WORDS BY

How Wild Dirt built the "Whale Guardians", a Flow Trip Magazine Whale Issue, article

We set out to tell a big story. "Whale Guardians" originated as a comprehensive feature on Indigenous practices of whale conservation, informed by conversations with leaders and knowledge keepers from the Makah of Neah Bay, the Māori of Aotearoa, and voices connected to the Butchulla and Iñupiat communities. It was ambitious.

From day one, our teams aligned on a simple idea: center the story around the people who have a relationship with the whales they conserve. Interviews shaped our outline. This is often how we work when developing a story, article, interview; center around the people. Photos followed the story, not the other way around. The final Flow Trip version condensed a much longer draft into a focused feature that readers could navigate in a single sitting without losing depth or context.

Listen first, write second, and have the people at the center tell the story.

Listening Before Writing

Our first task was not typing. It was listening. We reached out to culture bearers, asked permission, and leaned into learning before writing. In Neah Bay, we learned how the Makah's treaty rights and modern research programs coexist with ceremonial responsibilities. In Aotearoa, we learned how kaitiakitanga guides Māori-led conservation and why traditional knowledge remains central to global stewardship. The goal was not to harvest quotes. It was to understand responsibilities, language, and context well enough to avoid flattening them.

Writing for Accuracy and Trust

Inside Wild Dirt, drafts went through multiple passes to check facts, terms, and tone. We vetted names, spellings, and place references. We trimmed anything that felt extractive or sensational. Accuracy and trust are the real currency of a conservation story. When Flow Trip's editors stepped in, they helped us tighten transitions and keep the reader close to the people at the center. The final arc is lean with a strong spine.

Images with Purpose

Finding the right images was a collaborative effort that involved considering both mood and meaning. We searched for visuals that honored place, scale, and relationship: the coastline as an ancestor, tools as a symbol of continuity, and portraits that carry dignity. The Flow Trip creative team helped us translate ideas into visuals that read clearly without cliché.

Narrowing the Scope

The earliest draft traveled from the Arctic to the South Pacific, blending history, ceremony, and science. The Flow Trip version keeps focus on the Makah and Māori while acknowledging the broader context. That narrowing served the story, allowing space for details to breathe and leaving readers with both a sense of place and a sense of practice.

What's On The Horizon

Flow Trip's mission is rooted in oneness, connection, and the idea that love, giving, commitment, and growth are practices that shape culture. Partnering on the Whale Issue showed us how values can guide creative work as much as strategy. Together, we honored Indigenous voices and carefully matched images to stories.