Shannon Ainslie

"Sort of by accident, they recommended we wet down the glass and then we saw it releases a chemical."

“My heart didn’t slow down for three months and I’d go to bed thinking I wasn’t going to wake up.”

“Constantly comparing yourself against these perfect images can be damaging to your self-esteem as an artist.”

“The turtles lay their eggs at night so will be active in the evening, at night or in the early morning.”

Her debut film "Mary" is based on an emotionally charged short film she created a few years ago called "The Bench", which follows the uncertain and isolated life of a homeless teenager trying to survive a winter in Kamloops.

“There's comfort in knowing the person across the table is in a similar situation and they get it."

"The truth is, it affects everyone including high achievers and those that appear to have it all together."

“It breaks down some of those social constructs of what it means to be a person with lived experience."

The region is home to more than 200 lakes.

“I grew up with it, you can’t go without it. It’s embedded into you and you teach it to your kids too.”