Introducing Olivia Baud, Bow Seat’s Social Media Manager and Communications Specialist

September 29, 2020

We are thrilled to announce we have a new member on our crew: Olivia Baud is Bow Seat’s new Social Media Manager and Communications Specialist! Get to know her with our Q&A below.

What are your pronouns?

She, her, hers.

Where are you from?

Prior to moving to the Boston area (land of the Pennacook, Wampanoag and Massachusett people), I lived in Denver, Colorado (land of the Cheyenne, Ute and Sioux). I love living in such close proximity to the ocean now, but the mountains will always have a special place in my heart.

What brings you to Bow Seat?

As much as I wish I could say that I am an Ocean Awareness Contest alumna, I won’t lie- I only recently learned about Bow Seat. I’m fairly new to the New England area, having moved to Boston only a few days before the COVID-19 shutdown, and when I was in arts middle school and high school, Bow Seat was at its infancy. But when I discovered Bow Seat, everything clicked!

Bow Seat’s mission of engaging youth in environmental advocacy through the arts is one that deeply resonates with me. Having worked with elementary-aged children as an assistant art teacher, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the creative process empowers people. I’ve also experienced it myself- when I moved from France to the U.S. at the age of 8, making art helped me process the transition and find my voice.

Bow Seat understands how the power of the arts can be applied to conservation, which I am equally passionate about. It’s why I worked as a communications intern at Colorado Parks and Wildlife and founded a bee club at my college prior to that. Like many other folks, I’m worried about the kind of future we face if we don’t address the issues that affect our oceans. At a time when it’s easy to feel disheartened, today’s youth and the ways in which they have been highlighting environmental issues through artivism gives me hope.

All that to say, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be joining Bow Seat’s small but mighty team working at the intersection of all of these areas!

You mentioned going to arts school and making art. Do you consider yourself an artist?

Definitely! I believe anyone who creates is an artist, whether they’re “trained” in the arts or not. I’m a visual artist, so I design, draw, paint, sculpt, etc. Recently I’ve been learning how to create digital pieces with Adobe Fresco. I like that all of my tools are in one place, but digital art comes with its own learning curve.

What are you most excited about in this new role?

One of the things I love the most about social media is having the ability to interact with folks in new and creative ways across different platforms. You can have so much fun with it! From tweets to IGTV, I’m really looking forward to connecting with the Bow Seat community.

Featured image was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown. Wear a mask!