Why UnMaking Boxes?

Have you seen the Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire (Se.3 Ep5)?

There’s this unforgettable Black Mirror episode where soldiers are tasked to exterminate “roaches”—what they perceive to be grotesque, otherworldly creatures. It turns out that the soldiers were programmed to see those creatures as such—and the “roaches” are in fact humans. The military figured out, that by removing the perception of one’s humanity, you removed the need for compassion towards them. Once compassion is removed—once another is “othered”—the capacity and artificial justification to oppress the “other” flourishes.

What if the opposite were true?

What if by stripping away the perceptions and biases, we were able to see reality—see the human core of every individual, and build respect and compassion for every human story?

UnMaking Boxes seeks to undo these perceptions and biases.

Envisioning the future…

My vision is to avoid and unmake conflicts big and small, by inciting curiosity, communication, compassion, connection, and creativity. 

Countless times, we are placed in a box. This box is the perception of our identity, social status, career, gender, sexual orientation, intellect, well-being and much, much more. These perceptions are imposed by others, and some are self-imposed.

Unmake your box!

There’s no time like right now to unmake your box, and create your own adventure…

You are not a box. You are your own story. Every single story is different. And your story matters. Start writing your own story today.

The Plurality of Veronica

 

The Head UnMaker’s mission

I’m Veronica, Head UnMaker at UnMaking Boxes. I started this movement because every time I listened to or read the news, I was bombarded with stories of people deeply hating each other without even knowing each other. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to start something that purposefully builds love and understanding? My mission is to create and support projects and stories that incite curiosity, communication, compassion, connection, and creativity.

What does unmaking boxes mean to me?

All my life, despite who I was at the time (note: I’m an ever-changing and growing being), people sought to put me in a box in order to understand me. “You are Haitian. You are black. You are athletic. You are female. You are selfless.” Any actions that contradicted their assumptions were met with confusion rather than acceptance. And at the beginning, I played along, and placed myself in these boxes in order to be understood.

But there was always a disconnect. There was always something off when I tried to solidify who I was. I was more than my ethnic country, or my nationality, I was just as much into the arts, as I was into sports. I was into theater as much as I was into mathematics. I loved writing, I loved designing. I loved music and dancing, just as much as I loved reading and board games. I gave myself permission to explore and enjoy all my passions and hobbies. I gave myself permission to stay curious.

Boxes cannot contain plurality

In college, I studied Arts and Letters with a special focus in film production. In university, I chose to study Communications, which entailed communications and media theory, visual communications, public relations, writing, audio production, television production, and film production. After university, I studied Graphic Design. Some time later, I studied Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I’ve been an avid learner of leadership, public speaking, literature, novel writing, poetry, theater, marketing, and more.

All this to say, the wide range of tools in my toolbox, has not only allowed me to offer new out-of-the-box perspectives to every project I tackle, but it has always allowed me to see beyond the “box,” and to connect with peers in a more meaningful way.

I love sharing my knowledge and experience. And through UnMaking Boxes and The UnMaker blog, I look forward to connecting with so many new wonderful souls, and supporting their growth as they start or continue their journey of unmaking their box and creating their own adventure.

Curious to find out more about UnMaking Boxes?

Schedule a time now for a free (and friendly) consultation.