Aly Dort
Illustrator, Stationery Designer and Content Creator
I grew up immersed in the Hustle culture we’re all now well-engrossed in. After 6 years of living this lifestyle, I came to start advocating against this way of working. We live in a society that wears 80-hour work weeks as a badge of honour, but Hustle Culture is both unsustainable and making us sick.
For several years, I over-extended myself, committing all of my time and energy to work, but would burnout and subsequently be placed on a medical leave. I got caught in this perpetual cycle of working hard, burning out, working hard, burning out... And then in 2014, I got really sick and I was placed on Disability. It wasn’t until I started to recover that I realized something desperately needed to change.
I began searching for tools to help me develop and practice the skills and insight I needed to maintain a more sustainable life and quickly discovered that the tools I needed did not exist- especially in the stationery world. Stationery on the market isn’t created with us in mind. It’s designed to encourage you to schedule your life in 15 minute increments, and it’s exploiting our wellness.
So, I began to create my own.
I wanted to create engaging, beautiful and effective tools that would help support me in putting to practice the skills and knowledge I’ve learned throughout my journey. And it’s blossomed into this incredible community of more than stationery. It’s a space to share visually engaging tools and have important conversations to help empower and educate one another in a more accessible way.
And it truly sets my soul on fire to be doing this work.
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What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
Becoming an Only Parent has most definitely been my biggest stage of growth. I have learned more about resiliency and community through these past 2.5 years than I have in all of my life, and it’s really solidified that I need to be doing this work to support others like me.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
I love the podcast "The Guilty Feminist". They have a diverse cast of guests on the show that are normally left out of the conversation, and discuss incredibly important topics in an approachable way. It's also incredibly funny, and laughing is such a great anxiety relief!
What’s your deepest learning from this past year?
My deepest learning from this past year is that our world - the society we live in - really isn’t built for everyone to thrive, and that consistently advocating for change and being outspoken about the ways in which our systems work against many will make a lot of people dislike you.
And that’s ok, because change and growth is uncomfortable. Those of us with a platform to speak out and fight for change have an important responsibility to do so, and I have always felt strongly about using whatever platform I have to make a meaningful difference.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
Gosh, I'm inspired by a lot of people, but especially those who have challenged me to grow, in an empowering way. I'm inspired by those who are different from me, who have helped me expand my perception and become a better, more inclusive, version of myself.
What are the principles you live by?
Kindness and Empowerment are two principles I try to embody in everything I do. Being kind to those around you invites them to lean in, learn better and do better. Empowering them with tools and knowledge and support helps to build a stronger community... And community is everything.
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Visual Thinker, Illustrator, Mental Health & Disability Advocate, Coffee Lover, Single Mum