Internal practices

• Wisdom Well
• Revolution Well
• Together Well
• Demand Well
• Activate Well
• Path Well
• Grow Well
• Life Well
• Renew Well
• Heart Well
• Care Well
• Justice Well
• Illuminate Well

Wisdom Well

Wisdom Well is a care-centered guide for deepening wisdom and knowledge with diverse groups in arts and culture. 

Context

Wisdom Well is a community-based approach to research that focuses on making the process more respectful, fair, and open to everyone. It includes five responsibilities or streams: knowledge seeking, sensemaking, shaping, stewarding, and sharing. These streams each help ensure that the legacies of knowledge and wisdom are valued, protected, and shared in meaningful ways. While they will each ideally happen all at once, beginners can go through them one at a time to better understand how they work together.

Knowledge seeking (grounding wisdom)

Curiosity-driven exploration, seeking information, insights, and experiences to lay foundations for deeper understanding and appreciation.

Knowledge sensemaking (contextualizing wisdom)

Making sense of knowledge to contextualize it within various worldviews and experiences. 

Knowledge shaping (evolving wisdom)

Actively evolving, deepening, and adapting knowledge to contribute to the emergence of wise practices in the future.  

Knowledge sharing (disseminating wisdom)

Disseminating wisdom, knowledge, and insights with others to enrich community dialogue and cultivate connections. 

Knowledge stewarding (respecting wisdom)

Safeguarding, respecting, and protecting the cultural heritage of wisdom and knowledge for future generations.  

Codicil

How to use Wisdom Well? To apply the practice, follow these steps:

Knowledge seeking (grounding wisdom)

• What: Begin by exploring and gathering information, stories, or insights related to the topic of interest. Approach this stage with curiosity and openness.
• How: Conduct interviews, research archives, document personal experiences, or observe community practices. Focus on understanding the diverse sources of knowledge that form the foundation of your inquiry.

Knowledge sensemaking (contextualizing wisdom)

• What: Analyze and interpret the information gathered into contextualized knowledge, placing the information within broader cultural, social, and historical frameworks.
• How: Engage in group discussions, collaborative analysis, or reflective practices to make sense of the knowledge. Seek to understand different perspectives and how they connect to the broader community or global challenges.

Knowledge shaping (evolving wisdom)

• What: Transform the information and knowledge gathered into actionable insights, creative expressions, or wise and innovative practices.
• How: Bring forward wise practices with respect and care while developing new art forms, methodologies, or frameworks that adapt and expand the wisdom in new and deepened ways. Collaborate with others to ensure the wisdom evolves in meaningful and inclusive ways.

Knowledge stewarding (respecting wisdom)

• What: Protect and honor the knowledge for future generations.
• How: Create archives, establish guidelines for ethical use, or collaborate with cultural institutions to ensure the wisdom is preserved and respected. Emphasize the importance of sustainability and cultural sensitivity in this stage. Ensure both younger and elder generations have opportunities to be acknowledged and have ownership over their contributions to the knowledge.

Knowledge sharing (disseminating wisdom)

• What: Share the knowledge and insights with your community or a wider audience, ensuring all contributors and sources of inspiration are properly acknowledged and consent given.
• How: Use exhibitions, workshops, publications, or digital platforms to present your findings and engage others in dialogue. Focus on creating accessible and inclusive ways to disseminate the knowledge.

Examples in arts and culture

1. Newcomers

A collective of immigrant and refugee artists comes together to explore the intersection of their cultural heritage and the contemporary challenges of displacement and identity. Using the Wisdom Well framework, they aim to deepen understanding, share collective knowledge, and create a platform for cultural preservation and innovation in the arts.

• Knowledge seeking (grounding wisdom)
  The collective begins by gathering stories, artifacts, and traditions from their diverse cultural backgrounds. Through interviews with elders, archival research, and personal storytelling, they seek to understand their shared experiences of migration, resilience, and creativity. This stage grounds their exploration in curiosity and respect for their origins.

