I was born in West Texas to a schoolteacher and pilot, then grew up in a little peanut farm town way north of Dallas. The outdoors suited one part of my soul; literature covered most of the rest. By fifteen I was writing short stories that got me into a liberal arts college and my first job in digital marketing.

My career has evolved alongside technology, touching nearly every industry. In the middle of it I studied Byzantine theology in graduate school and restored a farmhouse in upstate New York. I’ve built disciplines, managed teams, and written for The Huffington Post. Recently I took a year off to care for my grandmother and apprentice with a New Orleans carpenter.

I like the way my mind works, but I believe in the genius of everybody — from colleagues to stakeholders and the people who exchange their attention or money for services. The future is collective. It has to be. Design is better, technically and morally, when it’s done by and for everyone.