Meet Kenney Fitzpatrick

We were lucky to catch up with Kenney Fitzpatrick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kenney with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

The easiest answer is my mother. She was constantly working for me, our home, our family and friends, and the person she even casually knew. She said to me when I was young “If you have lots, and someone has none, together you have some.” And I’ve carried that with me ever since. So you put in the work to help the “none’s” become “some’s” and hopefully educate and inspire the “lots” to better use their fortunate place in life. And that work is never done.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m the founder of The Q Creative Network, which is really my personal passion project. The Q is all about celebrating and supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives. I great deal of this is helping queer artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and performers connect, be seen, and have their work celebrated. What makes it so special for me is the people. I get to meet incredibly talented and inspiring individuals from around the world, discover their art, hear their stories, and build real, meaningful connections. It’s a privilege to learn from them and help create spaces where their voices can truly shine.

By day, I’m also the Executive Director of Dance Nova Scotia, where I oversee support and advocacy for the province’s dance community. On top of that, I serve as President of the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia, an umbrella organization that supports the broader arts and culture sector here in the province. So, while my professional life revolves around supporting the arts in many forms, The Q is something deeply personal. It’s work I handle myself as a team of one, with the help of a couple of wonderful volunteer writers who share the same passion for uplifting queer creatives.

Right now, one of the most exciting things happening with The Q is our new Community Consultation Program. I’m talking directly with 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives across Nova Scotia to better understand the barriers and challenges they face when it comes to creating, sharing, and getting their work recognized. The project includes surveys, virtual sessions, and live networking and showcase events, and it’ll all lead to a public report that I hope will spark the beginnings of a national initiative to better support queer creatives across Canada.

You can learn more about The Q and everything being worked on at curatedbyq.com
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Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey were my empathy, tenacity, and community building knowledge.

I think it’s easy to get discouraged early in the process of any new endeavour because often the energy you put in doesn’t result in things progressing as fast as you would like. That can feel daunting. Additionally, so much of the journey relies on having a direction, but also being able to pivot when you need to. And of course having resources and/or knowing how to secure them is crucial.

There are a lot of moving parts, and when you’re setting out on your own, it can feel like climbing a mountain that has no summit. So finding support, not only within your own communities, but within community pockets you’re working and creating in, is vital to helping you develop, learn, and stay motivated and positive.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest challenge in my work always comes down to people. Like many nonprofit and community-focused organizations, there’s always more to do than there are hands to help. The demand for support is constant and often growing, but the human resources to make real change happen are limited. That imbalance can make progress feel slower than anyone would like, and learning to balance ambition with available resources is both essential and, at times, incredibly frustrating.

What’s helped me most is building strong relationships with others doing similar work. We encourage each other, share opportunities and resources, and collaborate on projects or events so we can do more with less and reach more communities together. That sense of connection not only strengthens our collective impact, it reminds you that you’re not alone in the challenges you face. Community building, in that way, becomes both practical and personally grounding.

Another key piece is managing your own expectations. It’s so important to remember that you’re doing what you can with what you have, and that boundaries matter. Setting realistic, achievable goals and breaking things down into manageable pieces can make a huge difference. It’s easy to get caught up in the pressure to do everything at once, but being honest about your capacity helps protect your motivation, commitment, and overall well-being.

At the end of the day, what matters most is keeping things moving forward. Progress doesn’t always have to be fast, it just has to be steady and intentional to create meaningful, lasting outcomes.

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