We had the good fortune of connecting with Christi Bode Skeie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christi, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
I’ve learned – and forever learning – that our society is much more dynamic than a series of sound bytes. This goes against the pixel of the digital world we live in, which programs us to think in black and white, this or that, us versus them. We digest an insane amount of content on a daily basis and it’s easy to get funneled into a one dimensional space.

Stories about water in the West is traditionally portrayed as a polarizing narrative; it silos communities, cultures and different ways of being. How much does the media’s role play into this? I often wonder if our ability to have a conversation with one another is hindered because the “urban versus rural” tagline is projected over and over and over again. Assumptions are made. Walls are thrown up. I want to challenge my audiences to reach across that invisible line and have a curiosity for what’s on the other side, even if they don’t entirely agree with it. Much easier said than done, right?

Climate change and its wrath are at our doorstep: diminishing water supplies, wildfires, drying rivers, diminished air quality – the list goes on and on. It is impacting communities disproportionately, yet the solutions don’t fall on an individual or selective group. Our communities are an interconnected web of rivers, watersheds and landscapes that provide shelter, food, traditions and places of respite. As un-click bait-y as the words “collaboration” and “cooperation” can sound, I think it’s critical to share what we have in common, more now than ever.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m the Owner and Executive Producer of Moxiecran Media, a small production company specializing in natural resource education and documentary film. I work with a team of creatives that also have a shared respect for our natural environments and diverse communities throughout the West. I look at a broad range of topics that involve the use and need of water (which is just about everything under the sun!) That includes forest and river health, agricultural and municipal water use, traditional ecological knowledge, water quality, climate impacts and beyond. My clients include federal, state and local entities that want to make information more broadly accessible through visual storytelling – so that’s where I come in.

I grew up on the East Coast and moved to Colorado in the late 90s. Like many transplants, my understanding of living in an arid climate with only a few shades of green was foreign to me. As I watched my surrounding suburban community undergo drastic change in a short period of time, coupled with wide open pastures a few miles away and snow-capped mountains to the West, curiosity struck. I’d take long drives to places that looked and felt quite different than the one I grew up in. “How does this all work?”, I wondered. Thinking back, the foundation of my creative work today started when I was a teenager, constantly trying to find a place where I fit in.

Nothing about my path has gone as planned or expected. Throughout my 20s and into my early 30s, I struggled with a life threatening illness and turned my back on my art. I didn’t have the physical or mental capacity to see beyond the world I felt trapped in, but ultimately turning towards my art was a ticket to finding a deeper sense of purpose. I’m not sure if creating a storytelling niche in the water realm found me or if I found it – perhaps we found each other! Discovering and learning about Colorado’s rivers, landscapes and communities felt like a reawakening; something inside me stirred and I paid attention to it. My thirst for connecting with others on a fundamental need, like water, has lead me to people and places I could have never anticipated. It’s been life changing and incredibly challenging at times. It’s a humbling line of work to be in – the more you learn, the more you don’t know.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, my “city” is the mountains here in Southwest Colorado and it’s hard to pick just one! My friend should pack for five different seasons, because you never know what the San Juan Mountains are going to throw at you this time of year. We could encounter a random whiteout up high, posthole into a couple feet of that good slushiness, feel the beating sun on our backs or get caught in a much-welcomed rain shower.

Brings snacks – sharing is caring. Just don’t share with the bears. High calorie, dense, healthy food for the trail. A water bottle and a good filter is a must. A good book to read, sketchpad, camera or a fishing rod is nice to have for a layover at a sub-alpine lake or stream. And turn the phone off – having no service is a beautiful thing sometimes!

There will be lots to see along the way – critters, wildflowers, wetlands, mountain streams, maybe a few other friendly hikers and scenic vistas galore.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to all of those who’ve offer a piece of their time, heart and knowledge for a perspective that needed to be heard. Vulnerability is a scary thing, and I have a lot of respect for those who’ve been willing to go there with me. There’s so many of you out there, the list of names would be a mile long. Maybe we were standing by a river together, or I was in the passenger seat of your truck, or you had your child slung on one hip and a shovel in the other – these are the experiences that have molded me into the storyteller that I am today. Thank you for inviting me into your world, even if it was only for an hour or two.

Website: www.moxiecranmedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christi_b/

Image Credits
Christi Bode Skeie

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