Reflections on LividCon: Care, Systems, and the Work of Imagination
Positionality + Use of AI
This article was written without the use of AI.
Before reading, I want to declare my position: I am a gay, white, upper-class male and have had the privilege of immersing myself in design at the Institute of Design. I invite any respectful conversation or disagreement about what I’ve written and encourage you to reach out.
Truths catching up
Having had a few days to reflect on the amazing experience of LividCon, I feel invigorated and motivated to keep learning all I can to play a part in the collective imagining of a new future. Senator Nina Turner started the day with a powerful, emotional talk that left me with three important takeaways.
First, the genocide happening in Palestine will soon make its way to other disenfranchised communities in the U.S., echoing Angela Davis in Freedom is a Constant Struggle . Although Palestine is thousands of miles away, it serves as a testing ground for advanced surveillance and war tactics that will ultimately be used in Black, Brown, and other minority communities in the U.S. As a society, we MUST be vigilant and critical of what is happening around the world because it will ultimately find its way here.
Second, it does not matter if the economy is doing well according to Wall Street. If the majority of Americans are saying the economy is not doing well, then that is a better and more representative indicator of the state of the economy. This point brought me back to my Political Economy course, where we discussed the Federal Reserve’s mission to ensure the long-term health of the economy through interest rates, maximum employment, and stable prices. These 3 goals are in opposition to each other, which begs the question: was this simply a short-term solution to a system that was never designed for placing humans at the center of the economy? My argument is that it was.
Finally, Senator Turner shared a maxim from her grandmother:
“You could put truths in a river five days after a lie, and the truths will catch up.”
We are now reaching that point as both a country and a society, whether it's recognizing the parallels between Gaza & the U.S., realizing the economy was never made for everyone, or uncovering the lies Donald Trump has continued to provide.
Navigating today’s political climate through design
In considering how to navigate today’s political climate, Jason Schupbach, Jennifer Rittner, Antionette Carroll, Arianne Miller, Jenn Chan, and Victor Udoewa offered insights I’ll be taking into my own work not only for personal understanding but also to communicate what design is doing.
When Jenn Chan said imagination is the work of both grief and care, there was an “aha” moment in the room. The grief comes from knowing that those working to imagine and operationalize a better future may never see it realized in their lifetime. The care comes from still having the courage and will to support that change. Tying this to what Jenn shared later:
“The dish should always be full for those who come after.”
So how can we, as a designers, play a part in ensuring we are leaving the world in a better place for those who come after?
Fractals and the Social Contract
The idea of fractals from adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy came to mind as the panel discussed the difference between social contracts and the Social Contract. The concept of fractals suggests that how we are on the small scale is how we are on the large scale.
As a society, we are not upholding those social contracts in our personal relationships; so how can we expect to uphold the Social Contract on a societal scale? Taking this a step further, the new social contracts of capitalism and patriarchy are just that—new. They haven’t existed forever, even though it may feel that way. These are part of the stories we’ve been led to believe, but we can shift to new stories.
Liberatory power, relationships, and love as a design practice
Before this talk, inspired by Cyndi Suarez’s The Power Manual and the move to liberatory power over supremacist power, I had already been reflecting on how I can better show up in personal relationships and come from a place of love, regardless of others’ beliefs. Importantly, how to Antionette Carroll spoke directly to my soul when she said we need a foundational shift in our personal relationships — from one of combativeness based on identity and beliefs alone to one of care, respectful disagreement, love, and interconnectedness.
Who I want to be as a designer
Personally, questioning who I want to be as a designer and what I want my design practice to look like has been an ongoing reflection over the past few months. I’ve been lucky to learn from Maura Shea, which I’ll share more about soon; but I’m left with two questions:
1. What does systemic change and systems transformation look like?
2. What are the critical pieces of my design practice that I want to embody?
Answering the first, Victor Udoewa’s metaphor of an end-of-life doula struck a chord. As designers, we must help the current system peacefully pass while helping bring a new one into being. Instead of fighting, we can acknowledge and honor the fear that comes with change—approaching it with grace and humility. How do we do this? By focusing on the personal relationships in front of us. Returning to the fractal idea: it all starts small and ripples outward.
A new framework: Systems Caring Design
For the second question, Mariama Ndiyae’s Systems Caring Design framework — based on Ethical Qualities of Care — illuminated how to move from a design process to a design mindset. She embodies her philosophy in ten principles:
1. Relationships first before any requests
2. Their why over your why
3. Closed loops over ghost towns
4. Follow-through over follow-ups
5. Clarity over vagueness
6. Bespoke over singular
7. Design with at every stage
8. Context over disruption
9. Assumptions over biased facts
10. First drafts over finished products
Closing reflection: Who you are being
Reflecting on how these talks fit together and shape my practice, I return to a quote from Cheryl Dahle:
“In this work, who you are being is more important than what you are doing.”
Moving from a process that centers the designer to one that centers personal relationships, care, and mindsets is how I will continue to hone and develop myself.
References
brown, a. m. (2017). Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. AK Press
Davis, A. Y. (2016). Freedom is a constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the foundations of a movement (F. Barat, Ed.; C. West, Pref.). Haymarket Books.
Suarez, C. (2018). The Power Manual: How to Master Complex Power Dynamics. New Society Publishers.