At R+E, we often walk alongside people in the most disorienting moments of their lives. Divorce is rarely neat or predictable. It’s messy. Emotional. Complicated. It’s not just the end of a relationship—it’s the unraveling of a life you thought you understood. But there’s a metaphor we return to again and again when talking with clients: the Design Squiggle.
If you’re unfamiliar, the Design Squiggle is a visual created by designer Damien Newman. It starts with a tangled, chaotic scribble on the left and gradually straightens out into a clear, purposeful line moving to the right. Originally created to represent the creative process—from confusion to clarity—it perfectly illustrates the emotional and practical journey of divorce.
At the beginning of a divorce, everything feels like the left side of the squiggle. Emotions are high. Uncertainty clouds decision-making. Your mind spins with questions: What will happen to my kids? Can I afford to live on my own? Will I ever feel normal again? Legal complexities, emotional upheaval, financial concerns—they all tangle together. For many, it feels like there’s no clear path forward. That’s the messy beginning.
But here’s the encouraging truth: the squiggle doesn’t stay messy forever. As you keep moving forward—gaining information, setting goals, grieving the loss, and beginning to imagine a new life—the chaos begins to straighten. And eventually, you find yourself in a new flow. The squiggle gives way to a clean line. There’s focus. There’s hope. There’s direction.
Divorce is not just about an ending. It’s also about a beginning. But most people can’t see that from the start—they’re stuck in the scribble. That’s why the work we do at R+E matters. We help guide you through the confusion. We listen to your story, ask good questions, clarify your goals, and begin to sketch a strategy. Not just a legal strategy, but a personal one. A wellness strategy. A healing strategy. A future-focused strategy.
We don’t promise to untangle everything all at once. But we do promise to sit with you in the chaos, to help you take the next right step, and to remind you that the line eventually straightens. You will not always feel the way you feel right now.
If you’re in the middle of the squiggle—if your life feels like a scribbled mess of fear, anger, sadness, and doubt—we see you. And we believe in what comes next.
At R+E, we’ve seen time and again how the end of a marriage can become the beginning of something new—stronger relationships with your children, a deeper understanding of your own identity, renewed faith, or simply peace that you didn’t think was possible.
So don’t fear the squiggle. It’s part of the process. And you don’t have to go through it alone.
Let us walk with you. From chaos to clarity. From ending to beginning. From scribble to story.etours. They’re the very pages from which your greatest wisdom is being written.
