welcome to the practice

my future practice space to share with you…

Hi! Do you see this shiny new space? If we were in person, I’d offer you a drink - coffee, tea, cabernet, depending on the time of day. So, grab yourself something, and settle in.

Perhaps because I grew up in a family that was obsessed with work and self-improvement, I’m really interested in the details of how people actually do creative work. The Practice is a new digital space that I’m creating to support that fascination.

While I like self-improvement, I hate that it’s so often wrapped up in weird tech bro culture or hustler nonsense. I plan to wade through those swamps and pull out what I find valuable. I’ll talk with people I love and admire, think about our conversations, and share them here. It’ll start with mostly text-based posts, but I’m planning to soon start featuring videos and interviews as we go deeper.

To start, here’s what I want to explore: 

the experience of work

When I meet new people and ask them about what they do, I want to know: what’s your experience of work as an activity, as a relationship, as an aspect of identity? It’s fascinating to me that some forms of work are considered primarily a negative experience - while other forms of work are considered peak human experiences.    

processes + workflows

I love learning the nitty-gritty of how people actually go about the activity of work - regardless of whether it’s an activity traditionally considered “creative” or something less socially valued. I want to know about step-by-step processes and workflows. What does your desk setup look like? How do your work activities change across the course of a day or week? Nothing is too mundane - for me, everyday experiences are where the beauty lies. Some of these posts will identify specific exercises or practices that I've found useful in my own work.

education/learning

My first day of formal education was when I started the landscape architecture program at Kansas State University. I’m therefore intrigued by all forms of education - institutional structures for knowledge-building as well as personal practices, especially how different structures for learning interact. How do you get better at your work and creative practice? How do you learn-grow? I’ll be examining my own relationship with education - as well as talking with exciting guests about their thoughts on learning.

creative business + money

Last on the list, but equally important: I want to examine the relationship between creative work and money. How do creative practitioners participate in resource flows? How do we take charge and figure out how to get the resources we need to improve and do the kinds of work that we want? 

For those of you who mostly know me from Instagram, you might be surprised that I’m not doing something specifically planty. Don’t worry, landscapes and plants will find their way in, as they always do. For me, planting isn’t enough. What I actually like about landscapes is everything around them - the people, the involvement, the representation through words and images. I’ve been craving space to explore that drive more thoroughly. 

So, what are my commitments to the Practice? What can you expect? As a starting point, I will publish at least 1 new post per week. I’m planning to incorporate these posts into an email newsletter, the Practice Weekly, which will include a digest of: something I’ve written, something interesting I’ve read, something to watch/listen to. You can sign up for the Practice weekly here.

I’m really excited about the possibilities of the Practice. I can’t wait to explore and share this space with you. Thank you for reading - please share around and subscribe!