Our Mission: Mature your project.

We are John and Melissa Tillman, The Tillhumans. Nice to meet you. Why Tillhuman? Scroll to the bottom for that explanation, but first...

What is a Tillhuman Project?

It’s your project, with our help. A Tillhuman Project is a project that grows up into what you envision it to be. Do you need a book? A performance? A blog? A speech? A script? A song? A poem? A sermon?

It might start small. It might just be a lump of dirt or clay. But we shape it, add to it, form it, breathe life into it, and get it up on its feet. No matter where you are in that process, we can help.

We specialize in projects that are human, heartfelt, and helpful.

Human: Human means more than just “not Ai.” It means considering the human element in writing, reading, and communicating. This affects the words chosen and metaphors applied. It affects the shaping of arguments and the logic of paragraphs. It means considering the effects of the topic on human lives, and the voices of humans who have already spoken about the topic.

Heartfelt: Heartfelt doesn’t mean just one type of feeling. The human heart has ranges of emotions and heartfelt writing strikes the best emotional tone for the moment. It means speaking to the scared and the brave, to the humiliated and the proud, to the downtrodden and the victorious, to the angry and the mourning, to the caring and the complacent. It means being funny or factual or both at the same time. It means not being manipulative, but meeting humans where they are and inspiring them toward better.

Helpful: Helpful means being more than informative. It means empowering transformations. The transformation from ignorance to knowledge requires well organized information. The transformation from knowledge to wisdom requires well organized thinking. The transformation from observer and critic to doer and leader of good things requires the spark of motivation.

If you are working on a project that seeks to be human, heartfelt, and helpful, we want to help. Book a free meeting with us to discuss your project and budget and see what we can do together.

What kind of help?

We have a lot of experience and tools in our gig bag. We can do writing, editing, proofreading, brainstorming, experience design, event planning, performing, puppeteering, email marketing, project management, even craft services...

We can help your project in many ways, but writing is the primary way because, Every project starts (and improves) with writing.

Why is writing key?

Writing is how ideas become real. Writing is how you think. Writing is how you lead. Writing is how you organize. Writing is how your project matures, stands on its feet, takes its first steps, begins to run, and leaps beyond your dreams. Writing is involved in every part of the creative process.

Writing your goals, vision, or needs, leads to writing your plans, explaining your thinking, and developing your designs.

What Can We Help You Do?

Why “Tillhuman”?

Tillhuman is a joke on our last name, Tillman. It is also a reminder that Innovation is often the result of not getting your first (or second, or third) choice.

Here’s the story. 

A friend used to refer to my wife and I as “Tillpersons” shortly after we got married. We liked the nickname and used it ourselves. Not long after that, I was searching for an online moniker, handle, and email address. But when I looked up “tillperson” and several variants, they were already taken. So I tried “tillhuman” and have used it for decades since then.

We hope you'll choose to work with us to develop your project though innovation that doesn't give up until it works.