What do Romance Novels and a Piano Have to do with Endless Creativity?

One of my favorite things to do while in traffic is to listen to “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me”. Somehow, no matter how stuck I am, I end up laughing and feeling good. And when someone like Nora Roberts is interviewed, in addition to adding a few years to our lives from laughing so much, we’re also blessed with some casual little Insight Blasts from a creative genius: she’s had 198 books on the New York Times best-seller list.

When asked about writer’s block, or feeling like she’s run out of every possible romance or thriller story possible, Nora blithely responded “Well, there’s 88 keys on the piano, but do you run out of music?”

Another way of saying this, from Hugh McLeod:

It takes more than just sitting down for 5 minutes and expecting something brilliant immediately that will be perfect for your Instagram feed. It’s about taking time and being present with your work. And it’s about setting high expectations for yourself and holding yourself to them.

Of course, it’s a balance between knowing when to take time away from a project, and when to push through because you need to put in the work to become amazing at what you do. And you want to be amazing because you’re the ONLY person on this planet who can give what you have to give.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina

Looking for someone to capture your team's creativity?

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Thanks to you, the only available spots for the Bikablo + ConverSketch training are on the Waitlist. If you’d like to be added, please let me know ASAP.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of capturing presentations of young philanthropists at Berthoud High School as they presented about various non-profit organizations in the community doing work to support youth. They had visited with each organization and then had to decide if and how much funding from a grant they wanted to allocate. I graphic recorded, and to my delight, the teacher shared with me they had the illustrations made into plaques for each of the organizations awarded funding!

Cactus Secrets

Hello!

I’m writing to you from New Mexico, on my way to Santa Fe to graphic record for the New Mexico Allied Council on Tobacco focusing on tobacco use prevention, especially for young folks.

Here in New Mexico the landscape looks pretty harsh and barren, yet plants and animals that have adapted to this arid land not only live, but thrive where others cannot.

This week I’ll show you how I draw a cactus, and while you’re doodling this little character, I encourage you to think about your niche. How do you thrive in situations other might find difficult or impossible? What traits or skills have you developed over time that give you an edge, even when the going gets tough? Think about who you are and what makes you unique that you can share not only to set yourself apart from the rest, but even more so to share and inspire those around you.

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Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Last week I headed out to San Diego to do some graphic facilitating for a small group focusing on their collaborative design-build process and client engagement. It was one of the single longest charts I’ve ever created. We mapped the big picture steps, the tools used along the way, and when and where the clients are involved in the process. I’m always amazed at how large, complex systems can be visualized and made more clear to those in the room.

You've Got The Power!

This time of year is all about giving. And while it can be overwhelming between the list of presents, party hosting, wrapping up work and spending time with loved ones, remember that you always have a gift to share. And it doesn’t cost a thing! In fact, you’ll probably benefit from the whole thing too.

Never underestimate the power of a smile or a kind word.

Whether it’s to a stranger on the street, the folks you work with every day, or the person returning grocery carts from the parking lot to the front of the store, a smile or saying something nice can make a world of difference. And it costs nothing. And you’ll feel better too. Win/Win/Win.

My father-in-law does this really well – he always has a funny quip and a kind word for people who tend to be over-looked. I love watching these interactions because sometimes it takes people a moment to realize he’s joking with them, but they always end up with a big grin on their faces.

So, this month while it’s tempting to be caught up in your own stress or to be grumpy that you have to wait in long lines, try turning that frown upside-down and giving a word of praise or appreciation, and see if you can create a ripple effect around you.

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Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina

Need someone to help your team see just how much you've accomplished this year & then give high fives about it? Click to get in touch about your next meeting or event that could use a touch of graphic recording magic.

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

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Last week I got to spend an afternoon with leaders across the City of Fort Collins to talk about how to move beyond boundaries to work better together. Onward!

An artist, a scientist and an entrepreneur walk into a bar…

Hello!

Thanks to everyone who shared feedback on my last email. Based on what I heard, this week I’ll return to your regularly scheduled insights & drawing tips. My goal with these emails is to equip you with tools to spark ideas and creativity, so as always, if there are things you’d like to hear about or have been yearning to draw, please let me know!

When was the last time you laughed? Almost certainly it was with other people, and likely not even at a joke. It turns out that laughter is something we as humans use to bond with each other, rather than something we learn. This means it’s actually an instinct, and one that makes us feel closer with one another. Plus, it helps relieve stress and often improves your mood.

