Everyone is creative. It's not a limited commodity. When I am working visually with groups, I often here expressions of "I could never do that" and that somehow people are letting me express their creativity for them.
Many things can stop us from feeling our own creative muscles, whether its drawing, writing, or simply how you face each day, and all of these creative limitations are simply being human. In this TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, she offers a way to not put so much responsibility on yourself for trying to be creative but simply acknowledging that it's not at all about you....
Thanks to Matt Cimitile, writer/multimedia man from USGS, you can see how a visual recording unfolds over 2.5 minutes.
This short video was made at the Coastal Zone 2011 Conference in Chicago where we designed a non-traditional plenary session. In a conversational setting, participants spoke from the heart as they gave examples of work around the country that inspired the creation of the first-ever US policy on managing the Coasts, Oceans and Great Lakes. An audience of over 800 people were held attention, laptops closed, cell phones in their pocket.
The chart was posted in the lobby where people could reconnect with the content and continue discussing the ideas over the next three days.
The National Ocean Policy describes how we should manage our coastal resources for future generations to enjoy. It's a milestone for the country but making it real will take doing things differently. We'll need to be creative, inclusive and think, as Jacque Hostler put it, for seven generations out.
The entire session was 90 minutes. With some editing we could speed me up (like the wonderful RSA-style videos) and overlay the spoken content but that is a much bigger editing process.
Good fortune shined upon me recently in the form of an invitation from my friend and colleague Anne Jess (doodlebiz.com). We both graduated from the Organizational Systems Renewal (OSR) program (osr-nw.org), now housed at Seattle University and Anne has diligently pursued creating a community of practice there for visual facilitation. First step: Introduction to Graphic Recording. And I was invited to help. Together we offered our group more than just twice as much value, it felt like some exponential number. Most of all it was fun for everyone and much was learned by all who attended. I cannot wait to do it again and apply my learnings!
A shout out to Lynn Carruthers at the Global Business Network (http://www.gbn.com/people/peopledetail.php?id=159) and Sophia Liang (http://www.graphicfootprints.com/HOME.html) for all I learned in their graphic recording 101 workshop through the IFVP (ifvp.org)... we used the same TED talk, "Why I Am a Weekday Vegetarian by Graham Hill.
See photos at my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23687479@N06/
The right tool for the right job, it's a great adage. And life on five acres really brings it home. I suit up in my Carhartts when I head outside to stay warm, avoid cuts and be comfy while keeping up with nature. Now my favorite Carhartt use is for visual facilitation. This toolbelt is the right tool for holding my refillable Neuland markers, my pencil and eraser. Again, all I need to keep up with the conversation! It also gives me a little bit of home when working out on the road. What's your favorite tool?
to show the enormity and complexity of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem in the most recent Open Land from the Jackson Hole Land Trust Jackson Hole Land Trust
Engaging and inspiring supporters through creating a shared vision ensures individual commitment to making it happen! Strategic Visioning is a planning process that includes both creative visioning and traditional data gathering/action planning tools. This process has tons to offer the conservation community because our supporters are creative, productive and committed. I was lucky enough to present this set of strategic planning tools to a wonderful group at the Land Trust Alliance meeting and am attaching both the handout and a PDF of how the Save Our Redwoods League used the strategic visioning process to create a shared vision and game plan to get here. You can learn more at www.grove.com, or email me and let's start a conversation about how this effective and flexible process can work for your future.
Now that is along title for this short and handy document! Using gardening as a metaphor, I walked through the seasons while thinking about how people can make the most out of their visual resources. The process is strategic in nature and this PDF contains links to excellent tools and resources on the web. Where ever your are in your communication strategy, you'll find something in here to help move your visual connections along. Check it out and please let me know what you think! Maximize_your_Visual_Impact.pdf
