Abbie Reese has a research-based practice utilizing a hybrid of oral history, documentary, and ethnographic methodologies to explore individual and cultural identity. She has been working with the Poor Clare Colettine nuns since 2005.

Sister Amata — the principal collaborator — is a former blogger and painter who began her journey with the Poor Clare Colettine nuns at the age of nineteen, when she visited their Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, Ill. She considered joining for the next six years, while finishing college, before entering in 2011.

The Novice Mistress, elected to the position by her peers, helps young women adjust to monastic life in the religious order that traces back to Saint Francis and Saint Clare. As a superior in the community, the Novice Mistress granted permission for Sister Amata to document her journey and assisted with filming.