So, laughter can help us build great teams. But let’s be real here. Laughter isn’t something you can manufacture or fake, we know when it’s not genuine.

How can you create a space that inspires more laughs, and therefore more synergy between you and your team?

Try adopting a playful mentality. One way to cultivate this is with doodles and drawings. Approaching things from a place of playful curiosity tends to lead to a more optimistic and laughter-prone conversation.  The next time you find yourself tensing up and getting ready to defend something, see if you can take a moment, relax your shoulders, and ask yourself if you could take a more playful approach.

“Smile. It makes people wonder what you’re up to.” - Anonymous
 

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Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina



You've got the team, I've got the markers. Click to get in touch about your next meeting or event that could use a touch of visual storytelling humor & magic.
 

Where in the World is ConverSketch

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Research in Action! Last week I got to graphic record stories and insights from researchers at CU Anschutz Medical Campus who had spent a week immersed in two communities around Denver. They built relationships and heard needs and perspectives from people in historically underprivileged groups about how medical research could be better done and shared in their neighborhoods.

Short & Sweet - Where in the World is ConverSketch

Good morning!

It's time for some experimenting here at ConverSketch. So this week I'm keeping it short and sweet with few words and mostly images of what I'm working on. 

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Last week I worked to graphic record and co-facilitate a workshop with researchers and practitioners that help ensure disaster recovery work includes and is sensitive to the culture of the people affected.

I've also been working on a heap of videos this fall -- here's a snapshot of me painting some veggies for a restaurant in downtown New York City that is seeking to triple the impact of every dollar through its business model, and a screenshot of a video for the National Park Service on smart wildlife watching (click to see it!). Other videos in the works include research on bovine tuberculosis, fish consumption advisories, climate change in National Historic Parks, and fire mitigation strategies for homeowners.

Finally, I've been working with the Conservation Leadership Through Learning Master's program at Colorado State University to do a short training series on basic facilitation and graphic recording skills for conservation professionals. Here they are facilitating a World Cafe.

I need your help! Did you like this shorter email? Not so much? Please let me know so I can send you Email Goodies that spark creativity and are full of interesting little nuggets to make your day better.
 

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina

A Simple Way to Keep from FALL-ing Off the Crushing It Train

We’re entering the last few months of 2016, and I want to encourage you to take a step back from the day-to-day grind for a moment and think about the bigger picture you have for this year.

For those of you who have been with me since last December, this is the perfect time to revisit your Vision Board, or whatever form you might have articulated your goals for the year. If you haven’t written or drawn anything so far, take a few minutes to write down a few goals, ideas, or projects you’d like to mark “Nailed It” when 2017 rolls around.

Now ask yourself:
- What have you completed that deserves celebration?
- What’s still on there you haven’t finished, or maybe even forgot about?
- Are these things still relevant?

Take an honest look -- it’s cool, you still have ¼ of the year left! -- and decide which of these things are your top 3 priorities. Then, whip out that calendar. What do you need to do to achieve these goals? By when? I strongly suggest writing something down or making actionable goals to Get. It. Done.

This is what this looks like for me: I have my vision board posted on the wall at my desk where I see it every day. To take action, I like writing down a running list of my graphic recording & other projects and goals on a whiteboard, also next to my desk. Above that, each evening I write my top 3 priorities for the next day. This helps me keep things organized, and I get to cross things off a list when I complete them. Ahem, like so:

And now, some autumn leaves to inspire seasonal doodles. For fun try using little leaves instead of normal bullet points.

Click on the image below to see the larger version.

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Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, Karina



Need someone to help your team define shared goals...then actually move forward together? Click to get in touch about your next meeting or event that could use a touch of graphic recording magic.

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

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The US Fish & Wildlife Service is getting their story on. Here's one of many charts from the four day workshop at the end of September. 

How to Improve the way You Listen: Tips from a Professional Listener

In the age of The Device, it’s easy to be distracted by the chirp of a notification.  Which makes a conversation filled with intentional, focused and active listening a real treat to be a part of.

Graphic recorders and facilitators are essentially professional listeners – we are with the group to hear what individuals saying, listen for larger themes and reflect ideas back to the group in a clear way. We need to listen to body language and tone, and to seek to clarify and surface underlying ideas and patterns so the group we are supporting can move forward effectively and maintain their energy and momentum long-term for positive change.