• Knowledge sensemaking (contextualizing wisdom)
  The artists contextualize their findings within broader themes of displacement, belonging, and the impact of global migration on artistic practices. They engage in discussions about how colonial histories and geopolitical forces have shaped their identities and experiences. This helps them frame their insights within both personal and universal narratives.

• Knowledge shaping (evolving wisdom)
  Building on their research and reflections, the collective collaborates to create new art forms that blend traditional and contemporary practices. For example, they may merge traditional music or visual motifs with digital media to express their evolving identities. This stage is about transforming knowledge into innovative and meaningful artistic expressions.

• Knowledge stewarding (respecting wisdom)
  To safeguard their cultural heritage, the artists establish a digital archive where their stories, art, and insights are preserved for future generations. They collaborate with cultural organizations to ensure their work is respected and used ethically. This stage emphasizes the responsibility to protect and honor their wisdom as a legacy for others to learn from and build upon.

• Knowledge sharing (disseminating wisdom)
  The group organizes exhibitions, workshops, and performances to share their work with wider audiences. By presenting their art in community spaces, they foster dialogue about the challenges and beauty of cultural hybridity. They also use social media and online platforms to amplify their message globally, ensuring their stories reach diverse communities

Revolution Well

Explore complex barriers to prosperity and justice in arts and culture and beyond.

What is it?

ArtsPond's Revolution Well is a care-centered guide designed to explore the complex barriers to prosperity and justice in arts and culture and beyond. Based upon five interconnected elements, it examines systemic causes, impacts, community reactions, solutions, and the role of individual leadership in driving transformative change. This approach embraces perspectives ranging from the personal to the planetary, aiming to cultivate equity, sustainability, and collective wellbeing in arts and culture. The five elements are roots (systemic causes), ripples (global impacts), responses (ecosystem reactions), remedies (community solutions), and resources (individual leaders).

For example:

Roots (systemic causes)

Identifying the underlying root causes of precarity and injustice at a systemic level.

Roots are the deep-seated causes of harms in different systems including arts and culture. Like the unseen foundations of a tree, these are the interconnected policies, practices, histories, and ideologies that have created inequality and instability in arts and culture. By identifying and naming these hidden drivers (such as structural racism, lack of funding equity, or exclusionary practices), we can better understand the underlying problems that perpetuate harm and prevent progress.

Ripples (global impacts)

Recognizing the ripple effects or consequences of precarity and injustice in different communities.  

Ripples symbolize the wide-ranging effects of the root causes, extending outward like waves in water. They reveal how injustice and precarity impact different communities across the globe. This element focuses on mapping how systemic issues like economic insecurity, cultural erasure, or climate change create visible and invisible consequences in arts and culture. By observing these ripples, we can see connections between the local and global, and understand how one community’s struggle reflects a larger pattern of harm.

Responses (ecosystem reactions)

Documenting the reactions of various communities, positive or otherwise, to the ripples of systemic precarity and injustice.  

Responses capture how individuals and communities react to the ripples of precarity and injustice. These reactions vary widely. They may be positive acts of solidarity and resilience, or negative responses like division or burnout. This element documents these diverse reactions to understand how communities navigate crises, collaborate, and innovate in the face of adversity, while also learning from setbacks or tensions that emerge.

Remedies (community solutions)

Sharing the diversity of changemaking solutions and caregiving therapies in response to systemic precarity and injustice.

Remedies focus on the healing and transformative solutions that communities develop in response to systemic issues. These include grassroots initiatives, policy changes, caregiving practices, or creative innovations that offer pathways to equity and justice. By amplifying these diverse changemaking efforts, this element highlights the power of collective wisdom and action in creating a more caring and sustainable future.

Resources (individual leaders)

Highlighting the importance of individuals who serve as visionary leaders for the future.

Resources shine a light on the individual leaders and visionaries who challenge the status quo and inspire change. These may be artists, activists, caregivers, or cultural workers who exemplify courage, creativity, and care in their actions. By sharing their stories and approaches, this element celebrates the essential role of people fostering systemic change and serves as a guide for others seeking to lead with vision and integrity.

