. I have no clue how they can produce their own creative works, complete client contracts, find time to eat healthy and get exercise (see the sun!), plus post regularly on social media, all while parenting during a pandemic.

Seriously, how do they do it?!?

Obsessed with the idea that there must be a secret behind their time management prowess, I started asking every creative I met: How do you manage your time? And more specifically, what does your average daily schedule look like?

Here are some of the answers I got:

Comedian:

No dependents; a partner; a part time job (not related to art practice).

6:30am: Wake
Morning: Write daily log and read. Catch up with friends.
Lunchtime: Run, shower, lunch, and time with partner.
Late Afternoon: Write comedy, edit, and watch other comedians
Evening: Dinner, hang out with partner, watch a movie or TV
9:30/10pm: Head to bed

Editor & Digital Special Effects Technician:

Dependents (young); a partner; full-time artist.

7am: Wake & exercise
8:30am: Breakfast
9/9:30am: Emails & administration
10am: Work block 1
1pm: Lunch with family
2pm: Work block 2
4pm: Personal time
5pm: Dinner & family time
8pm: Work block 3
Anytime between 12-2am: Head to bed

Dancer:

No dependents; no live-in partner; full-time artist.

5:30am: Wake & exercise
8am: Shower & breakfast
Morning: 1 hour administration & emails; 2 hours working alone in the studio (i.e. creative time)
Afternoon: Rehearsals with dance company + More admin
Evening: Early dinner + A few quiet hours of reading

Podcaster:

Dependents (older); a partner; full-time artist.

9am: Writing
12pm: Lunch break
1pm: Project for client
5pm: Dinner & time with family
Evening: Social media

Here’s my current weekday schedule (I also work weekends after 12noon):

7:30/8am: Wake & Breakfast
9am: Part time job
11am: Contract work + emails (and sometimes meetings)
12:30pm: Lunch
1pm: Contract work (and sometimes meetings)
4:30/5pm: Dinner
6:30/7pm: Contract work OR meetings
8/9pm: Time with partner (or virtual hangouts with friends)
11/12pm: Head to bed

I mean, *technically* I’m getting lots done each day. But I would ideally like to also fit in exercise, my personal creative projects, skills-building sessions, blogging and networking on social media, and relaxation time where I’m not constantly thinking about the work piling up while I take “time off” (plus, you know, important house chores and whatnot).

Perhaps if I drag myself out of bed before the sun is up, then I could squeeze in some more “balance” (i.e. time for exercise and pursuing my creative inspirations!)? Maybe I’m seeking a magic solution where none exists. I’m not sure. All I know is that the days never seem to have enough of that precious commodity of time.

How about you, dear reader? What are YOUR secrets to time management?

Podcast Interview – Between Creativity and Practicality

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 09:00:01 +0000

Last week Kris Roley of the Roley Show interviewed me for his new series featuring creatives!

We had a great conversation, and it was really nice to connect with someone else who is currently forging their own way in the creative / film / video production sphere.

One thing Kris asked me about during the interview was what I did for self care. One of the things I mentioned was reading fiction, but I also said that because time is limited, I found it challenging to take a risk on a fiction book in case it fails to satisfy. I’ve been thinking about this comment since the interview.

I’m not sure if you’re like me, but when I was a kid, I LOVED going to the library and browsing the shelves. As I browsed, I would select a book, flip to a random page, and if I liked the writing, the book would go into my reading pile to be checked out. Every time I selected a book like this, I was taking a small risk.

Cue the epiphany moment!!! I can’t believe that I keep talking about losing my creativity, and yet, I’m not even taking some of the smallest risks that would perhaps help me recover it. Gahhhh!

Art is often the embodiment of risk. You cannot create if you don’t take the risk of trying to transform the idea in your head into something others can interact with.

Thank you Kris for helping me realize that I need to start taking some of the little risks to find courage for the big ones!

Have any fiction books you really loved? Let me know!

Denying Creativity

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 16:36:54 +0000

Throughout my childhood, I knew I was going to be an artist. I was an avid reader and I wrote stories all the time. In grade 2, I adapted The Labyrinth (my favourite movie at the time) into a play and performed it with two friends in front of my class. In grade 6, I decided to make my first movie, and over the course of two summers, filmed it with my friends.

A clip from my first film, ‘Beyond Help’.

In highschool, my artist trajectory felt fairly certain. I was hugely involved in theatre, participating either on stage or behind the scenes in almost every production during my 5 years there. I also entered and won The Power of the Pen writing competition two years in a row. I took video production courses in grades 10-12, landing my first co-op at Cable 14 television in Hamilton in my 13th year (a highly coveted co-op job!). And I dreamed almost daily about becoming the youngest Steven Speilberg in the history of Hollywood (yes, I was obsessed with Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and regularly re-watched all 3 hours and 17 minutes of Schindler’s list, on VHS no less!).

But then my practical side kicked in.

Instead of applying to film school like I wanted, I decided to get a university degree. I felt that pursuing a film career would be tantamount to choosing a life of constant financial insecurity. As someone who has had a job since age 14, I have always worried about NOT having money. So I applied to four universities, got a scholarship to University of Ottawa, and away I went.

For almost 10 years, I studied and worked in academia, and every day I was in it, I unconsciously tamped down my artistic spirit. This is NOT to say that academia kills creativity. It doesn’t (necessarily). There are MANY creative academics and academically-trained people in the world. Plus creativity takes many forms and is not just restricted to the “Arts”. But for some reason, MY reaction to being in academia was to stifle my creativity.

It’s something you don’t notice at first. Creative ideas keep flowing at the start, but each one gets the excuse, “Oh you don’t have time to do that.” Over time, the excuse morphs from ‘not enough time’ to, “That’s a stupid idea. Don’t bother.” Eventually, you wake up and any sniff of the once-gushing well of creativity is met with: “You’re not an artist and you never were so forget about it.”

The thing about crushing your creative spirit is that it actually takes a lot of work. And when you’re constantly telling yourself ‘No’, you’re often harming your self-confidence and esteem. I found myself getting depressed, stuck in cycles of negative thinking, shaming myself for abandoning my creative dreams. I became despondent at work, and then of course got stuck in a cycle of shaming myself for not being a ‘good enough’ employee.

Eventually, I had enough. I was done feeling down about my lost creative ambitions. I had enough of making excuses for not being a filmmaker. There were so many people in Ottawa creating for the sake of creating. From their gumption, I took inspiration.

Slowly, and tentatively, I set myself goals. They were small goals at first, and they were backed by ongoing, loving prodding by my boyfriend. (Having a constant cheerleader is a huge privilege). In 2017, I made my first short documentary. I applied and got rejected from a film mentorship. I challenged myself to shoot and edit a 1-minute narrative film in a day. I started researching for my second short doc. In 2018, I got a video contract and started to envision a future as a video producer. I built a website for my business. I registered my business in Ontario and with my full-time work contract finally coming to an end in 2019, I saved up my money and officially ‘launched’ my business in April 2019.

Starting to pursue my creative ambitions hasn’t quelled all my fears and insecurities. And unfortunately, after years of quashing my creative spirit, ideas haven’t suddenly sprung out of me like a geyser. But you know what? That’s okay. Because I finally feel excited and inspired about my future again.

Overall, my trajectory has still led me home. The journey has simply enriched me with new knowledge and experiences I can use towards fulfilling my artistic dreams!