Good Grief — An Introduction

A creative exploration of grief, loss, endings and new beginnings

Good Grief

Good Grief is a newsletter bringing a creative perspective to conversations of grief, loss, endings and, inevitably, new beginnings. This exploration is an extension of C d’O Studio, a creative studio that exists to inspire more delight, curiosity and connection in the world, and this sacred corner of the internet is no exception.

Death is Ready for a Rebrand

My foray into death work tends to spark a mixed bag of reactions—some lean in and get curious, while others contract and seem noticeably (and understandably) uneasy. A lot of people have also never heard of a death doula, commonly defined as someone who provides emotional, practical, and spiritual support to people who are dying, their circle of support (family/friends) or anyone who wants to build a better relationship with death. Over the last decade, I’ve co-created a wide range of personal and consumer experiences—fashion shows, weddings, gifting, hospitality projects, tech platforms, restaurants, and so much more. As someone who has built a career reacquainting feeling with design, it’s no surprise the death industry is calling—complex feelings aplenty, but so little successful design. Loss is one of the most common human experiences in our lifetime, and yet, where is the beauty? After a steady stream of loss over the last several years, I’ve come to find just how much possibility lives in that question.

“I think of beauty as an absolute necessity. I don’t think it’s a privilege or an indulgence, it’s not even a quest. I think it’s almost like knowledge, which is to say, it’s what we were born for. I think finding, incorporating and then representing beauty is what humans do. With or without authorities telling us what it is, I think it would exist in any case. […] I don’t think we can do without it any more than we can do without dreams or oxygen.”

TONI MORRISON

Death design is my creative response to an industry that is in desperate need of a rebrand—think where human-centered design, a highly intuitive approach to innovation, meets Toni Morrison’s unwavering belief in beauty as a necessity. The best of both form and function. Grief and loss extend far beyond the passing of our loved ones and ourselves—loss of friends, friendships, homes, jobs, businesses, romantic relationships (no matter how consciously uncoupled) and even unrealized dreams. We’re dancing with grief every time our lives don’t unfold the way we think they will. In the face of so much suffering, which exists in many different shapes and sizes, we also might not feel permission to fully express our grief.

“Grief is fierce. Grief is not depression. It is a wild energy. It's feral. It's difficult. But we can come into relationship with it. I think that's part of our aliveness. I think when you meet someone who has digested grief adequately, they're not numb, they're not flattened. They're actually quite alive.”

FRANCIS WELLER, Guest on Anderson Cooper’s Podcast, All There Is (2023).

Perhaps what has helped me grow the grief muscle will feel as supportive and inspiring for you as it has for me. So, welcome. Having you here and sharing this experience brings this work to life.

Monthly on Sunday Mornings

I once heard that the reason we were blessed with two hands was so we could carry both heavy and light at the same time, and that’s what you can expect here—transformative conversations, art in all forms and cultural insights that have beautifully expanded my vocabulary of grief and loss. In a digitally trending world, grief work feels like the humbling antidote that makes us feel most human. That’s also the miraculous thing about art, “It can get us to places that we can't get to any other way.” — ANDREW GARFIELD, Modern Love (2024).

We’ll meet in your inbox on the occasional Sunday morning because this content is not meant to disrupt or intercept you in the middle of your busy day, it’s meant to serve as a gentle reminder for how brief and precious our time together is on this, as my friend Boo called it, little blue marble.

More soon,

K