Marisa McKinney was born in Edmonton and grew up in Bon Accord, just north of St. Albert. After a year in the foster care system, she was adopted with her older brother into a family of several adopted siblings. Her family participated in a program called Families of Native Children where they could be part of sweats, traditional arts, singing, drumming and powwow dancing. Powwow dancing was a big part of her childhood and she was even in the newspaper for hoop dancing in her driveway. When her family moved from St. Albert to Bon Accord, she started to lose connection with the program and was less able to participate in competitions. She moved to the city at 18, which was a struggle.

In her twenties she hopped from job to job but she’s always been creative. As a drama geek and a dancer, she was a powwow dancer for several years. She also worked at a small sewing studio and learned to sew. At the time, she was already working two jobs. She moved on to a fabric store, staying there as an assistant manager for several years. While she didn’t earn a lot of money, she learned a lot from her customers. These days, McKinney is a full time mom who beads and sews as a designer part time. She cares for her autistic son who loves to watch her create.

What McKinney has found over time is that talking to people and giving of your time can help you learn new skills or get you goods in exchange. She’s learned you can go up to a stranger and ask where they got their earrings or if they made them and how and it can open a lot of doors. Meeting people can also alleviate loneliness.

When it came to overcoming obstacles, McKinney worked multiple jobs. She worked at a lumber yard, cutting wood ten hours a day. When her friends would go out to bars to party, she would work at one so she could hang out at a bar and get paid. She would work underground music shows to enjoy the shows and meet the bands. She had an old car she was nervous of driving and she had suffered a lot of loss given many of her friends didn’t make it to graduation. She had also dealt with bullying. Living in the city, she felt lonely and had to search for likeminded people. She found them in the jobs she worked. She had to find herself in the loneliness. “There’s always going to be a time where you question who you are,” she reflects. She thrived when she left high school and got to start over, finding her people and pursuing her passions like music, and art.

If McKinney could share a message with her younger self it would be, “It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to also speak your truth. It's okay to be different. I have been different my entire life…Don't be scared to take life and make it yours. I really think that you can do whatever you want. You just gotta work for it, and you gotta put your mind to it and not be scared to be weird or not be scared to be assertive or a leader.”

When it comes to maintaining her wellbeing, McKinney gets outside and moves her body, even when it’s really cold out. She talks to her friends, having created a network where she can talk about what’s bothering her. She also calls her mom a lot in the car to connect. She suggests reaching out to people in public places when you need connection, knowing others are often as lonely as you are. She advises not to be discouraged if friendliness is not received as intended and not to let that change you.

Giving her time and effort in trade for knowledge and experiences, Marisa McKinney lived and learned a lot when she moved to the big city. A drama geek, artist, and powwow dancer, she’s also living her most important role in this season: mom. While she struggled with bullying and loss in high school, she’s been thriving ever since.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.