Design Intimacy

My practice of design is intimate. I specialize in identity systems & strategies for purpose-based organizations and individuals. I use the most emotionally evocative printmaking methods & materials to inspire intimate communication & connection through love relationships.

Individuals come to me with their dreams for their futures, pain from their past, they hand me the hopes of their present moment and trust me to help facilitate their journey strategically, visually, artistically and emotionally. They bring me stories of their love and loved ones to translate into a keepsake or specialty communication for a life event that is important to them. I keep their secrets and help manifest their vision from the space of their thought & emotion into forms of tangible reality.

Organizations I work with humbly seek to serve the world and solve systemic pain points caused by ignorance, bigotry, and bias to preserve the humanity of those they cater to. I am brought into spaces of violence and oppression in order to help these organizations shine their light in the world and foster the communication that helps their relationships thrive. I have confidentiality to protect, non-disclosure agreements to keep, and actual people to help keep safe; primarily women, queers, and people of color.

My reputation and life’s work depend on how well I do this, so my design practice and the relationships they involve are a sacred space to me. As a result, not everyone knows how to approach me for work or understands my process.

If you want to connect with me for any reason, be prepared to…

1. Tell me your story.

How did you get to this point in your life? What motivated you to become who you are, doing the work you are doing in the world? Why do you wish to serve who you are serving? What is meaningful to you about the work you are bringing me to manifest with you?

2. Confide in me what has hurt or not worked the way you wanted.

What lessons or hardships have brought you to my doorstep seeking help? What pain point would you like to end? What is it about that space or situation that is so uncomfortable? How long has it been happening for you? Do you have ideas as to why this keeps resulting?

3. State intentions for your highest hopes on your creative journey.

If anything was possible, what do you wish for? What do you want to manifest from this process? What does the result look like without the pain points occurring any longer? Where do you want to have an impact and why is that important? Do you have a tangible metric to aim for? How can we measure the success of your hope?

4. Share with me what fears make you lose sleep.

Where is this fear rooted? Is it tied to a specific memory? What holds you back from facing this fear? How has this fear manifested in your life before now? What emotional reactions surround this fear? How does this fear keep you from moving forward? Do you have any personal practice already that helps you overcome your fear?

5. Show me what you love.

What inspires you? What motivates you out of bed? If your creative dreams were a song, an image, a movie, an animal, a flower, a person, a gemstone, a color… what would they be? How does your love make you feel free? How has it held you back or scared you? What does your love look like when it is boundless and achieving the passion you have for your project? Who are the most important people in your life?

6. Give me creative freedom and trust.

I am not a digital pencil for hire who will take whatever money you have to do your bidding. I am a strategic translator who will listen and interpret patterns until I find a creative solution that reconciles the information provided in a way your intended audience can receive. I work intentionally and live an intentional life. The way I approach design isn’t about you, or me, it’s about creating a solution that works to reconcile a complicated problem respectful to the people involved and the materials required. I always reserve the right to leave any creative relationship at any time over disrespect, or being requested to design art that incorporates bigotry or subconscious abuse of any kind.

In other words, you are welcome to fire me at any time if you don’t like my work or my process, but I can also fire you, and money is never more valuable to me than ethics.

Lennie Gray Mowris — magically disgruntled manifestor

impact strategist & printmaker @lenspeace & #AIGA #DesignForGood