Innovation Insights: Where Play Powers Breakthroughs

Another flip chart for tomorrow’s “Innovate with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshop. Hat tip to @malgosiakostecka for teaching me to make pretty lists in her Graphic Facilitation training at the @groveconsultants in San Francisco (if you ever get a chance to take a workshop with her, run, don’t walk!) 🖍 Likes: I like that I incorporated some images, and […]

I made 25 flip charts for tomorrow’s 90-minute workshop. This is the very last one—I finally got to use my monster pen! 😄 With my signature Neuland #lettering. (I used to teach this style of #calligraphy around the country, but never this large!) 🖍 I have to say, I really enjoy making flip charts. The bar is pretty […]

Mr. Muscleman has a tiny fist… oh, well. Next time maybe I’ll get it more proportional. . . . #flipchart #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

Every workshop has lists, and mine have gotten so much prettier thanks to the graphic facilitation training I took at the @groveconsultants with @malgosiakostecka. She taught me a few very simple concepts that make a quick list flip chart ever so much more attractive, and don’t take a lot of time to do. 🖍 I highly recommend the […]

Some flip chart icons… 🖍 This is what happens when you don’t get all your work done during the week: working on Sunday to prep for an upcoming workshop. Ah, well. It could be a lot worse! I do love to draw. 😊 . . . #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

Going “old school” for Tuesday’s workshop. Here’s the cover “slide” for my “analog PowerPoint.” 😉 🖍 Come join the fun in downtown Palo Alto at 6pm: http://bit.ly/2Xo5RoE . . . #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

I was in a meeting the other day, when someone used a common expression that’s derogatory towards an entire ethnic group (of which there were members in the room, including myself). 💥 Thankfully, the host gracefully intervened, acknowledging that this person probably wasn’t aware the expression was derogatory. 💥 Indeed, *several* people weren’t, and it became a teaching […]

A little morning doodle to start the day. I was just sharing with someone the importance of carving out sacred creative sandbox playtime, disconnected from commerce or obligation, *especially* for those of us who blend our creativity into our businesses. I have to continually remind *myself* to do this! It is way too easy to fall into the […]

Saturday doodle. . . . #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

Fifteen minute doodle break. #creativesandboxplaytime #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

#weekendwisdom “The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” -Brian Sutton-Smith 🖍 Agree? Disagree? Share in the comments! 🖍 #happiness #engagement #emotionalintelligence #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post, or sent private messages and emails. I clearly hit a nerve! The thoughts I shared went into a newsletter, which became a blog post. It seems I’m definitely not alone in needing frequent reminders to (re) carve out sacred creative sandbox playtime, completely disconnected from commerce and obligation. 🙂 […]

In addition to making ideas visible for other people (my work), I’m an artist (my play). When you love what you do for work—when your work IS play, to some degree—it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need to take time to do your art *purely for the joy of it*. What I call […]

One of the great joys of Creative Sandbox Retreats is the creative catalyzing sessions we have every morning after breakfast, to get out of our heads and into our bodies. We play improv games and laugh like crazy, which confuses our gremlins, so they wander off, so we can get down to work! One of the games we […]

Good news! I don’t have to redo the entire thing!!! I was able to create a section that I think I can Photoshop in, saving me from a complete redo. #whew . . . #artistslife #creativesandboxretreat #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers #pigmamicron #visualbio

Well, I decided to redo the whole thing. Not because of the spelling errors and smears—those I could have cleaned up in Photoshop—but because I decided to add some icons. So here is the latest iteration of my visual bio for my consultancy website. 🖍 And NOW it’s time for bed. 😊 . . . #creativesandboxretreat #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation […]

Working on another animated “explainer video.” This is my thumbnail sketch storyboard. 🖍 I may work on recording this tomorrow at the retreat. Otherwise, after I get home. . . . #creativesandboxretreat #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers #pigmamicron

