THE SQUIGGLE
The squiggle is a visual metaphor for the practice of becoming good future ancestors. Its looping, unpredictable line reminds us to appreciate the journey, navigate turns with care, notice where we come from, what we carry forward, and what we choose to release along the way.
Every collaboration starts as a conversation with these questions:
Why are we doing this? Who is invited on the journey - and who should be?
What pace do we need - when to zoom in, zoom out, slow down, or speed up?
Where does power sit? How is it shared, withheld, or made generous?
What’s working well, and what must we unlearn to evolve?
How might the work of systems change feel joyful?
How might we design for flourishing futures that we’d be proud to leave behind?
APPROACH
Align on purpose, people & place
Begin with acknowledgement - of the people, histories, and lineages that shape this moment. Create space and allocate resources for connection, reflection, care, and shared meaning beyond a single moment of collaboration.Understand context
Recognize the emotional, cultural, and systemic forces at play. Surface layers of privilege, marginalization, and power.Co-create while building ‘power with’
Those most impacted by design outcomes define the purpose, scope, and tone. Rituals, symbols, and shared practices emerge from their values, living and lived experience. This is how we seed better ways of working together.Seek & build on what works
Whether drawing from tradition or imagining anew, build on what already holds meaning. Becoming a good future ancestor means honoring the wisdom we inherit while adapting and evolving it for what’s next.Embrace the organic nature of transformation
Transformation is rarely tidy. Explore what feels resonant, adapt as needed, and make space for stillness, silliness, joy, and deep listening.Weave continuity and transformation
A gathering is a threshold, not an endpoint. Design for what comes after - embedding reflection, kinship, and shared responsibility into the ongoing story.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Move thoughtfully with intention
In a culture that glorifies speed and disruption, I move at the pace of care. Meaningful change takes time and tending to relationships.
Rest IS resistance
Productivity does not equal worth. Rest and boundaries are part of the work of collective liberation.
Be kind, not polite
Politeness protects power. Kindness tells the truth with care.
Practice makes progress
This work is adaptive and iterative. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, and commit to using my discomfort to learn.
Design with, never for
Everyone is an expert in their own living and lived experience. My role is to hold space, build power with, and center the voices most affected by what we co-create.
Reciprocity is non-negotiable
I share tools and resources generously, refusing colonial logics of extraction and dependency. I believe in stepping away when my presence is no longer needed.
Build on what’s strong
Innovation isn’t about novelty. Becoming a good future ancestor means tending to what’s already thriving and giving it room to breathe.
Take the work seriously, but not necessarily yourself
Parenthood has reminded me that play is wisdom. Curiosity and silliness keep me humble, creative, and always learning.
THE PURSUIT OF COLLECTIVE LIBERATION CAN ONLY HAPPEN IN COMMUNITY
My practice is inspired by my mamma, mamma earth, adrienne maree brown, Resmaa Manakem, Nat Vikitsret, Robin Wall-Kimmerer, Báyò Akómoláfé, Audre Lorde, the Design Justice Network, Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures, and so many other fierce, brave and beautiful people, more than people and communities whose wisdom, knowledge and lineage I have the honor and privilege of learning from and building on.