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Making Design Circular — The Membership
Online Membership Community With Weekly Calls
When
Doors open:
Wed 22 Nov–Sun 03 Dec 2023
Wed 22 Nov–Sun 03 Dec 2023
Where
Online (Zoom & Circle)
Level
Beginner / Intermediate
Time
1-2 hours per week
Money
£97 per month
approx $122
approx 113 €
£116.40 inc VAT if payable
Giving Back
10% of your subscription will be donated towards bursary places as part of a pay-it-forward model.
Got questions?
When
Doors open:
Wed 22 Nov–Sun 03 Dec 2023
Wed 22 Nov–Sun 03 Dec 2023
Where
Online (Zoom & Circle)
Level
Beginner / Intermediate
Time
1-2 hours per week
Money
£97 per month
approx $122
approx 113 €
£116.40 inc VAT if payable
Giving Back
10% of your subscription will be donated towards environmental causes and bursary places.
Got questions?
Rewild Your Creative Practice — So That You, Your Business and the Planet Can Thrive
Running a solo creative practice can feel lonely, especially when you’re trying to do things differently – sustainably. Well, the good news is that you’re not alone. There are hundreds of designers, makers, artists and craftspeople who feel the same way and they’re starting to come together in the Making Design Circular membership.
Does this sound like you?
1
You’re doing your best to be sustainable, but it can feel isolating, confusing and overwhelming
2
You want to do the “right” thing, but you’re not always sure what that is and you’re worried about getting called out on the internet for getting it wrong
3
You’re tired of feeling guilty about putting “yet more stuff” out into the world and yearn to reconnect with the curiosity, playfulness and creativity that got you into craft or design in the first place
4
You already struggle to balance looking after your creative practice, your business, the other people in your life and yourself, so looking after the planet, while you know it’s important, often falls to the bottom of the list
The Membership is a Gorgeous Community of Purpose-driven Creatives Who Are Shaking Off the “should”s to Make the World a Better Place.
★★★★★
Textiles artist Read More
“The best part has been finding similarities between other people’s journeys and my own. I feel like I’ve finally found my people.”
Katie Treggiden in the press...
Forbes
Monocle 24
FT How to Spend It
The Observer
Dezeen
Hole & Corner
House & Garden
Design Milk
Crafts Magazine
ICON
Introducing: Making Design Circular — The Membership
The Making Design Circular Membership is an Online Membership Community With Weekly Calls and Occasional in-person Meet-ups, Which Will Teach You That:
1
The climate crisis is not your fault, so you can let go of the guilt
2
The planet doesn’t need a few of us doing this perfectly – it needs all of us trying and failing and trying again – we value progress over perfection
3
There is no “right” way to do environmentalism – it’s about informed decisions that align with your values
4
Hope is the precursor to change and taking action in community is the best way to stay hopeful
5
You can have more impact by focusing on one tiny area so you can stop trying to save the world single-handedly
6
Guilt and duty are not the soil in which creativity thrives, so reconnect with the playfulness and curiosity that got you into craft and design in the first place
7
You can take this work step-by-step – you don’t have to do it all at once
8
To take care of the environment, you have to take care of the environmentalist, so rest, self-compassion and self-care are part of the work
★★★★★
Camban Studio Read More
“It’s so nice to be in a group that’s at the same stage and feeling such similar struggles with the opportunity to chat them through and support each other.”
Hey, I'm Katie Treggiden
I once told a business mentor that my mission was to “inspire, educate and empower designer-makers to join the circular economy.”
He told me he didn’t think I was doing that. “What?!” I said. “I’ve written books, I’ve got a podcast, I write for everybody from the Guardian to Crafts Magazine – what more can I do?” I responded, slightly affronted.
“Oh, you’re inspiring them, for sure,” he said. “But what about the educate and empower part? What about the ‘how’?”
He was right of course and that was the moment Making Design Circular was born.
I have since interviewed hundreds of designers, makers, artists and craftspeople about their sustainability journeys and beta-tested everything in the membership with 30 brave souls who saw me embark on my own “progress over perfection” journey to create this membership.
I have seen first-hand the transformation this work has had for those who have joined so far – and I want that for you too.
What’s included
1
My 5-stage Path to Sustainability which will help to work out where you are on your journey and take actionable, achievable steps forward
2
Monthly Path to Sustainability check-in calls to hold you gently accountable to making progress
3
Monthly guest speakers and making workshops from people a few steps ahead of you on their journey as well as experts from other fields so you can learn and be inspired
4
Monthly group coaching and mentoring sessions co-hosted by neurodivergent coach, marketing expert and recovering perfectionist Jo Casey and me, so you can bring your questions, challenges, and sticky bits and receive direct support
5
Monthly “Connect” sessions and access to our community space on Circle, which both give you a chance to get peer-to-peer support and build a close community of likeminded souls
6
Weekly co-working calls to help you carve out time in your busy schedule for this work
7
2 x ‘rest months’ (July and mid-December to mid-January) with no live calls to give you chance to take a break, catch up, or dive into the self-paced content
8
Access to the self-paced version of The Seed, a four-part programme in which you can define your unique contribution to environmentalism
9
Access to the self-paced version of Waste: A Masterclass, a 12-part course exploring how to use waste as a raw material
10
Access to Net Zero, a carbon-literacy certified training course on understanding your carbon footprint, why it matters and what you can do to reduce it
11
A co-created library of reading, watching and listening recommendations so you can dive deeper on any subject we’ve covered since the beta-version of the membership was launched
12
A co-created ‘Little Green Book’ of eco-suppliers and partners recommended by your fellow members
13
Invitations to informal and occasional in-person meet-ups during design festivals such as Milan Design Week or the London Design Festival
14
A Making Design Circular badge to put on your website and a sign for any trade shows or craft fairs that you take part in
15
Discounts on live courses such as The Seed live digital and The Seed Retreat
★★★★★
Product & furniture designer Read More
“I’d often felt a disconnect between my work as a furniture designer-maker and my personal values; so I decided to bring them closer together. Being part of Making Design Circular has given me the knowledge to get started and a community to share my ideas with. I now have a job that I love and care about and I am excited about my future as a maker again.”