One of the things I’ve been working on at Creative Sandbox Retreat #8 is a visual bio for my website. This is the latest draft, rife with smears and spelling errors, all of which I believe can be fixed in Photoshop after I get home (gotta love Photoshop! 👍) 🖍 So I’ll scan it and attempt to clean […]

Doodling. Because it’s important to make time to play in the creative sandbox. (Even when you’re *not* away on a creativity retreat! 😉) . . . #creativesandboxretreat #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

At my Spring #creativesandboxretreat, where one of the traditions is hand-lettered door tags for everyone. This year: Neuland names made with Neuland markers by @neulandcom! 😊 I love that bright Spring green color, don’t you? 🖍 When you write over a mark you’ve just made, it creates a darker mark. Use this to your advantage, and create shaded […]

The final chart that emerged from yesterday’s video shoot—what will be an explainer video about LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. Slated to publish on Monday to LinkedIn, Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, and of course, my website, http://bit.ly/2HZoMMz! 😊 🖍 Not familiar with LEGO Serious Play? It’s one of the main tools I use in my consultancy, to help companies make ideas […]

I recorded a talk by @drsusanbernstein today. That was fun! . . . #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

This went out with today’s LinkedIn post: #weekendwisdom “We are visual creatures. Visual things stay put, whereas sounds fade.” -Steven Pinker . #creativity #visualthinking #innovation #engagement #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #neulandmarkers

The drawing that accompanied today’s LinkedIn post. Making ideas (in this case, statistics!) visible. 🖍 It gives me great joy to turn statistics into art! 😅 🖍 It gives me great pleasure to figure out how to draw concepts in order to illustrate business-y things! I get to turn what would otherwise feel pretty dry (for me) into […]

I’ve been having fun making ideas visible, creating graphic illustrations to accompany my LinkedIn posts. This one says: Blindness to unknowns leads to overconfidence, which leads to poor decisions. The solution: focus on unknowns! I elaborate in the text post—the visual and the text are designed to complement each other, just like a sketchnote or graphic recording. 😊 […]

This is the end result from my latest time lapse video (sneak peek coming soon!) 🖍 Likes: -I really like my Mac computer 😊 -You can’t tell this from this photo, but I’m proud of myself for doing this one at the wall *without* putting any sketch marks up there first, which has been my protocol up til […]

The finished graphic for today’s LinkedIn home feed post, illustrating 7 recommendations from @safibahcall’s @harvard_business_review article on structure as a critical component in innovation. 💥 There’s a lot of focus on company culture as key to innovation, but Bahcall noticed that at a certain point, companies “phase shift” into rigidity—like water turning to ice. 💥 He’s developed a […]

The art from today’s video… Stay tuned! 😊 . . . #creativesandboxway #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

The main event at today’s Creative Sandbox Playday: visually recording a podcast. WorkLife with @adamgrant. It’s my new fave! 🖍 There’s so much to work on to improve (crowding, lettering, organization, etc…), but that’s what practice is for. Plus I had a ton of space left over at the bottom, and didn’t want to belabor it, so filled […]

Well, this is pretty fun! I finally figured out how to fill my @neulandcom Fat One marker with ink, and tried out some letters! It’s huge, so a flip chart doesn’t go very far. 😉 🖍 That’s an inadvertent custom color, btw. I’d tipped some 500 yellow onto the nib awhile back, and forgot about it. Then filled […]

It’s Creative Sandbox Playday this fine Easter Sunday! I’m starting the day practicing lettering, with a brand new nib in my @neulandcom Artmarker. By the end of this sheet, though, the nib is already mushy! 🤨 😛 Am I the only one who goes through these nibs so quickly? It’s my only complaint about these fine pens, really—that […]

Working out some ideas at the wall. With a dying pen…. Argh… Time to order more supplies from @neulandcom! . . . #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

Trying out some ideas that I’d drawn in my journal at the flip chart. There’s simply nothing like drawing with big markers! 👍😁🖍 . . . #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualshownotes #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

Sketching out some ideas in my journal that I want to try in big paper later today… . . . #startsmall #visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualshownotes #visualthinking #pigmamicron #moleskine