Posts in Writing
Toolkit for Change: Holy civil disobedience.
Toolkit for Change: Holy civil disobedience.

People are often surprised to learn that I still go to church because they see it as irrelevant, illogical, or detrimental to society. Some folks carry a lot of anger and pain in their bodies from hurtful experiences with Christians and the church and they can’t understand how or why I would want to align myself with Christian faith. Still others are confused because it always seems like the loudest people in the faith are those wielding it for personal gain. But the thing is, I’m still part of the church because it has taught me that faith is a radical business.

Read More
Opinion, Writing, DabblesMaren Nelsonsermon, civil disobedience, christianity, palm sundayComment
"The Noble Designer"

As a nonprofit designer, I often feel as though I design on an island. Surrounded by a sea of for-profit creators, I watch as their branding projects and high-value accounts push their careers forward, delivering the same type of content over and over again in an echo-chamber of cubicles. Most of those designers, working in a world of decks and budget line items at least 3x higher than my annual pay, are ignorant to the amazing work being done on little islands like mine where resources and admiration are scarce, but skill is high and the hustle is real.

Read More
Opinion, Life, WritingMaren Nelsonnonprofit, design community, professional development, designersComment
Climbing down from the observation deck
Climbing down from the observation deck

I’ve been sitting on the following post for awhile now. Maybe I was just waiting for the right time to share, but more likely I was trying to decide if I really wanted to say this at all. In general, vulnerability is not a muscle I like to exercise very often. However, as we stand at the edge of this election, I feel like maybe it’s time to ovary up and personally ask you to make impactful choices with your ballot. This election cycle has ripped open a lot of poorly-patched wounds in our country and those won’t finally heal without some serious conversations and, unfortunately for me, some sharing. Personalization and all that.

Read More
Opinion, WritingMaren NelsonElection, Womanhood, #YesAllWomen, Harassment, #ImWithHer Comment