Big changes on the horizon

& join me for a free Spark Session on the 2nd

Hi there,

Yarrow here, slowly emerging from my midwinter cave.

I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve written anything certain and coherent, but I wanted to reach out with some thoughts in progress anyway. If nothing else, at least to say I am still here and my heart is aching alongside yours.

This week it became clearer to me what AI really means for web design and I made some decisions to reflect this. Of course, this has been coming for a long time and I always knew that, yet imagined it to be further away, somehow more abstract. Here is the thing: the new AI powered builders that have been released this year can put together websites in 10 seconds that would take me weeks to build manually. They don’t always look and feel good, but that’s another story.

And while we are miles away from holistically understanding the ethical implications of AI, we do know that the environmental impact is horrendous and devastating. We have to make the connection between big tech, wild fires and the systems of power we live within.

In an ideal work, technologies support us in taking care of the Earth and each other, they make things more accessible and they leave us more time & space to do the things that make us human - being creative, telling stories and embodying empathy.

Like so many of you, I am at a crossroads here. It doesn’t feel right to charge someone 2-4k for a custom build website when that money could also go to places like Gaza, LA or trans healthcare fundraisers for example while we press a few buttons and get the thing automated. What feels right for me in this moment is to pause here and spend some time observing and listening before I come to any conclusions for the future of my work. I am not actually worried about my livelihood because I know my intuition is more magical than my computer, but I am ready for some changes. I know that I want to offer services that find balance between pragmatism, accessibility and creativity. I want all of us to win.

This year I will therefore mainly be offering consultancy, tech support and mentoring alongside creative classes, my podcasts and a new textile collection in the summer. The emphasis will be more on design & strategy - I want to help you find tech solutions and create online spaces that are right for you and your work and for us to figure out what that means together. You might have used an AI builder and want the outcome to feel more personal, unique and inviting or you might need a soundboard to figure out your next steps. Maybe you’re not even clear on your offerings or you want more accountability for making bold creative moves. I’m here for the messy & beautiful process.

The primary ways to work with me will therefore be full and half tech days (450/250 GBP) and mentoring (starting at 200 GBP/month). My next availability for both is currently late March.

Having said all that, I am also still in the thick of grieving my mum and I am going at the pace of my animal body, letting it take however long it takes. There are new episodes on my grief journal over here. I am spending many candle light evenings hand quilting (see above a recent baby quilt) and stitching (my first textile book is in the works!). I am sure I will share more writing and maybe even classes on the process this year, but it’s only January now and who knows what may happen. On Monday classes at uni are starting again - I am taking a module on consumerism & circular economies and one on perceptions of heritage, exploring kinship through the passing of needlework.

I hope you will join me for the next Spark session on February 2nd - those are good spaces to pause and process whatever life may throw at us this year.

Sending love and wishing you many moments of peace,

Yarrow

Our next free Spark sessions is this Sunday the 5th of January from 7-8pm UK time (that’s 11-12 PT or 14-15pm ET & here is a timezone converter).

The format will always be the same:

• A warm welcome & a moment of grounding

• A chat check in with everyone

• Quiet time to work with the Spark session workbook, which includes journaling prompts, reflections & useful tools to help you set yourself up for the month ahead - choose your own adventure (you’ll get it on the call)

• Intention setting & goodbyes

---

Hi! I'm Yarrow,

a web designer, artist & writer living on the East coast of Scotland. 

I offer creative classes, host podcasts, create eco-friendly websites and help people build sustainable livelihoods. 

Thank you so much for following along and dreaming with me. 

Love,

Yarrow