This PDX Design Month experience invites participants to step away from the pressures of performance-driven design and reconnect with creativity as play, presence, and gift. Using a guided framework inspired by human-centered design, participants will design for an "audience of one", moving through a process of empathy, discovery, creation, and reflection.

The experience begins with a grounding meditation and guided partner interviews to uncover authentic needs. With a $10 budget, participants will explore the iconic PSU Farmers Market as a living design lab-- engaging their senses, observing context, and allowing for an intuitive translation of insight into meaningful gift. The emphasis isn't on the object itself, but on the meaning, story, and connection behind it.

By shifting design from output to relationship, this event highlights design's power to foster gratitude, empathy, and community connection. Participants leave with renewed creative energy and a deeper appreciation for what makes Portland unique.

Attendee Takeaways:

--Reframe design as play and connection rather than performance, deadlines, or critique.

--Experience human-centered design at its most intimate scale--designing with empathy for one person.

--Rediscover gratitude and presence through a sensory, place-based creative challenge in the heart of Portland.

Naomi Veak is a coach, facilitator, and experience designer based in Portland. She blends human-centered design, ecospiritual coaching, and authentic relating practices to create transformative group experiences. Naomi has trained with IDEO, Odyssey Works, and the Earth-Based Institute, has a Master's in Education, and is certified through the International Coaching Federation. She has more than 15 years of experience in facilitation, education, and creative coaching, and designed and co-led last year’s well-attended Perception in Practice: A Guided Noticing Walk for Portland Design Month.