February Member Spotlight: Haley McKnight
How did you land in Helena?
AmeriCorps VISTA! I took a position in Butte in 2017 and Montana fully sucked me in. I lived in Kalispell shortly, and spent a year back home in Carolina, but I couldn't stay away. I moved to Helena last September for a job and to be closer to my family (hey Brad). My first ever day in town was a real "Helena Day": I got a sandwich at Dive Bakery, biked to the Historical Society, hit up some live music during Alive at Five, and on my way home a mule deer buck tried to fight me in the middle of Rodney Street.
How did you land in Helena?
AmeriCorps VISTA! I took a position in Butte in 2017 and Montana fully sucked me in. I lived in Kalispell shortly, and spent a year back home in Carolina, but I couldn't stay away. I moved to Helena last September for a job and to be closer to my family (hey Brad). My first ever day in town was a real "Helena Day": I got a sandwich at Dive Bakery, biked to the Historical Society, hit up some live music during Alive at Five, and on my way home a mule deer buck tried to fight me in the middle of Rodney Street.
What is the best piece of advice that you ever received – career-related or otherwise?
"Don't be precious." A professor at UNC Greensboro gave me that advice at the top of a class one day. So much of our work that semester was ephemeral - made out of paper or fabric scraps or literal garbage. Working that way really helped me figure out a process for artmaking, and showed me that it's okay if things get destroyed and built up again ten times in that process. It's the same thing with life! You'll begin over and over again, so don't be precious with every little thing.
What do you recommend someone new to town try out?
Recipe for the best day ever: grab a picnic lunch from Real Food, head down to Nature Park, find yourself a big beautiful tree to hang out in, take pictures of your friends (or your adventure cat or your life partner or a cool lizard), count every dog you see, and then catch a show at Lewis & Clark. Do it. You'll thank me later.
When do you feel the most yourself?
Anytime I get to nap outside. Western Montana is blessed with plenty of good trees for hammocks, but I'll also take a meadow or a boulder by the water.
What do you do for work and what do you do in your free time?
By day I'm an Advertising Assistant for the Independent Record, which covers a lot of things from accounting to design work. But by night, I prowl the streets fighting crime as the Funky Marmot -- Just kidding. I teach sculpture classes through the Holter, cook lots of food, read lots of books, make hard kombucha, and occasionally taxidermy roadkill. Life's a garden, dig it! If you ever see a small woman zoom past you on a Schwinn covered in brewery stickers, it's probably me.
What do you like most about Helena Young Professionals?
HYP has so many great volunteer opportunities! I've met such a wide range of wonderful people from volunteering, some of whom are dear friends now. It's an excellent way to be an active part of your community without spending a dime.
Tell us something about yourself that we didn’t ask:
I spent two years in an acting conservatory and the only thing I gained was that I can do a really excellent horse impression. No, I will not explain.