How to use it?

To apply the Revolution Well framework, follow these steps aligned with its five stages:

Explore the roots (systemic causes)

• What: Identify and analyze the foundational causes of precarity and injustice within arts and culture.
• How: Research and map out structural issues such as funding inequities, historical exclusions, or systemic racism. Use data, lived experiences, and historical analysis to understand these root problems.

Trace the ripples (global impacts)

• What: Observe and document the broader consequences of systemic issues. While the majority of consequences are likely to be negative when considering systemic barriers, consider those that have additional impacts that may be neutral, unintended, or even positive.
• How: Map the local and global impacts of these causes on communities, such as cultural erasure, climate-related challenges, or economic instability. Understand how these ripples shape individual and collective experiences in arts and culture.

Assess the responses (ecosystem reactions)

• What: Record the range of reactions from individuals and communities to these systemic challenges. Like ripples, responses may be a mixture of negative, neutral, and/or positive. Consider how these interactions play out.
• How: Identify acts of resilience, innovation, solidarity, as well as setbacks like burnout or fragmentation. Document how these reactions influence cultural practices and collective healing.

Amplify the remedies (community solutions)

• What: Highlight and implement solutions developed by communities to address precarity and injustice. 
• How: Share success stories of grassroots efforts, caregiving practices, or policy changes. Encourage the adoption of creative and systemic interventions that promote equity and sustainability.

Celebrate the Resources (individual leaders)

• What: Showcase the role of visionary leaders driving systemic change.
• How: Identify and learn from artists, activists, and cultural workers whose actions inspire care, courage, and creativity. Share their stories to guide and motivate others seeking to lead transformative efforts.

Examples in arts and culture

1. Indigenous

An Indigenous visual artist navigates the complex intersection of colonialism, data sovereignty, and artificial intelligence (AI) in the digital art world. The artist notices their traditional motifs and cultural expressions being appropriated by AI algorithms trained on Indigenous art without consent or acknowledgment. This leads them to explore ways to reclaim agency over their cultural heritage, address systemic inequities in the digital sphere, and advocate for Indigenous data sovereignty and ethical AI practices.

2. Deaf

A Deaf youth artist from a rural community confronts the pervasive effects of ableism and audism in their artistic journey. They reflect on the barriers they face, from a lack of accessible art spaces to societal biases that devalue Deaf culture and linguistic diversity. Through their art, they aim to challenge these prejudices, highlight the richness of Deaf experiences, and create inclusive spaces that empower other Deaf artists.

• Roots
  The artist identifies the systemic roots of ableism and audism that impact their community. This includes the historical marginalization of Deaf people, the lack of sign language recognition, and the exclusion of Deaf perspectives in mainstream arts. They explore how these systemic issues are magnified in rural areas, where resources and accessibility are often limited.

• Ripples
  The ripple effects are evident in the artist’s daily life and work. They observe how ableism and audism lead to isolation, as rural art institutions often fail to provide accommodations such as interpreters or visual descriptions. These barriers not only hinder their artistic growth but also perpetuate the underrepresentation of Deaf culture in rural and national artistic narratives.

• Responses
  In response, the artist begins to use their work as a form of activism. They create visual art pieces that depict the lived experiences of Deaf individuals, highlighting themes of resilience, pride, and community. They also start conversations about the importance of accessibility and inclusivity by sharing their work on social media and engaging with local schools and organizations.

• Remedies
  The artist takes action by collaborating with their community to establish a Deaf-friendly art workshop series in their town. These workshops emphasize the use of visual storytelling and create a safe space for Deaf and hearing-impaired individuals to express themselves. They also advocate for systemic changes, such as urging local art galleries to adopt more inclusive practices, including hiring interpreters and providing captioning for events.

