“A lot of my job is connecting the right people. My biggest thing is I hate when we remake the wheel, when the wheel is already rolling, you know what I mean? So I connect people and make sure everybody knows what's going on,” says Holly Nordlum. She has lived in Anchorage, Alaska for thirty years and grew up in Kotzebue.

Nordlum left Kotzebue in her junior year of high school to go to a boarding school in Hawaii where she played basketball. She also played basketball in college in Minnesota, but lost her scholarship. After returning home, she worked a variety of jobs until she went back to school in her late 20s. At that point, she had more clarity around her goals, enjoyed school, and she remains connected with her professors and classmates.

For the past twenty-five years, Nordlum’s been running a graphic design company. She tried out photography and found it wasn’t for her, but film work did light her up. She has produced films about suicide prevention, healthy living and is currently working on a film about subsistence living.

Something else Nordlum does is revitalize Inuit tattooing. She works with apprentices, creating community for aspiring tattooists. “I create these close, close relationships. When you open somebody's skin, it really just creates a bond,” she explains.

Education is another area of passion, where Nordlum teaches a  cultural awareness class for new teachers so they can learn the history of Indigenous Alaskans and cultivate empathy. “I have strict rules with them about what they can bring to our communities. If they're looking to save our people or whatever, I tell them to get back on the plane, because we don't need that. We've had generations of people trying to save us,” she shares emphatically.

The tempo of her days vary, some days fast paced and some are slower. The variable income that comes with self-employment can be stressful but Nordlum sees it as a fair trade to avoid nine-to-five office life and the autonomy to pursue her passions. “What all I work on is things that are important to me, things that I feel strongly about, community and people,” Nordlum beams.

If Nordlum could share a message with her younger self it would be, “You build the life you want. No matter your circumstances, no matter what your life looks like… that doesn't have to be the situation. If it's toxic and not good for you, you can take your time, it's a long, long, long game, but you can build it the way you want it."

Living with just her dogs and her kids wandering in and out, Nordlum’s happy, though frustrated with the American political climate. “In the everyday, I get up before noon, I go get coffee at the coffee shop, and just build the life I wanted,” she muses. She travels, makes art and gets out occasionally.

To maintain her wellness, Nordlum tries to eat well and exercise daily. Tattooing allows her to connect with the next generation, something that inspires her and gives her hope as she hears what they are doing for their communities. She finds joy in the instant nature of film and is working on creating some funny films. Similarly, she finds humour in even challenging and emotional situations, bringing forth opportunities to laugh and cry together.

“I would tell all young people… you have to laugh as you cry… that's a choice, right? And it's a choice to be a strong, independent person, and it's a choice to be happy, and it's a choice to be optimistic, and I choose it every day. I would say, make good choices…this isn't about just not doing bad things. It's about being positive. It's about being active and moving your body and doing things you enjoy,” Nordlum offers wisely.

Connecting the right people and building the life she wants, Holly Nordlum is sharing her truths in film and new teacher education. Running her graphic design company and creating community in tattoo, she’s made a life around art and an artful life. Making good choices and flowing with the tempo of her day, she’s a free spirit doing what matters, following her heart across Alaska and the globe.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.