What's good?

I’m Annika (she/they). I’m a writer and designer based in Brooklyn, NY on unceded Lenape land. The many leaves of my work are rooted in one central belief: the future I believe in is rooted in collectivity, care, and play. I explore this mission through gatherings, writing, design, and technoecology. 

I'm the founder of School of Softness, a school and studio exploring tenderness as a praxis, both online and irl in Brooklyn. Through classes and gatherings, like Curiosity Lab and Bad Ball Club, we explore themes of curiosity and play, grounded in a Black queer ecological lens. 

I'm also currently reimagining the mental health care system as a staff product designer at  Headway. 

I see research as leisure. Lately,  I've been exploring communal dreaming, digital gardens, creative ecosystems, queering friendship, communal care, reimagining social media,  and tenderness as a praxis. 

I’ve been featured by The Creative Independent, It’s Nice That, AIGA Eye on Design,  Well+Good, Vogue, McNay Art Museum, New Public, Bustle, and others. I've had the pleasure of hosting speaking engagements across the disciplines of art, tech, and design at Princeton, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Leeds Arts University, Apple, Creative Mornings, New Public, Afrotechtopia, the Fashion Institute for Technology, Brooklyn Museum, and other spaces. 
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As a designer, my primary focus is on product, with brand and web coming in second. My past clients include startups from Lex and Somewhere Good to companies like Samsung, MTV, Intel, HP, and Jaguar Land Rover, to artists such as Jamila Woods and Curtis Roach. I've had the pleasure to design and launch apps, establish brands, create websites, and more. 
 
As a poet, my writing centers on care, queerness,  Blackness, and joy. As a human, you can find me making playlists, eating vegan dumplings, and musing over the best Tribe Called Quest album (currently - I stand by Midnight Marauders).​