It was clear early on that hcma is people-first. That aligns with how I work, and is an integral part of my own creative practice. I’m deeply invested in relationships. To know that the firm was positioning themselves as people-first meant that the groundwork was set for delivering projects in a way that maximizes impact.
There’s a curiosity to our craft that demands that we pursue new pathways, new ways of doing things, and explore the unknown. That uncharted territory is wildly exciting. Whenever you read a story about adventure, it’s always the uncharted territory that creates a compelling narrative. That’s very much the case for our work. That curiosity always, always sets the stage for amazing outcomes.
Don’t be afraid. It’s easy for us to be overwhelmed with anxiety or fear in moments of vulnerability, especially in a creative practice. One of the things that we have to do is step out and step up with courage. And that’s not often an easy thing to do! That’s an ongoing learning experience, and probably the biggest thing that I’ve learned to remind myself of. Someone told me that you can’t be courageous unless you have fear. In the kind of work that we do, we have to show up, be vulnerable, and have conversations that produce friction. Those conversations, when steeped in care and respect, wear away the rough edges, like sandpaper on wood. We come to know that we’re all in it together.
The places that I wouldn’t expect are usually where inspiration finds me. I’m deeply inspired by people and by relationship, and by the way we collectively share space. But also, the little details in life, like a street sign, an accidental combination of colours, or the shapes that shadows make. All of these little nuanced observations in pedestrian life are the things that really stand out to me. Obviously, we can find inspiration in literature, but the most meaningful lessons are the ones that you don’t expect, or that catch you off guard. The things that one would write a book about.
I have a fine art practice outside of the firm. In that practice, I do painting, sculpture, and explore conceptual art. Most of those observations I described above will end up informing either firm life or studio life. The shadow, the unexpected colour combination, that inter-relational dialogue will end up informing some creative decision at some point. In turn, the two practices inform each other. Something I’m doing at work informs a decision I’m making at the studio, and vice versa. There’s an interconnected nature to the way that those inspiring moments show up, in practical examples, and then continue to influence other areas of my life.
At its core, interdisciplinarity really means collaboration. It means that I’m not willing to do something alone when the resource of another frame of reference is available. Even in pursuit of that, within my art practice that has some inherent solitude, those disciplines show up as a paintbrush, a scratching tool, camera, dark room, etching press or a ceramics wheel—these disciplines will all show up and act in tandem. That’s similar to the way that the firm works. We all represent different disciplines, with one common objective: to create impact in the world that we live in and share, and to influence others to think in a similar manner. What interdisciplinarity means for us is to break out of the silos that we’re operating in, to foster overlap between disciplines, witness these specialties with fresh lenses, and allow that objective and peripheral perspective to reshape the way that we see our own disciplines. That is what we are relentless in the pursuit of.
Tactically, we design things and spaces to create a perception of value of some kind, whether it’s the value of a space, an object, a community, or a relationship that one might have with an entity. What design is ultimately doing is influencing behaviour and emotions of people. In our practice, across disciplines, we have an incredible opportunity to create social impact, and not only impact behaviours, but also influence ongoing behaviours and shape an immediate culture as a result. Design is a philosophy, in the sense that the objective is to make life easier, more enjoyable, to include, to create, or alter or influence the perception that one might have with something so far. It’s a tactical philosophy.
I’m a scavenger for creativity. To stoke creativity in others, my first strategy is asking questions, talking about experiences, or getting out of the project or exercise itself. I distance myself from the work and create a new frame of reference for the exercise—that’s the best place to start. To stoke creativity in myself, I try to do the same thing. To me, creativity is always there, buried, and waiting to be uncovered. You can coax it out through departure from the work or exercise at hand, or through encouragement, building relationship, trust, and recognizing the qualities and strengths of the person, whether that be myself or a team member.