This. Is. Hard. And I don’t just mean the drawing.

The way we approach listening in conversations can monumentally affect the outcomes, and yet this is something we often do subconsciously. Every person, is, of course, biased in some way. Many times, this is seen as a flaw or weakness, yet refreshingly, Anthony Weeks takes a different perspective: “Our subjectivity is our way of creating value.”

As graphic recorders, paying attention to the way we approach our work through listening, observing and intentionally focusing on applying listening filters based on the needs of the client (Do they need us to visualize facts? Emotions? Patterns? Systems?) can profoundly influence how and what we capture, and therefore the group’s outcomes.

As human beings, being conscious of the way we listen can profoundly influence our relationships with one another, and therefore our sense of connectedness and satisfaction in our work and personal lives.

Some ideas to deepen your listening practice:

- Give people time and space to process and continue by waiting three seconds before jumping in after someone has paused.
- Remember, listening is not the same as waiting to speak. Be present and ask questions to encourage clarification or exploration.
- Make space for vulnerability by not judging immediately. This doesn’t mean you must always agree. Let the person know you appreciate/love them but you may disagree. A nice way to think about this is to be hard on the idea, not the person.
- Be sure you are in a state of mind to listen well, because it takes energy to be present, withhold judgement, and be able to draw connections between ideas.

Click on the image below to see the larger version.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

 
Cheers, Karina




Deep listening, synthesis and illustration for multiple hours at a time to support your group? 
 

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Where in the World is ConverSketch?

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This week I'm working with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Their communications specialists from around the country are getting together to build connections, develop storytelling skills and share tools. Here's a few tips from Michael Smart that will be included in a Summary Map of all four days!

The Secret World of Graphic Recorders: What YOU Can Leverage From Leaders in My Field

Happy September y’all!

Just about a month ago, I was in a place I know you’ve been too: Excitement-Overload. I was headed home from a most amazing gathering of graphic recorders and visual thought leaders: the International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP) annual conference.

These three days play a huge role in the way I approach the next 12 months of the year fueled by ideas and perspectives shared by people who are leading the field and experimenting with new ways of doing this work.

By far the best part of this conference is getting to meet and connect with people whose work I admire and, almost without fail, finding out that there’s a whole lot more to admire in them than their work.

I also had some realizations about the way I want to focus my energy and approach this work to better serve my clients, which I’ve distilled down to a few key insight blasts that can conveniently be used by just about anyone.

Inspired by the brilliant Brandy Agerbeck, I seek to “be a partner, not a commodity”. By that I mean I’m someone my clients continually seek to collaborate with because I’ve done work that makes them want to get out there and really make a difference. Not simply a pretty picture, or even only during the event, but with tools, creative ideas and solutions for using the charts I create long after the event too.

Another session that stuck with me was led by the incredibly intelligent and talented Stephanie Brown on how to be a better partner for facilitators leading change processes. We all came to the conclusion that being a good partner revolves around practicing solid preparation, stellar listening, and letting them know that I have their back, and know they have mine.

Steph also posed the idea that “Organizations grow in the direction from which questions are asked.” I love the idea of crafting questions and visually capturing responses that will help my clients leap forward through uncertainty and change.
 

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Lisa Arora, from her deep well of experience and knowledge in this field, shared a question that has me rethinking the way I work with groups: “What do we want people to see, feel, and do?” This deceptively simple question now informs the way I capture different groups and sessions based on their response. Will this be part of a presentation, or is the process of capturing a difficult conversation the most important part of the work I do for a particular client?

As a Creative with a capital “C”, it can be easy to get “comparitis”. What I love about the community of graphic recorders is how generous and supportive everyone is. The last take-away I’ll share comes from Brandy again: There is room for everyone here. The most important thing to do is to be authentic.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

 
Cheers, Karina




Curious how to better utilize your graphic recording charts during and after the meeting? 
 

Here's Why I've Been So Quiet Lately

With a warm heart…hello!

July and August have been packed with adventures spanning opposite ends of the spectrum… Starting and ending with two incredibly detailed explainer videos to be prepped and filmed in half the time it normally takes. I’m super stoked to share these videos because I experimented with new techniques and styles. They are scheduled to come out early in September, and you all will be the first to know when they are fresh and viewable!

In the midst of the video-making came a trip to attend the annual IFVP conference (aka the gathering of My People).  In my next newsletter I’ll be sharing my top insights from the meeting of the thought leaders and innovators I was lucky enough to draw, learn, and laugh with for three days.

