Welcome to this new iteration of my podcast, which was called Making Design Circular and now has the same name as my Substack, Brackish. Brackish is a term used to describe water that is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, for example, where a river meets the sea. I first encountered it sitting in a boat in just such water and it immediately became one of my favourite words. I am fascinated by intersections, liminal and littoral spaces, overlaps and interconnections, and I want to use this space to explore all of those things – the ideas that don’t fit into neat boxes. So, I’ll be exploring those things here – the places where craft meets nature, where the rules don’t apply and ‘shoulds’ start to fall away. Which brings me to the second meaning of the word brackish. As well as meaning ‘somewhat salty’ in very neutral terms, it has also come to mean ‘unpalatable’ or ‘repulsive’. I didn’t know this until after I decided upon it as a name, but as a woman in her middle years, who is relearning how to take up space, I am so here for that alternative definition! From occasional ‘salty’ language to refusing to adhere to feminine standards of beauty or behaviour, I am leaning into my brackish era – and I’m doing it here with some brilliant women and non-binary folks who are doing the same.

brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com