Emma lives in Deshkan Ziibing (Antler River), colonially known as London, Ontario. This city is on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lenaape, and Chonnonton peoples and is connected to the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. Emma is a settler of Irish, Italian, German, and French heritage. She is grateful to live with her wife near the river, and to work to build respectful and reciprocal relationships with the land, water, plants, animals, and people both in her local community and in her work.
Emma has been a graphic recorder and illustrator for over seven years. While she formally began this work in 2019, she has been engaged in the practise of listening and drawing throughout her whole life. In grade two, you could find her drawing pictures to make sense of the world around her, or practising her cursive for hours. Now, she works at conferences, meetings, team building events, and in her home studio, listening to other people’s stories and weaving them into visuals.
Emma has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Western University in Mechatronic Systems Engineering (2017). While this may not seem like a classic precursor to a career in graphic recording and illustration, it taught her a great deal about how multiple systems can harmoniously work together to create something greater than themselves. It also taught her the value of a good diagram.
In addition to continually developing her artistic skills, Emma is always seeking to deepen her systems thinking lens, and to hone how she listens and shows up in her work. She strives to honour her clients’ knowledge and experiences before, during, and after projects take place, and to be intentional and relational in this work.
Emma’s hobbies include cooking, camping, swimming, and doing little puzzles like crosswords, Sudoku, and the daily ones on LinkedIn.
