kelli blake baumanand i really want to

my name is

Featured in my work are designs and concepts that will connect people, inspire them, open their eyes to things they may have missed, and give purpose, meaning, and hope to their lives.

We are all growing. I think we should grow together.

I write.I am a photographer.I am cautiously, but perpetually, optimistic.

understanding

exploration

perspective

optimism

creativity

reflection

collaboration

observation

These are the qualities that are always embodied in my work, concepts, and process.

I value working collaboratively and creatively to gain perspective and understanding of my projects.

I am optimistic about starting our future together.

By conducting an organizational audit (researching all aspects of Good Earth and their products and competition), I was able to develop a strategy that would help Good Earth raise awareness within the community.

I suggested that the small, local store grow a garden with interactive classes for children, teaching farming techniques and promoting organic gardening. This would help them understand where food comes from and the benefits of natural foods.Good Earth Natural Food Store: 2010

book developed to explain findings to the organization

concept mapping to find patterns

The Mental Help was started in fall 2011 as a collaborative transformation design project. We used affinity mapping and the simplex process to determine that mental health help is hard to find in Indianapolis, Indiana. We prototyped a website and grassroots marketing campaign that will make finding help easier.

I continued this project independently in spring 2012 and am currently seeking community support and implementation.The Mental Help Website Proposal: 2011 - 2012

The Mental Help implementation kitincludes disc with files, poster, buttons, stencil, guide book, brand guidelines

Yonsei-INDEX: Design to Improve Life Summer School: 2011, South Korea

I spent the summer of 2011 in South Korea at a summer school led by INDEX: Design to Improve Life. Here, I developed meaningful relationships with people from around the world, and worked with a cross-cultural interdisciplinary team. We developed a system design, Seoul Farmers, that would give elderly people living alone in Seoul, Korea a purposeful job in which they give back to the community.

Seoul Farmers, is an urban farming and microloan system design, allowing Seoul to become more sustainable while reducing elderly suicide rates.

Participation in this summer school allowed me to become an expert in valuable participa-tory and co-creative design methods. I became comfortable as a process facilitator which has helped me in all projects completed since re-turning from Korea. I am now skilled in getting people involved in the process of completing each task and phase of each project through the use of innovative communication methods including games, ice breakers, and creative tools such as prototyping. It was here that I realized that one of the most effect ways of learning is through making. The following pages represent some of my learning from this time.

SustainIndy Rain Garden InitiativeSpring 2012

I began helping an independent community effort to implement a rain garden in a dilapidated Indianapolis neighborhood in the summer of 2011.

Given the opportunity to choose my own project in an exhibition and environmental design class, I decided to further my ef-forts with this group and built a team to ensure its success. Soon, my team began to see the potential for the project and we worked with the city of Indianapolis to en-rich our rain garden program.

We developed a pop-up exhibit that will be easily transportable and set up for conven-tions, classes, and fairs. The exhibit will help the general population understand what rain gardens are and why they are necessary.The city is printing the banners and will use them as we intended.

I feel inspired by innovation and creative thinking, ideas and taking risks. I am more interested in exploring possibilities of function than I am in the forms that those functions take. Work is not only about the final tangible artifact for me. Rather, the thought, concept, and process that goes into creating that artifact take precedence for me.

I fervently believe that, as designers, we have the ability to help society help itself. We are responsible for giving people the tools they need to be their best selves.

The materials I use to produce my work are always well-considered. Waste is a huge problem and our natural resources are a commodity. Limiting my use of them is important to me.

When I am passionate about something, I devote myself entirely to it.

“The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” Marcus Aurelius