If you live in Montreal’s NDG district, you might have encountered or heard about Cat Myth, who devotes much of her time to support local businesses, women and the people affected by an issue near and dear to her heart, the war in Ukraine.
Cat and I met on a hot, muggy day this summer at a small Sherbrooke Street park where we chatted and watched the many characters who work and live nearby. We had a great time, admiring the many dogs as their owners walked them in the park and we discussed things like her career in photography which she has enjoyed doing for nearly 15 years.
Cat was born in France to Ukrainian parents. She and her family moved back to Montreal when she was an infant, and aside from the time when she lived in South Africa and Botswana for a couple of years as a child, she’s lived here ever since. That early experience helped develop her love for travel. Unfortunately since Covid came she has stayed put, erring on the side of caution. Cat hopes to travel at least within Canada for now.
Getting married as a young woman, Cat worked as a legal secretary to help support her young family. As she got older she felt she needed to go in another direction as it wasn’t something that she felt passionate about. It it was only a practical job that paid her bills. As her kids were getting older, she no longer felt she lacked any other options so she took the leap to return to school to study photography, at Marsan College. As photography had been her passion since she was a teen, when she would capture photos of people and in nature with the Nikon point and shoot camera her father bought her, it was the logical choice. She began to assist capturing events for Studio 55, eventually working as the main photographer and allowing her to transition away from her job as a legal secretary.
Making that change in her life greatly contributed to Cat’s sense of peace and well-being. As well as photography that she loved, she also had a passion for playing the flute which she learned to play while in the high school band. Playing the flute gave her a lot of enjoyment as well as a sense of peace. It helped her get lost in the moment when life was sometimes difficult due to her parents’ divorce, lack of support and other stresses.
Nowadays, Cat only photographs what she wants to, often putting her energy and skills to raise money for causes close to her heart. With various projects and events, she as raised hundreds of dollars to support organizations like United24, an initiative of Ukrainian president, Zelinsky. If you want to support her in raising funds, check out her upcoming event, The Power to Popup. A very worthy cause near and dear to her very big heart.
