Minds In Design

A Space for Imagination to Be Brought to Life

Minds In Design is an independent creative and publishing company founded by author and artist Makitia Thompson.

At its foundation, M.I.D. exists for one simple idea:

Imagination deserves somewhere to become real.

What begins as an idea can become a story. A story can become a book. A book can become an entire world. A painting can become an image that communicates something words cannot. A thought can become an essay, a character can become a voice, and a fictional world can grow far beyond the pages where it first began.

Minds In Design is the space where those things come together.

Rather than limiting itself to one form of creativity, M.I.D. brings together writing, publishing, storytelling, artwork, worldbuilding, companion content, and other creative projects under one independent platform.

This website serves as a central home for that work.

WHAT IS MINDS IN DESIGN?

Minds In Design is an independent creative platform built around the work of Makitia Thompson.

It began as a place for creative ideas to take shape and has grown alongside the work itself. What started with a focus on art eventually expanded into writing and independent publishing, creating a broader creative environment where different forms of expression could exist together.

Today, M.I.D. encompasses several interconnected areas:

Publishing
Original novels, series, companion publications, and other written works.

Storytelling
Fictional worlds, characters, histories, documents, perspectives, and stories that extend beyond a single book.

Artwork
Original artwork created by Makitia Thompson and made available through selected art and print platforms.

The M.I.D. Universe
The larger creative framework surrounding the stories, companion material, blog content, fictional archives, and other pieces of the worlds being developed.

The Journal
Free articles, creative reflections, behind-the-scenes material, publishing updates, and other content created for readers and visitors.

These areas are different, but they are not separate.

They are different expressions of the same creative process.

THE IDEA BEHIND THE NAME

Minds In Design comes from the belief that imagination is not simply something that happens inside a person's mind.

Ideas can be designed.

They can be shaped, developed, questioned, rebuilt, expanded, and eventually brought into the world.

A story may begin with a single thought.

A character may begin with a name.

A painting may begin with a feeling, an image, or a blank canvas.

A fictional universe may begin with one question:

What if?

M.I.D. is interested in that process.

The company is not built around the idea that every creative project has to look the same. Instead, it embraces the fact that creativity can move in different directions.

Some ideas belong on a page.

Some belong on a canvas.

Some require an entire fictional universe.

And some are best explored through a conversation, an article, or a piece of behind-the-scenes writing.

Minds In Design provides a home for all of them.

INDEPENDENT BY DESIGN

Minds In Design is independently created and operated.

That independence is an important part of the company's identity.

Independent publishing allows the creative process to remain closely connected to the person creating the work. It allows stories to develop according to their own needs rather than being forced into a predetermined mold.

That does not mean every project is created without structure.

Quite the opposite.

M.I.D. places considerable importance on the development of ideas, continuity, presentation, storytelling, and the relationship between individual works and the larger creative world surrounding them.

The goal is to create work that feels intentional.

A publication should not simply exist because it can.

It should have a reason to exist.

PUBLISHING

Writing and publishing are now at the center of Minds In Design.

The M.I.D. publishing catalogue includes original fiction across genres including:

Horror
Thriller
Mystery
Suspense
Romance
Poetry
Fictional Documentary Novels
Fantasy
Fictional Memoirs

Some stories exist as individual publications.

Others become larger projects.

The most extensive example is the House Of Witnesses series and its expanding Witness Universe.

M.I.D. currently publishes the first four novels of the series alongside companion material that allows readers to explore aspects of the universe that cannot be fully contained within the main novels.

The publishing catalogue will continue to grow as new stories and projects are completed.

You can explore the current publications through the Books section of this website.

HOUSE OF WITNESSES

Among the company's largest ongoing creative projects is House Of Witnesses a series  created by Makitia Thompson.

The series is more than a sequence of novels.

It is the foundation of a larger fictional universe containing characters, institutions, histories, records, companion stories, testimonies, documents, and other material designed to expand the world beyond the primary narrative.

The first four novels are currently available, with additional installments in development.

The series has also led to the creation of companion publications and other forms of Witness Universe material.

For readers who want to explore beyond the novels, the House Of Witnesses section of this website serves as a central entry point.

