Who this?

Hello and welcome to Kolam Creative Collective! I'm Kadir Buvan (he/they), and I started this practice in 2021. At first, I offered leadership and career coaching to tech workers, however over the years this focus has shifted towards politicized art, writing and facilitation. I send out a weekly email newsletter to subscribers where I talk about the happenings and learning in my creative practice.

Kadir, a mid-fat brown person wearing sunglasses, blue jacket, light blue shell-print shirt, tan pants, sunglasses sitting on the edge of brick wall overlooking Malaga, Spain with sun on his face — Kadir (thanks to my partner for this photo)

My background

I grew up in TamilNadu, India, and I speak Tamil and English. I benefit from dominant caste/brahmin privilege. I studied Information Technology as my undergraduate major, and moved from Chennai to New York, then San Francisco and worked in tech jobs. Since 2018, I've been living in Toronto, Canada as a settler on Treaty 13 land that belongs to and is stewarded by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Wendake-Nionwentsïo, and Mississauga people.

I am queer, transgender and neurodivergent.