Introducing the Drawing Business Buzzwords Series - Creativity

Hello and welcome to this week's ConverSKETCH!

This week I'm stoked to introduce the Drawing Business Buzzwords series!

A lot of events I graphic record revolve around discussions focused on intangible concepts that are integral to capture and for participants to understand, but are difficult to draw without some thought. 

I figured if I have trouble creating visuals for these concepts on the spot and this is my job, maybe some of you doodlers out there could use a hand as well!

So the next few ConverSKETCHes we'll take a look at how I like to make the intangible a little easier for teams and individuals to relate to.

Now, here’s this week's drawing tip:

Want to feel more creative? DON'T WORRY WHAT YOUR DRAWING LOOKS LIKE! I mean, yes, do TRY, but do not limit yourself or miss an opportunity to clarify an idea by using a simple doodle or drawing. 

Some words of inspiration to kick start that drawing of yours!

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 
- Sylvia Plat

"To live a creative life, we must lose fear of being wrong."
- Joseph Chilton Pearce
 
Ready to give it a go?

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Now I want to hear from you!

There are a million and one ways to approach drawing things like Creativity. What's yours?

Come on over to the blog and upload your drawing in the comments section to share your unique style and inspire the community!

Did you like this drawing tidbit? 

Please sign up for my emails and if you'd like, share this with all your friends you think might enjoy some fast, free and fun ConverSKETCHes!

Thanks for reading! Keep drawing and making your unique, positive imprint on the world!

Cheers, Karina

ConverSKETCH - Draw on the Power of Emotions to Connect to Your Audience!

Hello and welcome to this week's ConverSKETCH!

It's been a full two weeks since the first ConverSKETCH was sent out, and I have been inspired by your stories about how you've been using the drawing tips!

From enhancing student understanding with whiteboard drawings in higher education, to encouraging nephews to get creative with drawing their family and pets, I have loved hearing how you're taking these tips and making them your own!

Research shows that graphic recording, drawing and doodling helps you be more creative, collaborative and understand ideas better. Did you know it helps you remember nuggets of information better too? And this week's drawing tip will help you make your drawings even more memorable!

Now, here’s this week's drawing tip:

Did you know that if you associate a memory or idea with an emotion you're more likely to remember it? Now that you've mastered drawing people, try adding some emotion to their faces to really get your idea across. (Did you miss the first ConverSKETCH? You can see it on the blog!)

Not sure how to show the difference between surprise and scared? Use eyebrows to make emotions pop in your drawings.
 
Ready to give it a go?

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Now I want to hear from you!

Come on over to the blog and upload your drawing in the comments section to share your unique style and inspire the community!

What variations did you come up with? How are you using this Sketch? And of course, any questions, epiphanies, and requests for future ConverSKETCHes!

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Last week I went to Mexico City to work with BASF Chemistry and IdeaGuides for a creative brainstorming session...EN ESPAÑOL! While I can't say much about what they talked about, I can share this image above of some of the brainstorming methods they used. 

Fun fact: the phrase for "brainstorm" in Spanish is "lluvia de ideas" which translates to "rain of ideas"!

Did you like this drawing tidbit? 

Please sign up for my emails and if you'd like, share this with all your friends you think might enjoy some fast, free and fun ConverSKETCHes!

Thanks for reading! Keep drawing, and do the best you can to make your unique, positive difference in this world!

Cheers, Karina

ConverSKETCH 3 Fast, Easy People

Hello!

Are you ready to unleash your inner artiste? It amazes me over and over how a simple drawing can help solve complex problems, or illuminate new approaches to doing something, or show how ideas might be more connected than we thought.

I'll be posting a new drawing tip every two weeks with the intention of sharing fun, easy ways to include drawings in your meetings, notes, classes or research to inspire a new idea, encourage collaboration, and help you remember things a little better.

And if you're interested in going beyond these drawing tips in your inbox, I love working with small groups or individuals to do graphic recording training. Shoot me an email if you're interested in learning more!

