09/04/2026
On my way to the studio this morning, this song came on in the car and I was taken back to 20 years ago when I was indeed, young. When Halifax was new to me. When my airplane landed and I knew no one here. When I waited tables at Fife&Drum, and worked in the Morris Street studio until 3 in the morning. When Ramen and the NSCAD food bank got me through the end of the term when I was broke as hell.
Now, 20 years later I am entering the second and final year of my MFA, and life looks very different. I share my life and home with a family I never imagined was possible. My friends are my extended family (you know who you are!) and I haven’t felt a homesickness for Alberta in over a decade. Living and working in Nova Scotia has been the best decision of my life.
And these youngsters at NSCAD orientation today, entering their undergraduate programs, remind me of the time before, when where I am now felt very far away. I hope they get as much out of their experience here at NSCAD as I have, and that their lives after they leave here are as full and fruitful as mine has been.
So that is today’s nostalgic reflection. One day a song will come on the radio and remind you of when you were young, and you will see that version of yourself in the ‘kids’ who are entering where you are now.
NSCAD Alumni