• Resources
  As a young leader, the artist becomes a role model for other Deaf youth in their community. Their efforts to challenge ableism and audism inspire others to embrace their identities and advocate for their rights. Through their art and advocacy, they demonstrate the power of creativity as a tool for social change, ensuring that Deaf voices are not only heard but celebrated.

Together Well

What is it?

ArtsPond's Together Well is a framework designed to guide groups in collaboratively addressing complex issues. It supports the creation of meaningful and equitable solutions through a process grounded in shared purpose, care, and collective intelligence.

Whether in the arts, culture, or other fields, the Together Well framework helps groups navigate the inherent challenges of collaboration by fostering a thoughtful and inclusive approach to working together. The framework's five interconnected stages are anchored in reflective and generative questions that deepen understanding, spark creativity, and sustain momentum. At each stage, the focus is on addressing the key elements of collaboration, including preparing, committing, harvesting, shaping, and impacting.

For example (with visual journey maps taken from ArtsPond's Together There residency on digital justice):

Preparing (grounding collaboration)

Establishing a shared understanding, setting intentions, and addressing potential discomforts or uncertainties before beginning.

Guiding questions include: 

• What are our shared goals, values, and intentions?
• What curiosities, uncertainties, or discomforts do we bring to this collaboration?
• How can we create a foundation of trust and mutual respect before we begin?
• What systemic barriers or biases might shape our group dynamics, and how can we address them early on?

 

Committing (building trust)

Creating clear roles, responsibilities, and channels for communication while fostering trust and mutual accountability.

Guiding questions include: 

• How will we define roles and responsibilities to ensure clarity and accountability?
• What decision-making processes will help us navigate conflicts or differences of opinion?
• What communication methods will best suit our group’s needs and contexts?
• How can we establish agreements that reflect equity and inclusivity in our collaboration?

 

Harvesting (gathering insights)

Collecting and synthesizing diverse ideas, experiences, and knowledge to deepen collective understanding.

Guiding questions include: 

• What diverse perspectives, experiences, or knowledge can we bring into the conversation?
• How can we create space for active listening and meaningful dialogue?
• What patterns or themes are emerging from our shared insights?
• How can we ensure that all voices in the group are valued and heard?

 

Shaping (co-creating solutions)

Using gathered insights to collaboratively develop innovative and practical approaches to address the issue at hand.

Guiding questions include:

• How can we synthesize our insights into actionable solutions?
• What creative tools or methodologies can help us innovate effectively?
• How will we test, iterate, and refine our ideas collaboratively?
• How can we ensure our solutions are practical, inclusive, and reflective of the group’s diversity?

Impacting (sustaining momentum)

Implementing solutions and ensuring long-term impact through ongoing care, reflection, and adaptation.

Guiding questions include: 

• How will we measure the success or impact of our collaboration?
• What mechanisms can we put in place to ensure long-term sustainability and care?
• How will we celebrate our successes and reflect on areas for growth?
• What steps can we take to adapt and expand our work for future challenges?

How to use it?

To apply the Together Well framework in group collaboration:

Preparing (grounding collaboration)

• What: Begin by reflecting on shared goals, individual intentions, and potential challenges.
• How: Facilitate pre-project discussions or workshops to establish trust, explore curiosities, and address discomforts. Use these reflections to set the foundation for collaboration.

Committing (building trust)

• What: Define roles, responsibilities, and communication methods to ensure clarity and accountability.
• How: Create a collective agreement or charter outlining expectations, decision-making processes, and mechanisms for addressing conflicts or barriers.

Harvesting (gathering insights)

• What: Engage in active listening, brainstorming, and knowledge sharing to uncover diverse perspectives and insights.
• How: Use creative labs, knowledge-mapping sessions, or co-writing exercises to capture ideas and identify emerging patterns or themes.

Shaping (co-creating solutions)

• What: Work together to develop actionable and innovative solutions based on the group’s collective knowledge.
• How: Use collaborative design processes, such as prototyping or testing, to ensure the solutions are practical, inclusive, and reflective of group input.

