UiLY is a poetry collective that I founded with five of my closest friends. Birthed from an idea I had on a plane, this collective is centered around the theme of unrequited love. We set out to write about romance and relationships, yes, but also other kinds of love that go unreturned. The love (and lack of it) between people and places, between us and our own bodies, or even between us and our cats.

Over the past three years, we’ve created a website, started a weekly Substack newsletter, and hosted five poetry events / parties in NYC. It’s been a wild ride that has sharpened our writing, deepened our friendships, and connected us to people all over the world.

In addition to founding and writing in the collective, I also created a mini brand identity for us. Getting to be a part of this project both as a writer and designer has shaped my creative process in so many ways. But the biggest takeaway has been this: if you can make an idea look both beautiful and real, even before it’s become anything, inspiration and excitement will follow.