Meet Lily Sigie

We were lucky to catch up with Lily Sigie recently and have shared our conversation below.

firstName}, thank you so much for agreeing to talk with us about a deeply personal and sensitive topic. Postpartum depression affects so many in the community and hearing from someone who has overcome PPD might help someone who is going through it right now. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience

In the last three years, I have had two pregnancies. I don’t know if I have had postpartum depression because I haven’t been diagnosed so far. However, I don’t deny that I sometimes have thoughts that didn’t cross my mind before or are called “impostor syndrome,” which is much more present.

However, the way I have overcome postpartum depression has been through creativity, art and my desire to continue exercising my profession as an artist and cultural manager.

My first baby was born right after COVID-19 when we wanted to return to the in-person world, but there was the whole issue of the vaccine, and people were debating whether it was a good option or not. I was also grieving that my sister Esperanza (Hope) passed away three months before I gave birth after fighting against cancer for three years. In that context, a proposal came to me to create a performance where I would express through my art what it was to celebrate Canada Day as an immigrant and artist. From that question, my creative process began. For a long time, I wanted to work on something that had to do with the monarch butterfly because, in some way, I identify with it as I am always between two lands: Canada and Mexico. In addition, the monarch butterfly, for us Mexicans, represents those loved ones who have left and who return every November during the Day of the Dead as monarch butterflies to remind us that one day we will meet again. And within my grief, I believe that it is a way to heal the loss of my sister in addition to the after-effects of postpartum. It was then that the performance “From South to North” was born, where I wrote a monologue that talks about this journey of the monarch butterfly but, above all, how I identify with these lands of Moh’kinsstis, the traditional Treaty 7 territory and the Blackfoot Confederacy (Calgary). This creative process did not allow postpartum depression to come to me. However, sometimes, it seemed to appear. I tried to concentrate both on my baby and on this beautiful creative process that, in the end, had many fruits, appearing on several occasions and in different scenarios.

My second pregnancy was during 2023, and I gave birth in October last year; it is now where I think there may be postpartum depression. However, this baby has also brought, as they say in my country, “a loaf under his arm.” In 2024, I presented the translation of an E-book I had written in 2015. Still, in 2023, just when I found out that I was pregnant, I was supported by Calgary Arts Development with a grant. Hence, during my pregnancy, I dedicated myself to translating my book and developing my branding, keeping me busy. Four months after the birth of my baby came the official presentation of this e-book. I have also been dedicating my time to writing my blog, where I share some of my experiences as an artist and my opinions on art, culture, and public development topics.
Anyway, I think the best medicine, at least for me, to ward off postpartum depression is to stay active in creation, writing, singing, dancing, and everything that activates my creativity.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As a creator, a woman of colour, and an immigrant, I have always been deeply committed to promoting and implementing values of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our society through my creative work. I strive to create inclusive and representative spaces for our diverse society through performance, educative programs, or curating and coordinating various events.

My artistic endeavours have been a platform for addressing and transforming pressing social issues. The performances and plays I’ve been involved in, often as a creator and producer, have tackled topics such as women’s rights, climate change, exile, indigenous concerns, and more recently, the Mexican icon ‘The Catrina’ and immigration symbolized by the monarch butterfly. 

The journey of migrating to Canada was a testament to my resilience and determination. Arriving with a suitcase full of dreams and experiences, I was ready to start anew, regardless of my past achievements in my home country. This journey has taught me the importance of perseverance and the power of a strong belief in oneself. I hope my story inspires you to overcome your challenges and pursue your dreams. 

Shortly after I arrived in Canada in 2018, I co-founded SpanicArts, a platform that provides creation and exhibition spaces for Hispanic artists. This initiative was a significant step in my journey as an artist and cultural manager, demonstrating my commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive arts community. Since then, I have been actively involved in arts administration and the nonprofit sector, using my skills and experiences to contribute to the growth and development of the arts in our community.

