The Garden of Systems
How art, spirit, and technology can grow together like a living ecosystem.
Hidden Order in Wildness
In the heart of every wild garden, there is a hidden order.
Twisting vines, soft moss, towering trees—each one follows its own rhythm, and yet together, they create a living, breathing system.
We see this reflected in every thriving ecosystem. Permaculture, too, draws from these natural patterns: it is an art of working with life, not against it, of honoring the intelligence woven into the earth itself.
When we think of systems—especially in technology, management, or planning—we often imagine something cold and mechanical. Blueprints, flowcharts, sterile grids.
But what if systems could be alive?
What if building a system could feel like tending a sacred permaculture garden?
Can the systems we create mirror the cycles of nature, weaving growth and rest, structure and wildness, flow and rootedness?
Weaving Spirit and Structure
Lately, I’ve been feeling called to weave together two parts of my life that once felt separate: the world of art, spirit, and deep inner visioning and the world of technology, planning, and systems.
In the old story, these realms were seen as opposites. One was alive, intuitive, and sacred; the other rigid, analytical, and cold.
But they nourish each other in the emerging story—the story I want to live into.
At their best, systems are not rigid cages. They are like rivers and root systems: invisible flows nourishing and sustaining thriving life.
Systems can be designed with care. They can be tended with love.
They can be regenerative, not extractive.
They can serve life rather than drain it.
This reflection has opened a new doorway for me: a way of holding my work in technology not as separate from my soul's calling but as part of it.
A well-crafted system—whether for a project, a creative process, or an organization—can be like a living trellis, supporting visions that want to take root and grow.
The garden teaches us that structure and freedom are not opposites. They dance together. A riverbank gives form to water's flow; roots anchor a tree so its branches can stretch wide.
Can we design our systems—even our technical ones—with the same spirit?
Dreaming a New Integration
I dream of a future where the spiritual, creative, and technical are not divided—where organizations reimagining the world are supported by living, breathing systems.
In small ways, I am beginning to explore what it means to be a gardener of systems: a doula for visions that long to take root and bloom.
Maybe you are dreaming, too.
Maybe you, too, are sensing that the old stories of separation are crumbling, making way for something more whole, more alive.
If so, I would love to walk this path together.
(I’ll be sharing more soon about how visioning, art, and systems can weave together—and how we can create structures that nourish the future we dream of.) 🌱
Rooted in connection, guided by vision—here’s how we can co-create to nurture and embody transformation, vision, and the community connection that elevates it:
Discovery Call
A free 30-minute connection call to explore how we can best collaborate for your needs. Includes a short grounding and visualization meditation, and an intuitive sketch created live to reflect your vision, so you get a real sense of how the process feels and what it can unlock. Schedule here →
Visual Essence Scribing
I act as a visual scribe during your group meeting or gathering, quietly creating a small watercolor that captures the energy and essence of the moment. A poetic reflection you can share afterward—deepening the memory and magic of the experience. Reply, message me, or schedule a discovery call here →
Embodied Vision Portal for Groups
A 90-minute facilitated group session with grounding and visioning meditation, a deeply connecting sharing circle, and live vision painting as an energetic anchor to strengthen community, align your shared vision, and bring it one step closer to reality. Reply, message me, or schedule a discovery call here →
Embodied Vision Portal for Individuals
A deeply personal experience includes a 60-minute session for connection, clarity, and guided visioning, as well as meditation prompts and “postcard” sketches on the way to a detailed watercolor artwork that embodies your transformation and keeps your vision alive daily. Reply, message me, or schedule a discovery call here →
Land Acknowledgement
I acknowledge that the land on which I live is the ancestral home of the Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee peoples. These Indigenous communities cared for this land long before the arrival of European settlers and continue to contribute to its cultural and ecological richness today.
I invite us to honor the enduring presence and sovereignty of Native peoples and commit to learning from and supporting their voices and leadership.
What a wonderfully gentle dream. And so artfully written.
I often wonder if there is a way I could meld my poetry with my theory work, and now I think I'm going to try. The worst that can happen is bad poetry, and my notebooks can tell you I have plenty of that already.
I love this Maria! I feel like this is a perspective I don’t hear much about. I think it’s probably our black-and-white thinking as humans that hasn’t allowed us to really feel into this.
I’m an engineer by trade but a nature lover through and through. While there is a romantic part of me that just wishes I could run away to a corner of the world, the whole of me knows that isn’t really meaningful. What’s meaningful is weaving together a future of the truly human parts of ourselves (which we’ve lost touch with) and with the technology we’ve created (our recent and current focus).
I think if we can get truly imaginative and creative with this — and think through the lens of regeneration rather than extraction as you mentioned — the possibilities are beautiful.
In fewer words, I’m here for this journey. :)