About

When I first started thinking about Canvas Local, I was 17 and had just moved to Naarm (Melbourne) from a little valley in Victoria's north-east. I'd dreamt about what it would be like, stepping into the stream of millions of people, walking to class every morning past icons like the State Library, grabbing takeaway on Swanston Street. I was excited for the feeling of anonymity, being able to find myself in the fresh start of an urban adventure. What I didn't properly understand at the time, was just how difficult it is to feel belonging when you don't know the culture of a place you inhabit. When you can't just pop in to the local shops and say hi to someone you know, or sit at the bench overlooking a sunset view, or take the back way home. I didn't know how hard it is to be lost.

Fast forward over 10 years, 4 cities and a few countries later, I'm back where I first started. Although this time, I find myself mostly on the edges of the city I've once again chosen to call home. When I first landed back in Eltham, I decided that I would begin drawing maps and illustrated stories about what was special in the suburb. These creations grew and grew, eventually becoming the Guidegram books. I started travelling in my vintage van, collecting stories from other places in and around the city.

What I've learnt along the way, is that the most important thing to feel belonging is immersing yourself in local culture, getting to know your neighbours (the human and non-human ones) and starting to recognise the patterns of the place you live. Asking yourself, what it means to be a part of this community, what's important in this community, and how can I be more than just a ripple in the stream. It's about making your own small town in the place where you live, even if that small town is a suburb connected to a myriad of others.

I think this connection means more now than ever. With rapid urban development and gentrification, local culture, stories and identity are worth preserving and documenting before they change or disappear. If we pay attention to place, both in our human environment and our natural spaces, we’re more likely to honour the world we’re part of. I think the most important thing we can learn is how to belong.

That's what Canvas Local is about. A guide for anyone who's ever chosen a place and wanted to truly know it.

Bec x