Tarot and oracle deck creator and all-around artistic powerhouse Coleman Stevenson of The Dark Exact joins me to talk all about the process of deck creation from concept to art to publication. In this first part of our two-episode interview, we dig into the different processes behind tarot and oracle creation, what makes a good oracle deck (and what makes a bad one), evolving traditional deck systems, and what makes a deck of cards magical. Tune in next week for Part 2, where we get into the joys and challenges of independent deck publication and running your own business! Coleman Stevenson is the author of three collections of poems (Light Sleeper, Breakfast, and The Accidental Rarefication of Pattern #5609), several books about divination and creativity including The Dark Exact Tarot Guide and two collections of card spreads, and a book of essays on creativity accompanying the card game Metaphysik. Her writing has appeared in many literary journals and anthologies and on the website tarot.com. In addition to her work as a designer of tarot and oracle decks through her company The Dark Exact, her fine art work, exhibited in galleries around the Pacific Northwest, focuses on the intersections between image and text. She has been a guest curator for various gallery spaces in the Portland, Oregon, area, and has taught tarot, poetry, design theory, and cultural studies at a number of different institutions there, most currently for the Literary Arts Delve series, which includes seminars at the Portland Art Museum. She is the co-creator of the divination series Third Eye Sundays. Find her work at colemanstevenson.com and @darkexact on Instagram. CONNECT WITH CHARLIE: TheWordWitchTarot.com Instagram @the.word.witch Patreon Buy Fifth Spirit Tarot