After earning my bachelor's degree in social work, I transitioned into the fields of employability and psychosocial support, focusing on women and queer communities. With a natural talent for visual arts and music, I redirected my studies towards digital music at the Université de Montréal, where I completed a graduate degree and launched an artistic career spanning over seven years (and still ongoing). I’ve presented my work at venues such as Centre Phi, MUTEK, and POP Montréal, among others.

During this time, I also held roles such as team leader at Art Souterrain, cultural mediator at Arsenal Art Contemporain, and research and teaching assistant in digital music at the university. However, the financial and psychological challenges of being a freelance artist in Quebec became impossible to ignore for me. According to the latest annual report from the Conseil des arts de Montréal, independent artists in the province earn an average of just $17,400 per year—far below the basic cost of living. Artist-run centers, typically employing fewer than five staff members, struggle to offer competitive salaries. Executive directors rarely earn more than $70,000, and governance issues are common among boards of directors.

For four years, I was a full-time artist, and the anxiety I experienced during that time cost me my quality of life. Being an artist—or managing an artist-run center in Quebec—often means working around the clock with little financial security, no benefits, receiving rejection for 8 out of 10 grant applications, many of which take over a month to write. Recently, the Canada Council for the Arts extended its grant response times from four months to eight—It’s a challenging reality, to say the least.

Disillusioned by the precarious nature of the arts sector, I pursued extensive training to equip myself with the tools to make a difference. After graduating from HEC's First Nation Executive Education Program in management, I studied HR analytics at HEC and later completed courses in project management and Agile project management at McGill. I’m now finishing a certificate in non-profit management through MindEdge (founded by Harvard and MIT).

Over the past year, I’ve been offering consulting and facilitation services to support the arts community in Quebec. I work with artist-run centers navigating major transitions, whether they’re facing funding cuts, merging with other organizations, or experiencing rapid growth without adequate structures. I also help individual artists increase their income and develop solid parallel careers, enabling them to work in a healthier and more creative space. Supporting sustainability in the arts is not just my mission—it’s a way to ensure the survival and recognition of artistic work in the province.

Photo credits: Véro Marengère, Murmurations Residency with Chris Watson and Jez Riley French, Scotland (2022).