Brackish (formerly Making Design Circular with Katie Treggiden)
Katie Treggiden
59 episodes
3 weeks ago
Welcome to this new iteration of my podcast, which was called Making Design Circular and now has the same name as my Substack, Brackish.
Brackish is a term used to describe water that is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, for example, where a river meets the sea. I first encountered it sitting in a boat in just such water and it immediately became one of my favourite words. I am fascinated by intersections, liminal and littoral spaces, overlaps and interconnections, and I want to use this space to explore all of those things – the ideas that don’t fit into neat boxes.
So, I’ll be exploring those things here – the places where craft meets nature, where the rules don’t apply and ‘shoulds’ start to fall away. Which brings me to the second meaning of the word brackish.
As well as meaning ‘somewhat salty’ in very neutral terms, it has also come to mean ‘unpalatable’ or ‘repulsive’. I didn’t know this until after I decided upon it as a name, but as a woman in her middle years, who is relearning how to take up space, I am so here for that alternative definition!
From occasional ‘salty’ language to refusing to adhere to feminine standards of beauty or behaviour, I am leaning into my brackish era – and I’m doing it here with some brilliant women and non-binary folks who are doing the same. brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com
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Welcome to this new iteration of my podcast, which was called Making Design Circular and now has the same name as my Substack, Brackish.
Brackish is a term used to describe water that is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, for example, where a river meets the sea. I first encountered it sitting in a boat in just such water and it immediately became one of my favourite words. I am fascinated by intersections, liminal and littoral spaces, overlaps and interconnections, and I want to use this space to explore all of those things – the ideas that don’t fit into neat boxes.
So, I’ll be exploring those things here – the places where craft meets nature, where the rules don’t apply and ‘shoulds’ start to fall away. Which brings me to the second meaning of the word brackish.
As well as meaning ‘somewhat salty’ in very neutral terms, it has also come to mean ‘unpalatable’ or ‘repulsive’. I didn’t know this until after I decided upon it as a name, but as a woman in her middle years, who is relearning how to take up space, I am so here for that alternative definition!
From occasional ‘salty’ language to refusing to adhere to feminine standards of beauty or behaviour, I am leaning into my brackish era – and I’m doing it here with some brilliant women and non-binary folks who are doing the same. brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com
Brackish - S6 E15 Stefanie Cheong & It Could Be Worse
Brackish (formerly Making Design Circular with Katie Treggiden)
41 minutes 20 seconds
2 months ago
Brackish - S6 E15 Stefanie Cheong & It Could Be Worse
Trigger Warning: We discuss the sudden loss of a loved one. If this is something you are experiencing right now or have a sensitivity towards, please listen with caution. In this episode, Katie speaks with Stefanie Cheong, an artist jeweller and educator based in Scotland, whose work sits at the intersection of geology, anthropology, and environmentalism.Stefanie explores the deep time stories of our planet through jewellery, objects, and collaborations — from cutting Scottish rocks to creating new materials from waste. Together, they discuss the GeoAnthropology Project, the emotional resilience of making, and how creativity, community, and connection can forge defiant hope even in the face of grief and crisis.“When everything else felt out of control, making gave me something I could do, something I could control.” - Stefanie CheongWe cover:- How Stefanie’s dyslexia shaped her creative process and love of making- The alchemy of metal and her discovery that it can be infinitely recycled- Why she chose to create her own ethical supply chain by finding and even making her own rocks- The GeoAnthropology Project — exploring human evolution through rock, from Stone Age flint to future fossils- What it feels like to work with rocks that are three billion years old- Her collaboration with architect Andy Campbell on Sitting Pretty — a bench that embodies deep time and material storytelling- How grief and creativity can coexist, and how making became a form of grounding and healing- The ritual of her Moon Rocks practice — working with one rock for each lunar cycle- Reclaiming hope through connection, action, and community — from People Planet Pint to Making Design Circular“Crisis can be a turning point — it means things can only get better.” - Stefanie CheongThis episode is a beautiful exploration of how creativity, geology, and grief intertwine. Stefanie reminds us that making is not only a way of storytelling through materials, but also a path back to ourselves. Through deep time, connection, and collaboration, she shows that even in crisis, there’s space for renewal and for hope forged in stone.More from Stefanie:Website: https://www.stefaniecheong.co.uk/Follow Stef: @stefaniecheong and @stefanieyinglincheongMore from Katie:Instagram: @katietreggiden.1Website: https://katietreggiden.com/Nature-inspired poetry: https://brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com/t/poetryResources mentioned:People Planet Pint / People Planet Pastry – global sustainability meetupsMaking Design Circular Podcast, with Katie & Lauren ChangBrackish, Season 6 Ep 12 with Helen BowkettResearch into the physiological effects of sewingCheck out my full Bookshop.org podcast reading list to find links to all the books mentioned throughout Season 6 of Brackish.What next?If all this talk of defiant hope has got you wondering where you can find some, I have something for you. Cultivating Hope is my three-part mini-course and it’s the three steps I move through whenever I start to feel despair tugging at my edges.You will move out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode and into a calm and connected state, reconnect with nature, and find aligned actions that you can take now to keep you to remind you that you can make a difference.In the current climate, hope is an act of defiance, and it’s one I hope you’ll take with me.Click here to find out more here This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com/subscribe
Brackish (formerly Making Design Circular with Katie Treggiden)
Welcome to this new iteration of my podcast, which was called Making Design Circular and now has the same name as my Substack, Brackish.
Brackish is a term used to describe water that is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, for example, where a river meets the sea. I first encountered it sitting in a boat in just such water and it immediately became one of my favourite words. I am fascinated by intersections, liminal and littoral spaces, overlaps and interconnections, and I want to use this space to explore all of those things – the ideas that don’t fit into neat boxes.
So, I’ll be exploring those things here – the places where craft meets nature, where the rules don’t apply and ‘shoulds’ start to fall away. Which brings me to the second meaning of the word brackish.
As well as meaning ‘somewhat salty’ in very neutral terms, it has also come to mean ‘unpalatable’ or ‘repulsive’. I didn’t know this until after I decided upon it as a name, but as a woman in her middle years, who is relearning how to take up space, I am so here for that alternative definition!
From occasional ‘salty’ language to refusing to adhere to feminine standards of beauty or behaviour, I am leaning into my brackish era – and I’m doing it here with some brilliant women and non-binary folks who are doing the same. brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com
