Meet M-J Vincent

We recently connected with M-J Vincent and have shared our conversation below.

M-J, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

At the majority of events I attend, I’m the only Indigenous artist. I’ve built a place for myself in my city over the years to feel comfortable and confident in taking up space. There were some major changes I had to make within myself to get to where I am today. I’m autistic and also struggle with social anxiety so in-person events were not easy for me to tackle to say the least. The racist comments, stares and challenges from complete strangers to prove my ancestry to them almost ended my small business before it truly started. However, I persevered and worked on forming deep connections with other local artists and members of the community who genuinely want to support Indigenous art. Now years later, those seeds of connection I planted have taken root, and I have a network of strong community connections everywhere I go. The journey wasn’t an easy one and there will always be someone to make racist comments, stare or challenge my identity, but I know who I am, and those comments don’t hurt anymore.

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?

I’m a Kanyen’keha:ka beadwork artist. I first learned beadwork from knowledge keepers during my early teens. When I graduated from high school and started college at sixteen, I let myself disconnect from my culture. I regret that choice and wish I had been confident in my identity at the time, but I am so grateful for beadwork being one of the main factors in bringing me back to my roots. When I decided to turn beading into a business adventure, I never thought it would lead to the friends and deep connections I’ve made with not only my local community but a whole community of friends online. Each piece I create holds a story and a part of my heart and I believe that is part of what makes my business special. Each bead is carefully placed and the colours are ones that have called out to me. Beadwork is very precise and intentional and I always make sure that I’m putting positive energy into each piece I create.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One of the most impactful things along my journey has been finding acceptance and confidence in myself and my identity. There were many times when I struggled to accept myself and to believe I was worthy of taking space. I believed the parts of myself that made me different made me lesser, my queerness, my Indigenity and my mental health challenges. I thought that I would find hatred from others over these parts of myself. However, with a few exceptions my interactions have been largely positive. I wish I could go back to my younger self and tell her to be unapologetically herself without hiding the best parts of her away in fear of judgement.

Perseverance is another skill that has been vital to my success. I have always been a pretty determined person and when I put my mind to something it always gets done. If I would have given up when things got hard I would have been finished with my beadwork ages ago. When things are hard, pause and take a breath but never give up and don’t let the difficult days win.

My final piece of advice is to always put love first. Anyone is welcome with me and they’ll all be met with a kind and positive greeting. When I’m vending at events I see lots of love but I’ve also seen hate. No matter who you are you are always welcome at my booth. One story I’d like to tell is from this past summer. There was a young girl who was so excited to be at an event with her father that she was having some trouble containing that excitement. She was going around to all the vendors and starting such positive conversations with them and asking great questions about their artwork but her hands were busy and often touched pieces that made the other vendors nervous. Many vendors turned her away as soon as they could. When she made it to my booth she was cautious and I could tell she thought she was going to be turned away or immediately told not to touch. Instead I met her excitement to talk about my art with her and invited her to touch the rabbit furs on my table and talked with her about how soft they are. I invited her to touch the beaded shoe charms and told her about my beading as I did. After a few minutes she thanked me and went back to where her father was sitting. Some time later she came back and brought me a beautiful drawing of me at my booth and “best artist ever” at the top. That drawing made my whole day and if I had not met her with love and kindness first, I would not have had this memory to look back on and this story to tell.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

If I only had a decade left to live I would spend it in a similar way I do now with a few small changes. I would continue my work supporting Indigenous youth, continue to walk the good path putting love first and I would keep creating. One thing that I know I would do is dedicate some time to larger projects. Currently I make a lot of products specifically for markets. While these pieces still each hold a story and a piece of my heart, if I found out I only had a decade left I would work on some dream projects for myself and my family.

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