A Freelancer’s Favorites: Illustrated Tips for Working From Home

First of all, I want to say the last two weeks have been surreal, and we all deserve a deep breath.

I’ve been delighted by the intentional way people are being good to each other and despite massive shifts and challenges, I am holding the energy that we will come through COVID better than we were before.

As I’ve been hearing stories of the challenges of shifting to working from home, I wanted to share a few of the tips I’ve learned from other entrepreneurs, as well as through trial and error over the past 6 years of owning my business and working out of a home office.

Without further ado — I give you: llustrated Tips for Working From Home!

Click through on each to see the different tips!

If you need a daily dose of uplifting stories, I love @Upworthy on Instagram. And of course for mellow snippets of the garden, chickens, and bees, come on over to my feed too!

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,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

At Home! I hope you are too :) Even though live events have been cancelled for the next few weeks, I’m always impressed with how my clients adapt and innovate on the fly, and I’ve been live digital graphic recording for a few projects on Zoom.

Phoenix, AZ At the third annual ShapingEDU Unconference. This group in particular is on the cutting edge of technology and learning, and there’s no other group I’d rather adjust on the fly with. We went from a hybrid in-person and remote meeting on the first day to fully remote on the second — more on that in the next newsletter!

If you’re finding yourself on more video calls than ever before and need a way to keep participants focused and anchoring participants to a common story (theirs!), let’s explore how to leverage digital graphic recording or remote facilitation for you!

How To Get The Money Shot

Netflix recently released a series called Abstract. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of design and follows an individual or team who exemplifies excellence in their field. My favorite so far has been about the photographer Platon.

If you haven’t heard of him, you’ve almost certainly seen his portraits. Although the subjects are often famous and familiar, they are different than other photos you see; shot by film, crystal-clear, mostly black and white images.

But none of those things are what sets Platon apart. Shooting with nice lenses and film doesn’t guarantee world leaders and movie stars seek him out to take their portraits. Even honing a skill to the degree he has is not what makes a Platon special.

What sets him apart is the way he interacts with his subjects. He does his research and knows about the person, but does not make assumptions. He asks informed questions and gives succinct direction to his subject for the photo.

But most of all, he listens to them. He genuinely wants to hear their answers. And he listens not only to what they’re saying, but their body language as well.

And in such deep, authentic listening, Platon gets his subjects to drop their walls, to be vulnerable - even if just for the tiniest moment - and that’s the magic he captures.

As a graphic facilitator, it's imperative to listen, visually capture, and be absolutely authentic with the groups I work with. This is nothing new, I’ve certainly written about it a few times, yet it persists as a timeless lesson about the power each of us has inside to truly connect authentically with another.

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

Authentic engagement sounds pretty good...I want to find out about adding some visuals to support my team.

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Back at it again in Salt Lake! Yesterday I was graphic recording for the SLC Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors Annual Retreat. Here’s a snapshot of their meeting – including the placement of a time capsule!

Also back at it with a new video! Editing is under way for the first of three Wildfire Research videos. You’ll be the first to know when it’s out!