Naoko Usui

I grew up in Yokohama, Japan and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and
Master of Fine Arts at Nihon University in Tokyo.

After living the first 28 years of my life in Japan, I came to Regina as an international student seeking adventure and to further my education, this includes becoming involved with the Women and Gender Studies Program.

It is through the Women and Gender Studies Program that I have made developed many new friends and have met extraordinary women who work tirelessly on behalf of women's issues.

During my time in Regina, I found that this is now my home and I made the decision to immigrate. Canada and Regina are now my home.

I became involved with Digital Storytelling and began work with Saskatchewan's only Digital Storytelling firm, Nextep Consulting.

I found that my background in Fine Arts as well as the passion I have for the issues of women has been an asset as my company purpose is to provide a voice to all those whose cries are never heard.

I have worked with stories from Saskatchewan Health and the health regions, First Nations culture and the most vulnerable in our society. These have been well accepted by many departments within the government.

These 3-4 minute personal stories have proven to be a powerful way to change the culture of statistic based systems and I am very pleased that my education and background fit perfectly with this important work.

In summer 2009 an experimental Digital Story about missing women, created by Charlotte Hauk and I was accepted for the exhibition "RESISTING COLONIALISM & REBUILDING PATHWAYS TO HOPE", co-sponsored by the Centre for Women's Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

I currently reside in Regina along with my canine family Mia Schnitzel.