After returning with a full mind and heart and nailing the second explainer video, gears shifted entirely when we packed up and trucked off to Idaho to raft the Middle-Main Salmon River for 11 days. Yep, that meant no cell service. No internet. We didn’t even have a satellite phone. Just the music of the river, the canyon wrens, our friends’ guitar and fiddle, someone calling “fish on!” and a few hot springs bubbling up along the way. Seriously.

It always amazes me how easy it is to fall back into the rhythms of our most basic needs: food, shelter, staying safe. And, more deeply, the need to connect genuinely with the earth, with ourselves, and with those around us. While it may feel counterintuitive or stressful to completely unplug, especially as a business owner, each of us that DO can immediately feel the power of giving ourselves this time to be present, disconnect and make room for some white space. That time to let ideas mull in the background and bubble up to the top of your very own mental hot spring can give rise to some of our most important and powerful ideas.

I always bring my paints on river trips and this time I was more intentional about making time to draw. Trust me, between rowing, unpacking the boat and happy hour, it takes discipline to get the paints out! Here are a couple of my favorite plein air sketches for you to get a sneak peek this week before I go posting them on Instagram. If you haven’t already, follow me there @ConverSketch for more behind-the-scenes graphic recording and watercolor shenanigans.

Adieu for now. It’s good to be back.

Click on the images below to see the larger versions on the blog.

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I'm on a boat! Here I am in my plein air river studio -- the 12 foot raft I got to row down the Middle-Main Salmon. Lots of gratitude to my amazing husband for outfitting me with the sexy boat + setup for this trip!

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A post-trip shot of a two page spread of our camp where Indian Creek (on the right) joins the Middle Fork of the Salmon (on the left).

If you liked this, please sign up for my emails and if you'd like, I'd be so grateful if you shared it with your friends!

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

 
Cheers, Karina




Need someone to be the balance between focused and creative for your next event? Click to get in touch about your next meeting or event that could use a touch of graphic facilitation magic.

The Secret Ingredient in My Creative Productivity Recipe You Can Use Today

Being self-employed, I spend a lot of time experimenting on the perfect Creative Productivity Recipe. Right now, it seems to be something like:

• 1 part Time of Day
• 2 parts Intentional Email Time
• 1 ½ parts Tools (aka music that helps me focus like brain.fm, setting a timer, priority lists…here’s a post I wrote on my favorites)
• A dash of Coffee…
• And the Secret Spice: 2 parts Exercise and Movement

Through my own experience and through heaps of research, making time for movement throughout your work day really helps you be productive, stay healthier, and feel just plain good about life.

Although it can be tough to wake up early, I tend to feel better and get more done when I start my day off with even just 20 minutes of exercise. Working out early gets your metabolism cranking, and makes me feel like I’ve gotten something done first thing, which sets the tone for a productive day.

Here’s a few ideas to help you lead by example to curate a culture of movement in your workplace:

• It can be super easy to get up and take “microbreaks” during the day to get your body moving, no matter where you’re working. I like to drink a lot of water so I’m hydrated, I get up to fill my water glass, and, yep, use the ladies’ room, which gets me up and walking around.  
• Another strategy is taking a phone call outside or if you have a meeting that lends itself, try taking a stroll instead of just sitting in a conference room. Or, if you’re Google, you have a conference bike (drool). There may be one or two of these in Fort Collins too…
• I also enjoy taking time to eat in a different place than I’m working. This gets me up, with a different perspective (literally), and helps me feel refreshed when I get back to work.

One key to successful breaks for me is mindset. If I allow myself specific times to work and take breaks, I'm more likely to truly let go rather than feel like I'm procrastinating or "should" be working. 

Click on the image below to see the larger version.

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Do you notice a difference in your productivity when you get up and move around, or make time to exercise? Impart your wisdom below so others can learn from your strategies!

If you liked this tip, please sign up for my emails and if you'd like, I'd be so grateful if you shared it with your friends.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

 
Cheers, Karina



Want to get a move on your big ideas? Great news! Click to get in touch about your next meeting or event that could use a touch of graphic facilitation magic to connect, inspire and help your team take action!

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

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San Francisco, baby! I had a blast working with a forward-thinking, innovative and inspiring team and doing some digital graphic recording for them. Although the content is for their eyes only, here's a snippet of my work getting digital.