Impacting (sustaining momentum)

• What: Implement the solutions and establish mechanisms for long-term impact.
• How: Reflect on the collaboration’s outcomes, celebrate successes, and create a plan for ongoing adaptation and care to sustain progress over time.

Examples in arts and culture

A collective of urban and rural artists comes together to address environmental sustainability in their creative practices. Using the Together Well framework, they aim to explore how art can contribute to environmental awareness and actionable change while navigating the challenges of bridging geographical and cultural divides.

• Preparing
  The group begins with virtual meetings to discuss their shared concerns about sustainability. They reflect on their motivations, set shared goals, and address initial discomforts, such as differing levels of access to resources between urban and rural members.

• Committing
  They create a collective agreement that establishes clear communication protocols, including a mix of virtual and in-person meetings. Roles are assigned based on expertise, such as organizing workshops, documenting processes, or engaging with local communities.

• Harvesting
  The group hosts brainstorming sessions and creative labs where members share personal experiences and knowledge about sustainable practices. They also gather input from their local communities, identifying common challenges and unique opportunities.

• Shaping
  Using the insights gathered, the group co-creates a series of public art installations and workshops that address environmental themes, such as reducing waste and protecting biodiversity. They design the installations to be adaptable for both urban and rural contexts.

• Impacting
  The collective launches their projects, engaging diverse audiences and sparking dialogue about sustainability. They establish a digital archive of their work and a mentorship program to inspire and guide other artists interested in environmental issues. Reflecting on their collaboration, they identify ways to expand their impact and ensure their practices remain adaptable and inclusive.

Demand Well

Disasters, Deserts, Dailies, Doulas, Desires

Activate Well

Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access (BIDEA)

Path Well

Path Well is a practice designed to identify and prioritize the stories and dreams of various groups across different levels of connection and experience.

Context

Path Well is a practice that helps identify and prioritize the stories and dreams of different groups, recognizing the diverse connections and influences that shape our world. The five paths include: 

People (individuals)

Focuses on the needs and stories of individuals in their personal, family, and professional lives.

Populations (groups)

Includes diverse groups such as families, collectives, companies, and other informal or formal communities.

Places (spaces)

Examines real, virtual, natural, and other spaces, including those that are seen, hidden, contested, imaginary, or forgotten.

Publics (communities)

Considers larger shared environments like cities, municipalities, and public spaces where people gather and interact.

Planet (systems)

Looks at environmental and systemic connections that shape the wellbeing of all living things on a global scale.

Codicil

Examples in arts and culture

Grow Well

Stories, Wisdoms, Ecosystems, Platforms, Impacts

Life Well

Real, Virtual, Natural, Dream, Ancestral

Renew Well

Autonomy, Cooperation, Innovation, Serendipity, Visibility

Heart Well

Harm, Hinder, Hack, Help, Harmonize

Care Well

Explore your care personality and how it shapes your life and community.

These are Care Personalities. Change to Care Plan ancestors Rights, Respect, Reconciliation, Reparation, Reciprocity.

What is it?

ArtsPond's Care Well is a framework designed to explore how care manifests in diverse communities and individuals. It expands conventional definitions of care by introducing five interconnected care personalities, including careseekers, caretakers, caregivers, caremakers, and careshapers.

These personalities represent different roles in the ecosystem of care, providing a lens through which individuals and groups can examine their relationships with care in a broader context. Each personality offers a unique perspective on how care is sought, provided, and transformed across personal, community, and systemic dimensions. 

For example:

Careseekers (recipients or beneficiaries of care)

Careseekers are recipients of care provided by others. They often view the world as precarious and focus on immediate to short-term needs (approximately a one-year horizon). Their goal is to reduce their personal vulnerability and meet thier basic requirements for security and survival. Careseekers are often seen as vulnerable. And yet, they are also resourceful and possess valuable insights into self-care that can guide those offering or shaping care. Despite limited capacity to effect systemic change, their first-hand experiences provide critical knowledge for identifying authentic care solutions.