Here’s your first drawing tip:

Try adding simple people to your notes. As humans, we tend to be interested in what people, even hand-drawn stick people, are doing. Draw these little peeps next to notes to remind you of something that was exciting, an action item, or someone you need to follow up with.

Ready to give it a go?

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Now I want to hear from you!

Upload your drawing in the comments section below to share your unique style and inspire the community!

What variations did you come up with? Did you add any emotions or flair to you people? How are you using this Sketch? And of course, any requests for future ConverSKETCHes!

Want this in your inbox? 

Please sign up for my emails and if you so desire, share this with all your friends you think might enjoy some fast, free and fun ConverSKETCHes!

Thank you so much for visiting, and keep doing your best to make your unique, positive difference in this world!

Cheers, Karina

It's Coming Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day! For what? For your drawing skills to get some love!

I'll be sending out regular emails with a fun, free and fast drawing tip and step-by-step instructions to give your visual vocabulary a boost. Like this beaut below...

So sign up on the Contact Page and if you know of anyone you think would like this, please share it with them too!

See you in your inbox! 

Cheers, Karina

Spring - Nature's way of saying "Let's party!"

I love this quote from Mr. Robin Williams, it just encapsulates the energy of spring and the music of the earth waking up after winter. 

This spring has been particularly full of energy and life for ConverSketch...meaning the blog updates have been thin but I've been on the ground (or the paper, if you will) with several big projects. Here's a snapshot of what I've been up to!

Visual facilitation for the Colorado State University Dryland Collaborative Knowledge and Learning Network:

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Partners from Kenya, Mongolia and the Western US visualize their successful collaborative.

Illustrating the City of Fort Collins' Journey to World Class video:

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Coming soon to the Internet near you!

Graphic recording the Colorado State University Agricultural Innovation Summit: 

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A lively and challenging discussion on water and agriculture in the West.

Months of planning and research went into the two-day visual facilitation for the Colorado State Forest Service Strategic Planning meeting. All the charts I created are proprietary, but here's a nice shot of the Nokhu Crags, an area managed by CSFS and near and dear to my heart:

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Photo: Aaron LaVanchy. Rippin' snowboarder: Spencer Branson

Graphic recording for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Native National Partnership meeting:

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A synthesis graphic done during the two day retreat.

Graphic recording the University of Colorado Denver's Food Justice Symposium:

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There's plenty of other exciting projects in the works, including the launch of a quiet and helpful email sent to you regularly (but not too regularly) for drawing tricks, inspiration and updates from me! Stay tuned!

2014 -- An International Whirlwind

Hello everyone, and Happy 2015!

The last couple of months of 2014 got international real quick -- after Sydney I popped over to Barcelona, Spain to work with LDK Consultants on their Sustainable Water Integration Management (SWIM) steering committee meeting. Then at the end of December I headed back to Samburu, Kenya to co-lead a two week volunteer tourism trip through Colorado State University for the fourth year.

The SWIM event was inspiring on many levels and I felt appreciative to be listening to lively and thoughtful discussion about a topic that is near and dear to my heart: water. Growing up in the high plains of Colorado using water wisely has always been something I have been conscious of. Seeing LDK bring together a diverse group of people from Mediterranean countries such as Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine to talk sustainable water management in a changing climate was fascinating.

Kenya was a vacation from ConverSketch in one sense because I did no graphic recording and had no access to a phone or internet connection for two weeks, so I was able to disconnect and be completely present with our group. I was, however, still in facilitator mode to some degree as each year I take the lead in group reflection activities so students have the chance to process what they are experiencing.

For many of these students it is their first time to Africa, and for some their first trip outside of the US. It is an eye-opening experience as we are in a very rural area of Kenya where access to clean water, food, medicine, women's rights, education and poverty are very real every day. We work with two women's villages and a local school to build or repair homes and shade structures, cut back invasive plants, paint classrooms and teach English, math and science at a local primary school, and most importantly build relationships and share with each other.

This community has taught me an immense amount about resilience, perseverance, kindness, optimism, hard work, and love. They change the lives of our CSU group each year in the best way possible through their open hearts, laughter and desire to do their best on this planet.