How it works
1
The membership runs on a rolling monthly basis, so you can join for as long, or as short, a period of time as you like
2
We have two live weekly calls both at 1pm UK time (check your local timezone below) – one on a Tuesday and one on a Thursday – via Zoom
3
Co-working sessions are on Tuesdays – and on Thursdays we rotate between coaching, guest speakers, ‘connect’ calls and our Path to Sustainability check-in calls
4
Replays are available for coaching, guest speaker and Path to Sustainability check-in calls
5
The membership is hosted on a platform called Circle, so you can find everything in one place – and you can set your own notification preferences to get the reminders you want
6
All replay videos are fully captioned and audio-only versions are provided to cater for different learning styles. The audio version is also available via a private podcast to make it easier to catch up on the move
7
If there is another way I can make the membership more accessible, just shoot me an email and I will always do my best to help
Your investment
£97 per month
£116.40 inc VAT if payable
Approx $122
Approx 113 €
Limited number of fully-funded bursary places available – email for details.
★★★★★
Jewellery designer Read More
"Making Design Circular membership has given me the confidence and knowledge to evolve my making and business practice to become more aligned with my values. I have been able to do this at my own pace without feeling overwhelmed, but also with a good level of accountability. I enjoy being part of a community of other makers and really look forward to our regular meet-ups. Katie is generous, energetic and knowledgeable and has created something really special!"
This is for you if...
1
You are a designer, maker, craftsperson or artist who is looking for community, gentle accountability and guidance on your sustainability journey
2
You are fed up with feeling guilty and overwhelmed and ready to make real progress
3
You are ready for the inspiration – AND education and empowerment(!) – you need to join the circular economy
4
You are already doing feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist and LGBTQIA+ inclusion work or, at the very least, you firmly believe in equity and equality for all people and are open to learning more
5
You have any specific learning needs that I can support by adapting the way materials are delivered or conversations take place – just let me know
6
You are willing to make the time to engage in what’s on offer, either by joining the live calls or catching up when you can
This is not for you if...
1
You don’t believe climate change is real and/or caused by human action
2
You are part of a big company where you don’t have agency to bring about change. (If you are part of a smaller craft-based company and you do have that power, you are very welcome!)
3
You are looking for answers to be handed to you on a plate – the membership will encourage and support you to find the answers within yourself
4
You are uncomfortable with traditionally marginalised voices being centred in conversations. My aim is always to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for everyone and that includes women, people of colour, disabled people, people in bigger bodies, those with neurodivergences and members of the LGBTQIA+ community
5
You have a terrible internet connection– everything is delivered digitally!
Frequently Asked Questions
We have weekly calls at 1 pm UK time (GMT in the winter, BST in the summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)
Repays are available for the coaching, guest speaker and Path to Sustainability check-in calls. Connect calls and coworking calls are not recorded due to the nature of their content.
If you come to all the live calls and use the co-working sessions to dive into everything else on offer, you’ll be doing really well, so 2 hours a week is plenty. If you have less time than that, that’s fine too – you can dip in and out as you need to. Progress is better than perfection, remember!
All videos are captioned and audio-only versions are provided. There is also a private podcast to make listening on the move or while making easier. If there’s anything else I can do to make the course more accessible, please just ask and I will always do my best.
I have a limited number of fully-funded bursaries available. These are for people who would not be able to meet the running costs of their business if they invested in the membership and priority will be given to those who have been historically excluded from environmentalism work or those who face barriers to accessing natural spaces, such as people of colour, disabled people, people in bigger bodies, those with neurodivergences and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I will not ask you to justify why you need a bursary – I trust you to make that decision. Drop me an email and I’ll let you know if we currently have any spots available.
The weekly live calls are delivered via Zoom. Everything else is hosted on a platform called Circle. It’s easy to set up (and we can offer tech support if needs be) and combines the membership resources and community in one space, so you won’t need to hop between something like Thinkific or Kajabi and a Facebook Group – in fact, by popular demand, you won’t have to engage with Facebook at all!
Because nurturing yourself as well as the planet is one of the pillars of the Making Design Circular framework, we take two ‘rest months’ in the membership. That means there are no live calls in the month of July or from mid-December to mid-January. Your monthly membership is the cost of a year’s membership split between 12 monthly payments, so your usual fee still applies in these months and you can decide whether to take a break entirely, or to use the time to catch up or dive deeper into the self-paced content. You have full access to Circle and the private podcast as normal.
You can cancel your membership at any time – just give us at least three days’ notice before your next payment is due, so we can catch it in time. Please see the full T&Cs for more details.
If you are in the UK, we have to charge you VAT. If you are not in the UK and outside the EU, we will not charge you VAT. If you are in the EU, we have to charge VAT unless you provide a VAT number, in which case we don’t. Simple, huh?! But don’t worry – our payment system will work all of this out for as you add your details. (If you’re having any trouble entering your VAT number, make sure the two-letter prefix (eg DK for Denmark) matches the country you’ve entered in your address.) Give us a shout if you’re having any trouble and we’ll get you sorted.
Email me and I’ll be happy to answer it!