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Claire Ness says she's always had a "childish" spirit.The Whitehorse musician says even when she writes music for adults, it often contains wordplay, humour and theatrics.But when she had a child, she says everything became focused on him.That includes her latest kids' album which is now up for a Canadian Folk Music Award.Broccoli Farm — by Ness and the Swing Sets — is one of five finalists for Children's Album of the Year.One track on the album, Under Duck, was the only song written before her son came along, she says. The rest were songs inspired by him and "just thinking about stuff that he'd like," Ness said.Ness and her four-year-old even work on music together."He's so creative and has so many good ideas," Ness said.The artist also has her own creative path as an entertainer. Besides being a musician, Ness is also a professionally trained clown and has been known for various acts including comedy and cabaret. One time in 2019, she and her husband built a mobile circus using an old '50s school bus.When it comes to Broccoli Farm, Ness wasn't initially sure if she was going to release it this year — she had thought about touring with it eventually, when the pandemic was over. She decided to go ahead and put the album out last May. "I noticed there was such a need for music for kids, stuff for kids to do at home," she said. As for being nominated — that came as a shock to her."I was very surprised," she said, adding she heard about her nomination after she had just come inside from shovelling snow off her roof. She saw a congratulatory message from Duncan Sinclair of Jazz Yukon, who's well-known among local musicians."It's just great to get … that kind of recognition," she said, especially in the midst of a pandemic.The awards will be handed out April 9 and 10, 2021.