The Post-It Note Version
defined and articulated the impact of the identity architecture workshop through updated storytelling and visual language
Project Partners // Olivia Hewitt, John Johnson
Project Timeline // Summer 2021
Identity Architecture is the art and practice of deconstructing identity to reveal the authentic perspectives that foster engaged citizenship.
We have a tendency to introduce ourselves with nouns. A student. A designer. A business owner. But these nouns, these labels, reduce us. They take us from complex, messy, and lovable humans, into sterile nouns. Each noun carrying with it a qualifier. I’m "just" a student. I'm "just" another designer.
And yet we show up and project ourselves into this world with these same broad and bland labels. We think that by molding ourselves into these softer shapes, by dulling out our edges, we'll be a better fit for someone or something else.
The best fits in life are complex - the way a key fits into a lock, the way that forgiveness fits into hurt, the way that love can unlock pain. You have edges. You have bumps and cracks. You have scars. You have been shaped over time by and through your expriences. Your identity is the only one of it's kind - the only key that that unlocks the way you see the world.
Your experiences are what makes you the only. Labels will never make you the only. You are never going to be the only business owner. The only student. You are never going to be the only human centered designer. The only sister. But you are the only one who sees the world through your eyes. The only one who knows what it’s like to be you. The only one with your perspective.
You. The only.
So what if you couldn’t introduce yourself with any nouns? What would you say? Are you compassionate? Curious? Do you share your time as an act of love? Do you use your words as an act of faith.
Your identity is who you are. Right now. As you are. And it is a beautiful gift. A gift that allows us to belong.Because when you can see yourself as truly, undeniably, and unflinchingly unique - not perfect, not the best but one-of-a-kind. handmade, you will belong anywhere.
This is the foundation of Identity Architecture.
It's not about your passion, or your purpose. It's not about what's behind the door. It's not about opening the door, it’s about unlocking the door. That's living on purpose. Living on purpose is seeing yourself as not just 1 in 7.8 billion but the only 1 in 7.8 billion with your perspective, the only one who can live your life.
So don't waste it. Don't reduce your complexity to just an owner, just a sister, just a student. You were created with a blueprint for your life. You’ve been giving a unique set of of gifts.
Identity Architecture is seeing your world through this lens. One of a kind. It’s accepting the responsibility that that bears. It’s a vow to use those building blocks, your gifts and values, and say I’m going to start using them. Today. I am going to live on purpose.
And I believe, that living on purpose is enough. It’s what enables us voice, allows us to belong, and empowers us to engage in this world, authentically. Identity architecture is an individual transformation, that can create collective change. Each one of us has the opportunity to shape our communities, by demonstrating, through the way we live our lives, that our value does not come from what we are, the labels, but who we are, the creation.
Identity Architecture has changed the way I see the world. It’s helped me to see people’s edges, their gifts. It’s helped me to ask about experiences, not labels, attributes, not achievements.
And this transformation - this change in the individuals’ perspective - is the key.
Because now I realize that the world I can create is influenced by the world I see. And the world I see is shaped by my perspective.
Understanding and accepting one’s own identity allows for an individual to show up as their full self in any and all spaces. By fully sharing their identity, individuals can establish a collective sense of belonging. This belonging is unconditional — it does not hinge on the quality of the work they produce or external metrics. This belonging originates from an inherent sense of value that each individual brings to the table.
This belonging establishes the individual as part of a greater whole, providing them with a sense of ownership over the greater collective. This sense of ownership promotes increased accountability, engagement, collaboration, and creativity. When feeling not only responsible for, but paramount in shaping the path for the group, the individual brings their full creative self to the table.
The group is now able to achieve more than the individuals alone. With deep understanding of one’s own unique gifts and experiences and an empathy and recognition of the gifts and experiences of others, the group can function at a more intimate, collaborative, and creative level — ultimately leading to greater impact.
Read more about Identity Architecture, and other pieces I’ve written here.