THE M.I.D. UNIVERSE

The M.I.D. Universe is the larger creative environment surrounding the stories and content produced through Minds In Design.

It includes more than published novels.

It can include:

  • fictional worlds

  • companion stories

  • alternate perspectives

  • testimonies

  • fictional documents

  • archives

  • character material

  • worldbuilding

  • author-created records

  • blog content

  • behind-the-scenes development

  • and other experimental forms of storytelling

Some pieces may exist directly inside a fictional universe.

Others may discuss the process of creating that universe.

The purpose is not to make every piece of content part of one giant story.

The purpose is to create a creative ecosystem where stories can be explored from different angles.

The M.I.D. Universe page on this website will serve as a guide to that larger ecosystem.

ART

Writing is not the only form of creativity represented through Minds In Design.

Artwork remains an important part of the company's creative identity.

Makitia Thompson's artwork explores visual ideas independently from her publications while also existing alongside the imaginative worlds that inspire her creative work.

Selected artwork is available as prints and products through Redbubble, while canvas artwork is available through Saatchi Art.

The M.I.D. website provides a central place to discover the artwork and find the appropriate destination for each piece.

The art does not exist simply as merchandise surrounding the books.

It is another part of the creative work.

You can explore the Artwork section to see what is currently available.

THE JOURNAL

Not everything created through Minds In Design needs to become a book.

The M.I.D. Journal provides space for everything in between.

The website's free blog content may explore subjects such as:

  • writing

  • storytelling

  • worldbuilding

  • independent publishing

  • the creative process

  • artwork

  • upcoming projects

  • publication updates

  • reflections on creating fictional worlds

  • behind-the-scenes material

  • and other subjects connected to the work of M.I.D.

The Journal is intentionally free.

It is a place for visitors to discover the person and creative process behind the publications without needing to purchase anything.

Sometimes the best introduction to a creative project is not a sales page.

Sometimes it is an idea.

MORE THAN A STORE

This website is home to the M.I.D. bookstore, but Minds In Design is larger than the bookstore.

Books are one part of the experience.

The website is designed to allow visitors to discover the work before deciding where they want to go next.

You may arrive looking for a book and discover a fictional universe.

You may arrive because of a story and discover artwork.

You may find an article and become curious about a publication.

You may come for one project and discover something completely different.

That is intentional.

M.I.D. is designed as a central creative space rather than a single-purpose storefront.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Every project begins differently.

There is no single formula for where an idea comes from.

Sometimes it begins with a character.

Sometimes it begins with an atmosphere.

Sometimes it begins with a question.

Sometimes it begins with an image.

And sometimes an idea refuses to leave.

Minds In Design is interested in what happens after that first spark.

The development process can involve research, outlining, experimentation, rewriting, visual development, worldbuilding, character development, publication planning, and countless decisions that readers may never see.

The finished work is only the visible portion.

Behind every publication is a much larger process.

M.I.D. is interested in that process too.

A GROWING CREATIVE HOME

Minds In Design is still evolving.

New books will be published, existing fictional universes will expand and artwork will continue to develop.

The Journal will continue to grow.

New creative experiments will find their place. Some projects will be planned years in advance, others may appear because an idea suddenly demands attention.

That flexibility is part of what makes M.I.D. what it is.

The company is not intended to remain exactly as it is today.

It is intended to grow with the work.

WELCOME TO MINDS IN DESIGN

Whether you are here because you discovered a book, found an article, came across a piece of artwork, or simply wanted to learn more about the person behind the work, you are welcome here.

Explore the publications.

Enter the fictional worlds.

Read the Journal.

Discover the artwork.

Follow the projects as they develop.

And, most importantly, explore the ideas.

Because Minds In Design was built around a simple belief:

A creative idea should have somewhere to go.

This is that place.

EXPLORE M.I.D.

Books | Explore the published works and available ebooks.

House Of Witnesses | Enter the Witness Universe and discover the novels and companion content.

M.I.D. Universe | Explore the machinery, worlds, stories, content, and creative systems behind the work.

Artwork | Discover original artwork and available prints and canvas pieces.

Journal | Read free articles, updates, creative reflections, and behind-the-scenes content.

Behind The Author | Meet Makitia Thompson and learn about the creator behind Minds In Design.