Caretakers (guardians or protectors of care)

Caretakers act as guardians of care, protecting access to essential care resources for others. Like careseekers, they also perceive the world as precarious but focus on the medium-term future (around three to five years). These individuals work to safeguard care amidst present harms and future threats, often by uniting diverse groups. Caretakers are perceived as champions or companions to both careseekers and caregivers, though they may face risks to their own wellbeing due to resource gaps or insufficient support. With adequate assistance, caretakers play a pivotal role in identifying and implementing changes necessary for thriving futures.

Caregivers (providers or nurturers of care)

Caregivers nurture care by providing direct and empathetic support to individuals and smaller communities. Unlike careseekers and caretakers, they tend to view the world as prosperous and prioritize helping others in the present to near-term future (approximately two years). Though perceived as selfless and often overburdened, caregivers excel in fostering personal connections and offering essential care despite limited capacity to address systemic issues. Their patience and empathy inspire others to care and help maintain crucial support networks.

Caremakers (engineers or builders of care)

Caremakers are builders of care who focus on creating conditions for thriving futures over the medium to long-term (five to ten years). Seeing the world as prosperous, they lead and support both individual and collective approaches to care that strengthen the vitality of individuals, communities, and ecosystems. Often perceived as ambitious and empowering, caremakers confront resistance to push for transformative changes. Their creativity and compassion enable others to achieve accessible and sustainable care.

Careshapers (visionaries or architects of care)

Careshapers are visionaries of care who see the world as both it is and what it could become. They navigate its vulnerable complexity while imagining hopeful possibilities over the long-term (ten to twenty-five years or more). Careshapers prioritize understanding the causes and consequences of precarity and testing solutions, remedies, and therapies to cultivate systemic prosperity across ecosystems. Often seen as idealistic and innovative, careshapers challenge norms and encourage communities to envision better futures. Their ability to demystify complexity and share broad perspectives ensures knowledge and inspiration are passed across generations.

How to use it?

Follow these general steps to apply the Care Well framework in expanding awareness of care at all levels, including personal, familial, community-wide, and planetary. For another more detailed approach, take a look at the resource guide for ArtsPond's Care Game.

Expand awareness of care needs

• Begin by identifying the types of care needed across various levels:
  • Personal care: Physical, emotional, and mental health support.
  • Family care: Interpersonal connections, support systems, and shared responsibilities.
  • Community care: Resources, equity, accessibility, and shared infrastructure.
  • Ecosystem and planetary care: Sustainability, biodiversity, and global health.
• Reflect on how these needs intersect and influence each other, creating a holistic view of care.

Identify care roles and dynamics

• Explore the roles individuals and groups play in care ecosystems. Consider how care is given, received, and shaped across different contexts:
  • Who are the recipients or beneficiaries of care?
  • Who protects or safeguards care resources?
  • Who provides hands-on support and nurtures wellbeing?
  • Who builds systems or conditions for care to thrive?
  • Who envisions and leads transformative care solutions?
• Understand how these roles contribute to the broader web of care.

Recognize barriers and opportunities

• • Analyze what limits access to care in different contexts and identify opportunities for improvement:
    • Barriers could include systemic inequities, cultural stigmas, or resource scarcity.
    • Opportunities might involve leveraging technology, fostering collaboration, or scaling successful practices.
  • Focus on the unique challenges and strengths present at each level of care (e.g., personal, community, planetary).

Co-design care practices

• Work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to explore innovative approaches to care. Consider how different types of care can complement one another:
  • Create family programs that integrate environmental education.
  • Develop community initiatives that address both social and ecological health.
  • Promote policies that align personal well-being with planetary sustainability.
• Incorporate feedback and lived experiences into the design process to ensure inclusivity and relevance.

Promote holistic care solutions

• Advocate for care strategies that address interconnected needs across multiple levels:
  • Integrate mental health support with workplace initiatives to strengthen both personal and community well-being.
  • Encourage cultural and creative practices that promote biodiversity awareness alongside social cohesion.
  • Foster global movements that link human rights, social justice, and environmental conservation.

