I created this illustration as a representation of myself. As someone who grew up being visibly Indigenous, I learned early on that I have different rights and expectations than others, whether I like it or not. Everyone’s existence is political, especially in the U.S. which is a multicultural society. One day I hope that we can come together and have mutual exchange of ideas and respectful relationships between our cultures, but for now, we must continue to educate ourselves and others when given the opportunity. This imagery can be an opportunity to have that open discussion with others, though conversations can be difficult, they are necessary for growth.

I created this illustration after I heard someone say “I thought native women were supposed to be tough”. I hope this sticker brings some awareness to this myth and brings some good laughs for all the tough aunties in your life.

This is one illustration in a group of my favorite and true style. I love simple and contrast images that capture your eye. In my work, you’ll often see imagery of the moon and trees because these were my favorite childhood memories. Running around at night through farmlands, creeks and crops, having to make our own fun by telling each other spooky stories and trying to scare each other. Seeing how far along the creek we could go before turning back. I hope more Oceti Sakowin creatives have the opportunity to explore this genre of storytelling; how amazing would it be to see represented on the big screen one day!

One of the biggest questions I get from non-natives with this style of design is “what does it mean?” which is great because it hopefully means they’re maybe interested in learning more about the importance of symbolism in our culture. However, art is art and doesn’t always need to be a mystical representation of something – sometimes I just wanted to create something I thought was pretty 🙂

This illustration is self explanatory 😀 I do think some people fear the word or the idea for some reason, but I believe we would all be able to grow together for the better if we all decolonized. Decolonization is the process of undoing the colonial structure that restricts us and diminishes our uniqueness.

I recently came across some interesting conversation with the key phrasing of “gardening is a privilege”. After some back and forth discussion, I realized a large misunderstanding was what definition of gardening you’re using. To some, gardening is the passive act of growing plants, whether it be a few simple jars & pots or a backyard garden. To others, gardening was viewed as a way to sustain food either for a short time, for yourself, or for a community. Either way, I stand on the belief that even “simple gardening” is a privilege due to the time constraints many face in order to support themselves, and would even argue that having “leisure time” is a privilege. I also had received the comment that someone felt being called privileged meant they were *ahem* an…. inappropriate word. I can’t speak for everyone of course, but I believe that EVERYONE has a privilege in one area or another, and it’s important to recognize that privilege, and decide how you can help other achieve the same privilege. Hence, why the sticker is “for all”, because we all should have access to food and even leisure time. 😉