Katherine Knight was facing a daunting set of challenges when she first began her coaching sessions with Robert. “I was co-directing and co-producing two documentary films in Toronto, Newfoundland and France; preparing new course material for teaching at York University; and about to launch a major house renovation.” Each of these projects involved new ways of working with other people, organizing schedules and negotiating routines.

Katherine’s goal in working with Robert was one that is familiar to many artists earning their principal income outside their art practice: to be the best artist she can be. “Early on I discovered that my most immediate challenge for reaching this goal was to ensure I had the skills, structures and support in place for completing my project commitments on time.” The most ambitious of these commitments was to have Spring and Arnaud, one of the films then in production, ready by year’s end for submission to the Hot Docs Festival.

That same year, Katherine began touring for screenings of Spring and Arnaud across Canada, the States, and Europe. At the same time, work wrapped up on Strange and Familiar: Architecture on Fogo Island, the second film in production, as Katherine returned to her photography practice for a major show. “Throughout, I looked forward to continuing my coaching work with Robert and developing my ability to become the best artist I can be.”