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!)
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I have to say, I really enjoy making flip charts. The bar is pretty low, as people don’t expect flip charts to be much (actually, if they expect anything, it’s PowerPoint slides!), so I’m able to loosen up on my perfectionism and have fun. Really, whatever I do will probably be interesting and engaging, so as long as I communicate the content, it’s a win. 😊👍
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The only thing I don’t enjoy is how time-consuming it is to make these charts, and I wish they were as easy to swap out and move around as PowerPoint slides! 🖍
Sigh… no technology is perfect. .
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#visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

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

Some flip chart icons…
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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. 😊
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#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.” 😉
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Come join the fun in downtown Palo Alto at 6pm: http://bit.ly/2Xo5RoE
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#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.
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Indeed, *several* people weren’t, and it became a teaching moment—no shame, just “Hey, here’s something you might want to be aware of, so you don’t inadvertently offend people.”
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Similarly, I made two massive, public bloopers recently, and want to publicly thank @corpgraffitiart & @malgosiakostecka for privately, gently, calling me on them, and helping me correct forward. 💥
If we are going to fix huge problems like racism, sexism, homophobia, and other “isms” in the workplace and beyond, we need to be able to make mistakes. 💥
AND we need people who can gently help us correct forward!
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The freedom to make mistakes without repercussions is not ONLY essential for innovation. It’s also essential for #culture. 💥
Your turn: Has anyone ever helped you fix a mistake? .
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#visualfacilitation #graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #graphicrecording #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnoting #sketchnotearmy #graphicrecorder #visualthinking #neulandmarkers

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 trap of thinking that the creative work I do for my business feeds me enough to satisfy my creative hungers. But that’s like believing you’ll get all the nourishment you need from, I don’t know, a steady diet of celery or something. I mean, celery might be good for you, but it’s not going to give you ALL the nutrients you need!! You ALSO need some other foods in there!
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Those other foods are a metaphor for the creative things you do purely for PLAY and FUN. They are actually necessary for your health and well-being. They’re not dessert, they are true nourishment. So make time for them on a regular basis. Even if it’s just a few minutes. It will make a difference.
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

Saturday doodle. .
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#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
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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. 🙂
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Of course I know this. It’s why I’ve been blogging and podcasting all these years. It’s why I wrote my book. I’ve just been so focused on other things lately, my attention has not been on being a professional creativity instigator! It felt nice to do THAT for fun again, disconnected from commerce or obligation! How meta… 😉
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Anyway, here’s a doodle I made just now, purely for play.
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Never fear: I’ll get back to sharing sketchnotes and videos again soon. Pure play is also important, though. Don’t ever forget that!
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#doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron

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 “playing in the creative sandbox.”
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This is a very dangerous trap.
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The problem is, EVEN IF you love your work… EVEN IF it feels like play… when commerce enters, and obligation enters, it changes things. And even if it changes things only by one degree, over time that shift throws you off course.
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So what happens is, if you DON’T carve out DEDICATED creative sandbox playtime on a regular basis — again, uncontaminated by commerce and obligation — it starts to poison your feelings towards your creativity. 🖍
Eventually this turns into burnout.
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I learned this the hard way when I became a professional artist and designer years ago. And I’ve noticed myself slipping back into bad habits again recently. Avoiding taking time to make art “just for me,” because hey, I was having so much fun making videos and sketchnotes! 🖍
And yes, those things ARE fun. But they are also tied to work. So for my creative health and hygiene it is ESSENTIAL that I get back to a regular practice of art PURELY FOR ME, PURELY FOR THE JOY OF IT. It doesn’t matter what it is. It can be doodles, or music, or writing, or ANYTHING. It doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it. It doesn’t even matter if *I* like it!! All that matters is that I DO it!
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So. Here is a doodle. Here is me, jumping back on the wagon. A little bit every day. “Think tiny & daily,” that’s Guidepost #4 from my book, The Creative Sandbox Way™. I’ve heard it’s pretty good. 😉
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#backonthewagon #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #pigmamicron