If you're interested in learning more about how to support education in this area check out the Samburu Youth Education Fund, an organization I've worked closely with that funds scholarships for students in Samburu to attend secondary school. Scholars are selected by local teachers for their academic marks and leadership, and an equal number of girls and boys are funded each year.

Sydney World Parks Congress

"To touch a woman is to touch a rock." Words of wisdom from an intimate session with global female leaders and Luvuyo Mandela, the great-grandson of Mr. Nelson Mandela sharing their thoughts on women and how they will be impacted by climate change (8'x4')

November was highlighted for me by the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia. This even happens once every 10 years and is an opportunity for people around the world to share stories, help each other and better understand the state of what is happening in our world's protected areas.  I was brought on to graphic record for the National Park Service as they co-led the Responding to Climate Change Stream, one of eight major themes throughout the week-long event attended by over 6,000 people from around the world.

Below are images of live and on-site studio recordings from the event -- the latter synthesizing key ideas reported over 5 days of sessions in the Stream.

It was inspiring and humbling to see so many passionate people around the world working and making commitments to improve our global terrestrial and marine protected areas.

Live capture of artistic expressions of climate change by young women ages 12-19 presented at the World Parks Congress (8'x4')

A large-scale synthesis of the journeys participants went on during the Responding to Climate Change Stream (16'x4')

A Week of Giving Back

This week has been about giving back. It started off doing some graphic recording for Colorado State University's Center for Public Deliberation as students facilitated an event for the City of Fort Collins' new initiative to plan for green space in the city in the future called Nature in the City. The folks running the project solicited input from city leaders on what kinds of parks, green spaces, and wildlife habitat were most visually appealing to them and why, to guide the planning process.

Students share their map of a conservation collaborative.

I also had the opportunity to be a guest teacher in three classes at Colorado State University this week teaching about graphic recording, visual thinking and participatory decision-making. Working with both graduate and undergraduate students focusing on Conservation Leadership and collaborative conservation, I shared my thoughts on how visual thinking can be a useful tool when working with diverse groups and complex situations.

The students blew me away with their willingness to jump in with both feet and a rainbow palette of markers to process the projects they are working on. Many of the graduate students will be traveling internationally next spring to partner with agencies across the globe to help research and implement conservation work.

Conservation Leadership through Learning students discussing their program and projects.

Additionally, I'm delighted to do some drawing for the FoCo Cafe, a pay-what-you-can restaurant rooted in local food, building community, sharing stories and meals, and every person should be treated with dignity. Here's a "before" snapshot of the large chalk boards that will show and describe how the FoCo Cafe works. Stay tuned for updates on the final product!

Donated chalk boards -- before!

...and after! With Jeff, co-founder of the FoCo Cafe! Soon they will be hanging above the counter. 

Tuition Video 2014 for Colorado State University

Working with the President's Office at Colorado State University is a fantastic experience. These people care deeply about the students, the university,  and the community. And part of that caring is the desire to creatively communicate to students, parents and families paying for college how their hard-earned cash is used across campus.

They engaged us last year to make our first "Where Do My Tuition Dollars Go?" video, which won an award from PRSA in Denver last year. This year's video update includes real numbers, the concept of differential tuition, and features President Tony Frank outside in the lovely Oval on campus.

The newest video isn't out yet, but here is a photo of the filming area a couple of hours in from my perspective to whet your appetite. Updates soon to follow!

Resilience in Sandy Hook, New Jersey

In 2012 Hurricane Sandy rocked the east coast of the United States, especially New York and New Jersey. People are still re-building and recovering from the Super Storm, and are now planning for a future in which the things they love are around for future generations even if more extreme events happen.

The National Parks Conservation Association gathered participants from the National Park Service, local municipalities, non-profits, universities and businesses to learn and brainstorm for the future. The group was expertly facilitated by Dorian and Meagan from the Center for Collaborative Policy, identified projects they wanted to see come to life and signed up to start carrying the action forward. Here are a few drawings from the day!

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