My practice is the way I choose to move through the work: the values, relationships, curiosities, and ways of working that shape what I make and how I collaborate.

Gratitude

If you’re reading this and if you’re considering reaching out to collaborate on a product I am grateful for you.

A big part of my personal and professional practice is a deep gratitude for the connections and collaborations that have crossed my path. I see my journey through graphic recording as a way of supporting storytelling and helping ideas and communities pollinate; deeply personal and gratifying work.

I’m extremely grateful to do this work, to keep learning it, and to grow this beautiful skill. It’s work I’m very excited to prioritize right now.

A simple illustration of a person with a bald head, wearing a pink dress, surrounded by small red hearts and sparkling stars inside a circular border.
Drawing of three people sitting around a table, with a speech bubble above them, inside an orange circle.

Collaboration

This is why I call my work Visualeyez WITH Chenise, rather than BY Chenise.

I don’t make this work alone: I may be the person holding the pen but what we end up with comes from somewhere in between: your ideas, your questions, your stories, and your conversations help shape the final piece.

Not everyone sees themselves as creative or as a “visualizer” (and they are wrong). We all have ways of seeing, noticing, imagining, and making meaning. It is my absolute pleasure to help people and communities do that.

Your contribution isn’t simply welcome: it’s vital. I need your reactions, your feedback, your questions, and your instincts; the work becomes what it is through that exchange.

I don’t want to make something for you. I want to make something with you.

A colorful illustration of a heart-shaped design featuring three children standing inside it, with decorative elements like leaves and small flowers around.

Relationship

I want to be in relationship with the people I work with: to listen closely, stay curious, and make space for what I don’t know yet.

I value relationships where there is room to be honest, to ask questions, to learn from one another, and to make mistakes without needing to get everything right.

I’m interested in relationships that allow everyone involved to grow. The work gets better when we’re not just exchanging deliverables, but paying attention to each other.

Two simplified human figures holding a small plant with leaves, surrounded by a circular border.

Commitment

I am committed to the communities I am a part of and tied to, whose liberation is deeply tied to mine, and to the world I want to live in.

This means I care about how people, communities, and the land are represented. I aim to make work that is authentic and responsive to the people it represents, to the places it comes from, and to the realities surrounding it.

I want to stay informed. I want to keep learning. I want to be accountable to the communities I am connected to and thoughtful about the stories I help tell.