Stumbling Up is an independent, visual journalism publication launched in March 2026 by Tate Young, focusing on issues and solutions concerning critical resource access in local communities. For this site, critical resources are anything without which survival is impossible. This usually revolves around food, shelter, medicine, clean air, etc., but can also dip into the infrastructure around community and the democratic process.

About the Illustration

Visual journalism, and especially reportage illustration, is at the heart of Stumbling Up. Reportage illustration refers to live sketches as a method of documenting a journalistic story. The result is artwork which offers a window to the authentic moment of the story, through a more explicitly human perspective. The drawings are simply another tool to tell a story; photography is still a constant, and I look forward to creating both in my journalistic work.

While I am new to reportage illustration, you can check out my personal sketches which led me to this field here.

Artificial Intelligence Statement

No generative AI is used for Stumbling Up's copy, illustration, or graphic design elements, ever. While AI can be helpful for procedural tasks (such as querying found research materials locally or double-checking grammar), every piece of content is created by a human, and that is a promise.

A commitment to witnessing our social moment led me to pursue dual bachelor degrees in Multimedia Journalism and Anthropology from Washington State University, graduating in December 2025. My education prompted me to ask questions about the roles that journalism plays in our society, the state of the industry, and what I have to offer to our info ecosystem. These lines of questioning narrowed into my focus on critical resources and early forays into the social justice beat.

Continuing education is incredibly important to me as I continue to cover stories; I am always exploring new intersections and deeply enjoy moving between the creative and analytical.

Check out my published work in Sojourners or my photography in the Spokesman Review.

Documenting experiences came as a natural instinct long before college; I've been drawing for years, but practicing photography even before that (see my photography portfolio here). Most of my "hobby" time goes simply towards training illustration and expanding my personal art practice, but my love of good food has evolved into a perfect harmony between baking and backpacking.