Five Questions for the Fellows: Steven Bedard

What is your favorite opportunity offered by the fellowship?

It's been kind of this expansive experience. We can study anything we want, we can reach out to experts here and set up interviews with them, or just a coffee or lunch date or whatever, to talk about the work that they do and how that might fit into our project. It has felt like this real gift.

How have you found the transition from working at bioGraphic magazine to becoming a fellow?

It's been easier than I thought it would be. Because bioGraphic is a very small operation, and I've been involved with it from the beginning, it's kind of been my baby that requires a lot of care from me. I questioned even if I was going to be able to step away from it for a while, and if so, how difficult that would be. I've found it very easy. I think I truly needed a break. I think my mind being able to shift focus and expand my view from this tiny world that I have been creating and living in for a long time has been really great. I have more free time than I've had in years.

With your newfound free time, what do you like to do for fun?

I came to the program from Montana—from the capital city of Montana, but it's really kind of a small town, and there isn't a whole lot going on. And so, in Boulder, to have so much opportunity, so much art, so much great food available, and so much variety, including food markets that I don’t have in Montana, that’s been wonderful and inspiring. I also like to hike with my dog, and I bike a lot.

And because I grew up here and have family here, I've also had the opportunity to reconnect with friends and be closer to family. I've also been trying to make a little bit of time for reading, for fun, just reading novels. For years, that has been hard to find time for. It's like I read all the time, that's part of my job. I'm reading a ton in the fellowship, too, even more than ever. But it's nice to have some time to read things that are not related to work or school.

What are your favorite classes this semester?

That's an easy one, and it might be the same one for a few of us, but Environmental Cinema with Erin Espelie is definitely a favorite. It's a favorite because it's enlightening and expansive. It’s getting me to think about film more broadly than I ever have. We do produce short films for bioGraphic, and I have been very involved with reviewing scripts and cuts and things like that, but the philosophy of film, history of film, and everything that is covered in this course has been really helpful in how I think about telling stories in that medium. It's also just a fun class.

How have the other fellows impacted your experience and work on your project?

Being part of this fellowship group and the camaraderie in that is possibly the biggest highlight of the fellowship. I live in Montana by choice, but sometimes I question that choice, because I work remotely and practically all of my interactions with people I work with are virtual. So, to be studying with, hanging out with, and just talking with—even if it's just walking across campus or on a hike during a field trip—and getting to know the other fellows has been so great on a personal level.

I think there's a lot of indirect influence in all the conversations that we’ve had, and hearing ways in which they think about storytelling, how they pursue their research, and work that they've done in the past is enlightening. And it presents opportunities to think about and learn about other ways of doing things.