He loves his Commodore 64, his CRT television from 1977, his Betamax, his VHS player, programming computers and making beautiful art. Jon Corbett is Metis, with Cree, Saulteaux, English and Ukrainian ancestry. He was born in Edmonton and lives in Kelowna, BC. For thirty years, he’s been a logistics computer programmer, having written his first computer program at nine years old. As a self-taught programmer, he actually went to school to study fine arts.

Over the years, Corbett has earned a fine art diploma at MacEwan University, an undergraduate degree in painting and drawing from the University of Alberta and a master's degree in fine art, interdisciplinary from UBC. He also completed a PhD and two and a half years of culinary studies at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He didn’t finish high school until after he received his fine art diploma, having been admitted to post-secondary based on his portfolio without graduating. He went back to finish prerequisites for computer science and was able to graduate at last.  

While he was in school, Corbett automated his data entry job at UPS. He was promoted within the company and they moved him from Edmonton to Calgary and then Toronto within a couple years in a role focused on automation. All of those transfers made finishing his bachelor’s degree a challenge, and he ended up completing it 12 years after he started it given the school in Toronto wanted him to do twice as many courses as he expected. He waited until he got back to Edmonton to finish it off. Similarly, his two-year masters program ended up being a four-year journey so he could work and support his family. Recently, Corbett came to work at Simon Fraser University as an assistant professor bringing his arts and programming practices together.

Growing up, Corbett fell in love with painting, drawing and computers. His mom was also artistic, engaging in ceramics and needlepoint. What motivates him is a challenge, he says, “I don't need to be given a raise to do my job, I need to be given something that has some sort of value internally. That feeling of accomplishment is what motivates me primarily. Same thing goes with painting and drawing. I get to the end of a drawing, some turnout, some don't. Some paintings are fantastic, some aren’t. It's a lot of self motivation.” Now, Corbett takes online courses, especially learning beadwork, though he prefers beading with others face to face.

Corbett’s advice for Indigenous students thinking about attending post secondary is “challenge yourself to take a course in a subject that interests you, but you have absolutely no background in.”

That’s what he did, taking a course on the psychology of creativity and he enjoyed it a lot. High school was hard for him to stick with because it wasn’t challenging but he found challenges in post secondary by trying new experiences. He suggests doing so as a summer course where you can pour extra focus on the subject.

When it comes to obstacles, Corbett struggled financially to pay for school because his parents didn’t pay his way.  Taking 12 years to finish his undergraduate degree was another obstacle as if the university changed their courses he would have had to retake credits. Fortunately, they did not and he was able to make the gamble that he would make more money in his career than he would finishing his degree first, a decision he was happy with in the end. People doubting him was a challenge he faced head on by proving them wrong, solving problems as a software developer that he was told couldn’t be solved.

Looking back, Corbett wishes teachers saw his passion for art and computers and integrated that into the subjects he struggled to pay attention to so he could stay engaged in learning. If he could give a message to his younger self it would be, “take those opportunities that arise even if you don't like them, you have to do them, especially in today's day, if you're thinking of going into post secondary education. It's absolutely important to have those marks even if you don't want to do it. There are certain things in life that you just have to do. Grit your teeth and do it and do the best that you can for them.” He would also reinforce the value of having a good GPA for advanced education.  

The other advice Corbett would give himself would be, “you don't have to do things in the way that Western culture sets them out to be.” He learned over the years how many ways the system can be flexible and accommodating and that room can be made for life to happen. He also encourages his own kids to take summer school so they have spares during the school year.

To balance his mental health, Corbett spent time on computers, surfing online. He practices Indigenous spirituality and also Buddhism. Meditation and walking by the creek near his home also help him stay grounded. He’s also set up rules for himself, turning off notifications on his phone from 7pm until 7 am and only checking email between 9 am and noon. Setting those boundaries has been freeing and reduced his stress.

When it comes to inspiration, Corbett looks to the historical base of modern ideas in technology and the relationship with technology today. He loves exploring technology and its evolution. He enjoys experimenting with and manipulating vintage technology.  “I think a lot of my inspiration actually comes from a combination of modern experience and nostalgia, taking these nostalgic things from my past, and smashing them together with modern technology and seeing what happens. I get a lot of joy out of thinking like that,” he beams.

Bringing together art and technology has allowed Jon Corbett to create a career based on his passions. His academic path was long and winding but he was able to achieve his goals, support his family and move across the country and back while earning his credentials. He found his way in his own time, in his own way, blending the things he loved with an artist’s flair.

Thank you to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article!