Pull up a log, pass the snacks, and crack open the creative canteen! We’re trading stories by the campfire. Field Notes is where we share reflections on ethical marketing, creative ecosystems, and what it looks like to build work that cares for people and planet. These essays explore care-centered business, relational community building, and creative practices rooted in liberation and integrity. Think of this space as an evolving notebook, ideas gathered in the field and shared in community.
Field Notes
Reflections on Ethical Business and Creative Practice
What Is Ethical Pricing? A Values-Led Guide for Conscious Creatives & Small Businesses
Discover ethical pricing strategies for creatives and small businesses. Build transparent, sustainable, values-led pricing that supports your work and community.
Community-Driven Business Models: 10 Real-World Examples
What does it actually look like to build a small, values-driven business around community? 10 real-world examples from indie makers, solo creatives, and ethical small brands.
What Is a Community-Based Business Model? (And Is It Right for You)
A community-based business model puts people and planet alongside profit. Here's what it actually looks like — and how to know if it's the right fit for your work.
Ecological Roles of Care: An Ethical Business Framework for Creatives & Values-Driven Brands
The Ecological Roles of Care is a framework for creatives, small business owners, and values-driven leaders who care deeply about the world they’re contributing to — but feel overwhelmed about how to show up ethically without burning out. This guide helps you identify your unique role in impact work, align your marketing and leadership with your values, and build a business that participates in change sustainably.
What Would Business Look Like If It Were Designed Like a Living System (Not a Machine)?
What if business worked like a living system? A care-centered approach to ethical business, boundaries, burnout, and collective responsibility.
What Human-First Business Looks Like in Practice
A grounded guide to human-first business in the age of surveillance capitalism. Learn how to build ethical, sustainable business systems rooted in care, autonomy, and long-term resilience.
Ethical Marketing Is an Ecosystem, Not a Funnel
A guide to ethical, sustainable marketing ecosystems rooted in care, transparency, and long-term relationship rather than extraction.
Hope Is an Ecosystem: Care, Community, and Ethical Business in Uncertain Times
An ecological framework for care, community, and ethical business. Why individualism fails…and how collective care sustains people and planet.
Ecological Business Design: An Alternative to Corporate Growth
A deep exploration of ecological business design as an alternative to corporate, extractive growth models… offering a more humane, sustainable way to build work without burnout.
Our 2026 Anti-Trend Report: What We Refuse To Participate In And What We’re Growing Instead
This 2026 Anti-Trend Report outlines the harmful cultural and industry trends conscious creatives and small businesses must reject in the year ahead—from colorism in design and gendered branding to extractive economics, hustle culture, and unethical AI. Instead, we explore the values, practices, and liberatory business models worth cultivating: human-centered marketing, ethical technology, circular and local economies, creativity-first entrepreneurship, embodied business practices, and community-rooted ecosystems. This article serves as both a manifesto and a field guide for creative entrepreneurs committed to values-driven work, justice-oriented branding, and sustainable business growth in 2026 and beyond.
Imagination as Infrastructure: Reimagining How We Live, Work, and Create Beyond Algorithms and Capitalism
Discover how imagination can guide us through a changing world. This essay explores how creatives, entrepreneurs, and small studios can move beyond social media algorithms, capitalism, and burnout to build sustainable ecosystems of work, art, and community rooted in care, collaboration, and creativity.
Letting Go of “Scaling” for Scaling’s Sake
Forget the hustle myth. Explore a more meaningful approach to business growth—one rooted in sustainability, alignment, and creativity. This blog dives into slow entrepreneurship, anti-scale truths, and how to define success on your own terms.
How to Begin Again in Business: with Alignment, Not Pressure
After a year of intentional dormancy and creative reflection, I’m pressing reset—not from a place of pressure, but from a place of truth. This essay explores what it means to compost old strategies, trust your creative timing, and build a business that grows like a garden: with patience, presence, and care. If you're craving slower rhythms, deeper meaning, and a return to alignment—this one's for you.
Is It Influence or Manipulation? How to Be a Smarter Consumer
In the digital age, influencers and social media gurus hold immense power—but at what cost? This blog dives into the hidden dangers of influencer culture, wellness industry manipulation, and how big brands profit from our trust. Drawing from my personal experience in MLMs and working with high-profile wellness brands, I reveal how influencer marketing fuels misinformation, unethical business practices, and social media obsession. Learn how to fact-check online claims, hold influencers accountable, and become a more conscious consumer in a world driven by curated illusions.
Empowering vs. Gatekeeping: Why I Believe in Teaching My Clients, Not Trapping Them
In a world where knowledge is often hoarded and dependency is a business strategy, it’s time to rethink how we serve our clients. This article explores the difference between empowerment and gatekeeping, offering real-world examples of service providers who create false reliance vs. those who equip clients with tools to thrive on their own. We dive into ethical business practices, the importance of transparent education, and actionable steps to build a model that fosters autonomy, collaboration, and long-term success. Whether you’re a designer, coach, strategist, or consultant, learn how shifting to an empowerment-based model benefits both you and your clients.
What Is Analog Marketing? A Guide to Human-First Outreach
In today’s fast-paced digital world, marketing often feels like an endless cycle of chasing trends and algorithms. But what if we slowed down and returned to more human, meaningful ways of connecting? This blog explores how analog marketing—through tactile experiences, handwritten notes, pop-up events, and sensory-driven campaigns—can create lasting emotional connections with customers. By engaging multiple senses and fostering genuine relationships, analog marketing offers small businesses and creatives a sustainable way to build community and make a lasting impact.
Reclaim Your Business from the Attention Economy: Nature-Inspired Growth for Creatives
This blog explores how the dopamine-fueled attention economy is quietly burning out small business owners and creatives. Learn how to break free from social media dependency, recognize signs of digital burnout, and shift to nature-inspired business practices for sustainable growth, creativity, and well-being.
Do You Really Need Social Media to Succeed? Re-thinking Marketing for Small Businesses
Social media marketing is often touted as a must for small business success, but is it truly essential? In this blog, we dive into the common frustrations of social media for solopreneurs and small business owners, discussing why it might not be the right choice for everyone. Explore how to uncover your unique marketing style by aligning with your strengths, understanding your audience, and staying true to your values. Discover how alternative, sustainable marketing approaches can drive meaningful results and help you connect authentically with your audience.
The Future of Marketing Is Human: Creative Predictions for the New Year
Explore 2025's creative marketing and design predictions focused on human connection, ethical practices, and sustainability. As businesses pivot away from burnout and generic AI-driven trends, discover how custom design, long-form content, and community collaboration will reshape small business marketing. Dive into actionable insights to prepare for a more intentional and impactful future.
Crafting a Sustainable Marketing Strategy: Shifting from Short-Form Content to Intentional, Long-Form Marketing
Learn how to craft a marketing strategy that reflects your values, avoids the noise of short-term trends, and prioritizes sustainability and authenticity. This blog offers actionable steps to help small business owners break free from cookie-cutter approaches and embrace a regenerative marketing mindset.
You’ll notice many of these essays circling shared questions around ethical marketing, creative ecosystems, and what it means to build business at a more human pace. We hope you enjoy.

