Community engagement + 

co-design 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 

As a designer, empathizing and understanding the communities we design for is paramount. That means involving them in the entire process, from ideation to the final product. My role as a designer is to be the tool* to help the communities we serve achieve their hopes and desires. 

*this does not imply being "a tool", though that inadvertently happens sometimes.

Constant prototyping + 

experimentation ✍️ 

I am constantly sketching, making, failing, and remaking to multiple levels of fidelity during the design process. Prototyping is a conversation I have with my work; it is just as important to listen as it is to make. We can never have the same quality conversation when the idea is in our head. 

Sustainable + 

circular development 🌱

Our climate crisis is real and happening as we speak. As designers, we have the greatest responsibility to ensure that our products are as sustainable as possible. My design process is often guided from the very beginning by a desire to minimize or use offcuts. Furthermore, I am passionate about thinking of "next lives" of products after their intended use case is obsolete. This was the premise of reConstruction Toys >

Empowering + 

delightful design 🌞 

Through engaging and using my designed products, I aspire to create a sense of wonder and delight amongst children and adults alike. My role as a designer to empower people achieve their dreams and desires embodied by user agency and freedom in my designs. We can design the "perfect" product, but it is ultimately up to the people to decide how they want to use it, and what for.