Navigating Our Lostness⁠↗

When a client or friend says they’re lost, I don’t tell them where to go, how to proceed or who they should talk to. That wouldn’t serve them! In fact, I challenge them—you’re not literally, physically lost, but you’re feeling a sense of lostness and we have to decipher what that means for you. I want them to understand themselves, their experiences, and where they’re coming from. Only from that place can they make sense of their lostness, create new maps, and see the path forward.

Cartographers have power, agency and responsibility to understand, design and redesign maps. When we realize we can play this role in our own lives, we begin to see that we have the power to accept, reject, and discard our old maps that are outdated, and draw new ones that are aligned with who we are and where we’re heading.