Steve Wood, founder of Concrete Couch in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, was the first person I remember saying this: “Consult artists early and often.”
Perhaps he wasn’t the first to say it to me, nor the last, but it stuck.
Wether from him, or a conference we both attended, I remember a story about a sewage treatment plant that became a wedding venue because artists helped shape the design from the beginning. What was supposed to be just a functional space became something meaningful—a place where people gathered, celebrated, and made memories. That transformation stuck with me.
It still makes me wonder:
What would the world look like if we consulted artists early and often?
I was reminded of this phrase again in Lincoln City, watching the way the ocean waves lap at the shore. It made me think: what if more of our human-built environments were shaped that intentionally, not just by engineers but by artists?
What if the places we live weren’t just designed for function but for meaning?
Art as Navigation
Lately, I’ve been listening to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk in the public library app. As the return date approaches, I find myself wondering what I’ll take away from it—not just about technological ambition but about what’s missing from the conversation about humanity’s future.
We talk about survival in space—engineering habitats on Mars, sustaining life in hostile environments—but who’s imagining what living there would mean? Who’s thinking about culture, identity, belonging on another planet?
As a disabled artist facing my own physical decline, I wonder: what could someone with my experience offer in planning a Mars colony or shaping humanity’s future as an interplanetary species? I’ve worked across disciplines, blending art, history, and education. I know what it means to build with intention, to create systems that invite participation and connection.
Functionality Beyond Basics
Artists solve problems differently. They don’t just tick boxes—they ask what’s possible. What spaces in our lives are purely practical but could become something more if we invited creative minds in early?
What else could shift from “necessary” to “loved”?
Beauty with Purpose
Beauty isn’t extra—it’s how we connect. We treat beautiful spaces with care because they reflect something back to us.
What if public works, infrastructure, even scientific research centers were built with this in mind—not as an afterthought, but as an intention?
Cultural Resonance and Visionary Thinking
When I think about humanity heading to Mars, I wonder—who’s shaping that story? And what is it starting to look like? Are we just building survival structures, or are we imagining something more? Who’s designing symbols that future generations will recognize and feel connected to?
Art isn’t just decoration—it’s how we build meaning into the world. If we invited artists into the earliest conversations—about cities, communities, even whole planets—what stories could we tell?
What futures could we create together?
Function, Beauty, and Future Stories
Artists see more than what is. They see what could be. We create meaning where others see limits. We ask different questions:
- What stories will future humans tell about life on Mars?
- What symbols will ground them when Earth feels far away?
- How will they create a sense of home among the stars?
Art isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s how we navigate the unknown, build cultures, and share what it means to be human. If we consulted artists early and often—here on Earth, in space, on Mars—what possibilities might we unlock?
Maybe this is what I’m taking from that book after all: technology can get us there, but it’s art that will make us stay.
What stories could we tell if artists were invited into every conversation—about cities, science, or even space
How might the future take shape if art guided us, not just technology?
I’d love to hear how you’ve seen art transform unexpected places—or how you imagine it could.
Should we not wait until the end, to consult artists early, and often?
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