My art is a means of self-expression and a transformative tool that addresses the social issues surrounding us. I may not be a ‘world-changing’ artist, but I strive to plant a seed of thought in the minds of my audience. The idea that my performance could spark a conversation or inspire someone to delve deeper into a social issue fills me with energy. It motivates me to continue my creative process. This cycle of inspiration and creation drives me as an artist, and I hope it inspires you, too.
As a performing artist, arts educator and community builder, one of my basic principles is to transform realities through art and culture to collaborate with identity and, therefore, with a sense of belonging and existence within communities.
I am an “Arts Believer” who aims to transform society through the power of the arts and culture.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Perseverance, resilience and Leadership

These three virtues have characterized me since I was little and have helped me overcome difficult situations or adversities in my personal and professional life.

Some time ago, a university teacher told me that I was a true leader. At that time, I thought a leader was someone known by many and who moved the masses. When my teacher told me about it, seeing myself as a leader was strange because I didn’t believe I could move the masses, and I wasn’t a public figure either. Over time, I have understood what she had wanted to tell me, and that is that I have been the type of leader who is not exactly in front of an audience but is “behind the scenes” “backstage,” still directing and pulling “the strings” to give a good show and finally make a social impact with my work whether as an artist, educator, manager or even as a mom. I believe Leadership involves three values:
Congruence, assertiveness and progressiveness.

I would tell folks beginning their journey, especially within the arts and culture, not to stop doing their passion, no matter what. If you are passionate about what you are doing and are willing to live the challenges that your passion brings you, go ahead and continue. There will be times when you want something: a job, an exhibition, participate in a project, a grant, etc., and for some reason, you don’t get it, so I believe that if there isn’t a YES as an answer, there will never be a NO, but instead, there will always be a “it’s not your moment,” or “life has something better for you.”

Always trust in your talent as a creative person. Do not stop creating; believe in yourself and your talent. In Spanish, believing is CREER, and creating is CREAR, so CREER ES CREAR means “to believe is to create.” You have everything to make it; you need to believe it!

Someone once told me that opportunities come suddenly and that they must find you working, that is, creating. Do not let the muse arrive; invite her and let her be part of your creative process. And always learn and be an expert in your work, technique, product, etc.

Finally, I believe creative people do not sit idly waiting for “The project” or “The call.” On the contrary, they create the project and call on creatives who agree with them and are their accomplices.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

The challenge that I currently face, and continuing with the topic of motherhood, is to combine my profession as a performing artist with my new profession (in which there are no studies, prior preparation, or manuals) of being a mother.

I know I am not the first or last woman to experience this challenge, and I am sure many mother artists in my situation will read me and identify with me.

It has been a little hard for me to put aside so much time doing theatre because it involves many logistics. Those of us who are dedicated to the performing arts, specifically theatre, know that this profession can’t be individual, not like a visual artist who can work on their own time and in a studio; instead, we need to the other, to the partner in crime, Added to the fact that rehearsals are generally held in the evenings until late at night, and obviously, the performance seasons are at night, too. Being a mother of two little ones makes it difficult to even think about ​​returning to the theatre with those schedules.

On the other hand, I have always thought that to be active in the art industry, you have to “let yourself be seen” in all areas, not only on stage but at events as an audience, that is, do your networking to expand your contacts and start inspiring conversations that result in projects. However, being a mother, it isn’t easy to attend social events, mostly at night, or even online events, since childcare is always needed and, in most cases, this cost.

That is why I now have that challenge: to organize myself even more in my time, of course, with the help of my partner, who also plays an important role in my life. Like me, he is also experiencing having to divide his time between his professional commitments and now being a father.

Some of what I am doing to continue in the art scene without neglecting my motherhood and parenting is doing these types of collaborations that I can do on my own time and that, at the end of the day, will make my work known. Another thing that I have also increased is my activity on social media, and sharing how little or how much I do relate to art, whether I attend a play or exhibition or even publicize weekly events through my vodcast titled “Be inspired by.”

The most important thing to overcome this challenge will be to gradually involve my children in the world of art, which I am passionate about. Not with the desire for them to be artists—far from it—but with the desire for them to know what mom does and loves and contribute in some way to creating those new audiences and investors that art needs for the near future.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Christina + Nathan
A Farias
Chezz Negrete

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