Reflect and iterate

• Periodically evaluate the effectiveness of care practices and make adjustments as needed.
• Foster ongoing dialogue about care dynamics to continuously deepen understanding and engagement across levels.
• Celebrate successes and amplify the voices of those leading care-centered innovations.

By approaching care as a multi-dimensional and interconnected system, the Care Well framework helps expand awareness of what care entails and how it can be effectively provided at every scale, from the personal to the planetary.

Examples in arts and culture

1. Public art

A collaborative network of artists, cultural workers, and community organizers comes together to create a public arts initiative focused on promoting mental health and resilience in underserved communities. By using the Care Well framework, the team identifies their care personalities and designs a multifaceted program addressing immediate and long-term needs.

• Careseekers
  Members who have experienced mental health challenges share their stories and insights, helping the group understand the critical needs and vulnerabilities faced by the target community. Their perspective ensures the initiative addresses real and urgent concerns authentically.

• Caretakers
  Individuals in administrative and organizational roles ensure resources are allocated effectively and that the initiative is inclusive and accessible. They advocate for the project within their networks, safeguarding its longevity amidst funding and logistical challenges.

• Caregivers
  Artists and facilitators create workshops and programs tailored to individuals, emphasizing emotional wellbeing and personal connection. These activities provide immediate care and support to participants through personalized artistic engagement.

• Caremakers
  Program designers and leaders develop the overarching structure of the initiative, integrating community feedback into a sustainable model. They design scalable solutions, such as toolkits for other communities to replicate the program, ensuring its broader impact.

• Careshapers
  Visionaries in the group craft a long-term strategy for addressing systemic mental health disparities. They propose policy changes and build partnerships with healthcare providers and cultural organizations, amplifying the initiative’s impact and sustainability.

2. Youth

A young artist, recently out of school, is navigating the complexities of balancing personal, family, and community responsibilities while building a creative career. They are a caregiver for chronically ill family members and volunteer in a mutual aid network that connects careseekers and caregivers. They aspire to use their creative practice to help care for other chronically ill and disabled individuals, eventually founding a community organization that challenges societal norms and fosters a more caring society. However, they face challenges in finding the support they need to realize their vision.

• Careseekers
  The artist is a careseeker when it comes to their career aspirations and personal wellbeing. They require mentorship, funding, and emotional support to build their confidence and capacity to lead. Their need for care includes guidance on navigating the art world, learning how to establish an organization, and balancing their multiple roles.

• Caretakers
  In their family life, the artist acts as a caretaker, safeguarding the health and wellbeing of chronically ill relatives. They do so by working to ensure their family has access to the caregiving resources and support they need, often putting their own needs on hold. Through their involvement in the mutual aid network, they also help create connections between individuals in need and those capable of providing assistance, building trust and solidarity through their actions. These roles shape their perspectives on the gaps in systemic care and motivates their broader aspirations.

• Caregivers
  The artist is also a caregiver, providing daily care themselves to their family members. Through their involvement in the mutual aid network, the artist is also volunteering thier time to provide care to others in the community, offering empathy and practical support to careseekers in their community. 

• Caremakers
  Their creative practice is a form of caremaking, where they explore ways to use art as a tool for healing and empowerment. While they require care to get there, they experiment with project ideas that can help amplify the voices of disabled individuals, design workshop proposals for creative expression, and dream of scalable initiatives that foster community resilience.

• Careshapers
  The artist’s long-term vision is to establish a community organization that challenges ableism and systemic inequities, fostering a culture of care. They envision this organization as a space where disabled individuals and their allies co-create solutions, share stories, and advocate for systemic change. However, they recognize that they need mentorship, resources, and collaborative partnerships to bring this vision to life.

Justice Well

Spatial, Socioeconomic, Environmental, Disability, Digital

Illuminate Well

Courage, Power, Privilege, Process, Wisdom