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Will you try on a new perspective?

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When is the last time you were energized by meeting with colleagues?

(I’m hoping that your answer is, “It was earlier this week!”)

One of the highlights of my last week was the opportunity to share my passion for Appreciative Inquiry with a group of folks from around the world at an event hosted by Axelle Vanquaillie, founder of Drawify. It was fantastic! 

The five original core principles of AI were the focus of this introduction into the field. If Appreciative Inquiry is new to you, it’s a generative, practical process model for approaching change, in ourselves, organizations, and society. AI is a paradigm, a way of seeing the world that invites us to attend to the positive dynamics in our relationships, work, and communities. 

In this short video, I developed to introduce the session, you get a sense of how AI enables us to have a complete view of life—both the positive and the negative. The principles and practices provide ways to re-wire our brains to think positively, to overcome the negative bias (which protects us in times of danger, yet can bias our thinking). We can learn to intentionally change our thought patterns, repeat them over time and literally change our perspective on the world. Living, or being AI requires enhancing our awareness through cycles of reflection and action.

With my ever-present view of gatherings as opportunities to share new ideas and begin skill development, I also want to ensure that the exciting new knowledge and practices find their way into the daily lives of participants. With that mission in mind, I created this template in Drawify so that the questions could spark reflection and action following the session.

What do you think of all this? Would learning more about Appreciative Inquiry, strengthening your skills at finding the good in circumstances (and using that knowledge to work with the challenging aspects) enhance your personal and professional lives? 

I endeavor to be AI every day… in times like these, it’s a perspective that keeps me focused on my foundation that supports and empowers me to build on what works, to tackle what is challenging. If you’re curious to learn more, reach out! I love talking AI!

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. 

Alan Kay

I am offering an Appreciative Living learning Circle, beginning April 23rd. You can learn more about it here. As readers of my blog, I am happy to offer you a 20% off coupon to join the circle, click here to access it. Please contact me with any questions you have about the circle!

Connection

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In these difficult times, I believe it’s important to search for, find, and immerse myself in experiences, relationships, and communities that nourish and support me.

How are you feeling? Are you making time to check in with yourself and take good care? 

Happily, there are a few experiences of late that are providing me with support, inspiration, and a sense of belonging.

  All cards are from The Coaching Game card deck, copyright, Points-of-You.

Just yesterday, I shared one of my favorite experiential encounters with my colleagues and friends in VEOLI  Visualizing End of Life Issues, (www.veoli.net). We made time in our regularly scheduled meeting to pause/step away from what had preceded our gathering together, using The Coaching Game© card deck, (Points-of-You.com). We explored the question, “What is the potential of VEOLI and us (as members)?” We dropped into the experience and shared from the heart about what we feel, believe, and hope. It was a wonderful experience that surfaced questions, pointed to subjects of future conversations, and strengthened our relationships.

When/where and how do you pause and connect with others? What resources do you use? Do you want more of those grounding experiences? 

At the beginning of March, I stepped into a new role, as community engagement coordinator for Drawify (www.drawify.com). It is a delightful experience! I’m connecting with people I know and people I know of (in the larger professional community) for conversations about how we want to show up and be in community together as Drawifiers. We are building on the foundation of what is working in the community of illustrators and imagining into the future about what we want to co-create. The process is exhilarating!

Which elements of your life are a place of comfort, inspiration, or connection for you —perhaps a certain group of colleagues, special events or communities?

And, I find that some one-time events provide me with connection and joy. 

Yesterday I was part of the Visual Jam, sharing my passion for templates with folks from around the world. We connected around the topic and the feelings that arise around the work and play of drawing/creating. 

On Sunday, I was tangling with folks in my Zentangle Series. The sessions are an opportunity to teach (which I adore), to learn (in the moment when I do well and make mistakes), and connect with students who want to grow their skills and experience the calm that accompanies tangling.

I savor all of these different experiences.

When you pause to consider the range of engagement in your life, what are you savoring?

I anticipate that tomorrow’s Drawify event, Viewing Life with an  Appreciative Lens, is going to be more of the same.  I LOVE this topic and can’t wait to offer up Appreciative Inquiry as a way to live in the world. I hope to see you there, you can register here

I hope that you will connect with me, reach out with your answers to my questions, or maybe with questions of your own. 

Will you join me? Let’s make a difference!

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Discovering a way to contribute

For folks who know me, even just a teensy bit, you know that I’m a glass-half-full kind of gal.

These are trying times that we’re living in. It’s easy to feel discouraged, overwhelmed, and more. I find that I am relying on my passion and deep-seated belief and practice of Appreciative Inquiry to support me day-to-day. I’m looking at the world with eyes wide open—seeing both the positive and the challenging, then choosing to focus my attention on where I can amplify the good, what’s working, inspires, and uplifts me. 

Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, I wondered what I could do, as one person. Of course, I could donate money to a cause but I wanted to have more of an impact, to do something bigger. I was struck one day with the idea of creating a fundraiser in which I would donate my time and teach Zentangle, a meditative art form that brings people inner peace, calm, and focus. I spent this past Sunday creating a campaign, Tangling for Healing in Our Worlds. You can find it here. I hope you’ll join me in my goal to raise funds for the people of Ukraine through joining one of the Zentangle Inspired Art sessions or choosing one of the other goodies I have created. If you’re new to Zentangle Inspired Art, look here to learn more,

If Appreciative Inquiry is new to you, I hope you’ll join my session next Friday, March 25 for Drawify. I’ll be sharing the five core principles that will enable you to see the world and your place it in a different way. The impact of this work is truly amazing! You can register here for this free event! (And if you are new to Drawify, check it out here. Here’s a coupon for you to play for two months at the Hero level—free, no strings attached! Let me know what you think—let’s chat!

I also host Appreciative Living Learning Circles and have one beginning in April. Learn more about the circle here and reach out to me with any questions you may have.

Where do you find inspiration?

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Where do you find your inspiration?

I am visual learner/experiencer—what I see usually has the biggest impact on me, as opposed to what I hear. More specifically, seeing art—paintings, drawings, photos—are what engages me most deeply and what I recall most readily.

Just the other week we went to the Joseph E. Yoakum exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. I was mesmerized by his landscapes. The movement is palpable to me. His use of color is so different than mine—it’s arresting. Yoakum’s drawings and paintings remind me of the Zentangle patterns I so love. His work makes me want to incorporate more tangles/patterns into the drawing that I do. I’ve done a bit of that in my graphic recording but not much… I sense an opportunity to experiment. (If you’re curious about this delightful, meditative art form, join me for a free session. You can learn more here.)

While at the museum, I found a book on Yayoi Kusama‘s work. I love the intensity of the color she works with and the patterns she creates. I bought the book (I’d been looking at books about her work for quite a while and this moment felt right) and I am drawn in by the artwork and poetry. I want to learn more about her life.

What has inspired you lately?

To be honest, right now I’m just sitting with wonder and delight. Perhaps that’s because I’m in the midst of playing with watercolors and Posca acrylic markers, inspired by Catherine Taylor‘s work. I am making my way through her online course. I am continually amazed by how easily I slip into flow… time has no meaning when I am painting.

 

Then yesterday, I received a visual created by Drawify’s founder, Axelle Vanquaillie, that combined some of my drawings in a way I had never imagined. I was gobsmacked! I had never thought of composing those drawings in that way to convey the essence of a session I will be co-hosting at the end of the month! I was inspired by Axelle’s collage of my own drawings—for me, the key is her vision of what is possible with the different elements. (If you don’t know of Drawify, check it out! While you can start with a free account, I’m happy to share a gift —a coupon code, Drawify2MonthHeroJill,  for two months of free access to Drawify’s Hero level.)

Where is inspiration leading you?

Just yesterday, I signed up for more training as a Certified Zentangle Teacher. Nine years after my first training with the creators, Maria and Rick, and more than a thousand students later, I remain inspired by the possibilities of this meditative art form… I know that the four-day experience in the fall will be immersive and intense. I am looking forward to it with juicy anticipation. 

What challenges you and brings you joy or peace or calm or…

What is on your calendar that excites you?

In these very difficult times, how are you making sure to feed your soul so that you can rise to the occasions we are facing? In part, I replenish myself through making art. 

I’m wondering what inspires you, what feeds you, or if you are seeking Inspiration and maybe some support.  I am curious to know how you are doing,  I hope you will be in touch. 

Getting Un-Stuck!

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What do you do when you’re stuck?

I was stuck the other day…

I took part in an online class, Day Schildkret’s offering on impermanent earth art, and found myself blocked—unable to move forward because of my preconceived notion of what I should be doing/creating.

Day’s beautiful work is symmetrical—and his creations often look like a kaleidoscope though they are made from petals, leaves shells, stones, and more. I entered my design stage of the workshop experience with a vision of what the final product should look like.

The vision of my goal got in the way of moving forward!

When I stepped back and looked at my materials, I felt symmetry would be impossible, certainly in the time I had to complete the task, maybe in any amount of time. With that revelation in mind, I turned to another aspect of the guidelines we had been given, and that was to think of to whom or to what I was dedicating the artwork. With a new lens for viewing the task, I had another avenue for interacting with my materials. I shifted my focus to meaning and not structure, and it led me to my final creation. (If you’re curious about to whom I dedicated my creation, visit my instagram page, @jillig to learn more. While you’re on insta, check out Day’s work too, @morningaltars.)

 

What about you?

When were you last stuck? How did you work through it to a successful result? As you reflect on how to move forward, does your approach depend on what kind of stuck you are? Perhaps you are

  1. feeling anxious about how to start a project
  2. a conflict with a colleague, friend, or family member
  3. a technique you are seeking to improve or master

In reflecting on just these few examples, I notice that I would use different approaches to get unstuck

  1. I’d work to move through the overwhelm at the beginning a project by referring to processes I’d used in the past or by taking a small step on the path that I have visualized. (I like George Kao’s thoughts on visualization of the process and not just the goal, in his book, Joyful Productivity)
  2. I would work to find some common ground with the person I’m having a conflict with, as suggested in one of my favorite books, Dynamic Relationships by Jacqueline Stavros and Cheri Torres. The focus on Appreciative Inquiry in relationships is powerful!
  3. In the instance of working with a challenge in drawing or facilitating with a group, I would keep putting myself in the situation of having to consciously practice new behaviors. Sometimes I ask a colleague for observations and reactions about what I’m doing well and how I might enhance my work.

While there’s a saying, “How you do one thing is how you do everything” that’s not true of me… for me, it’s more nuanced. I endeavor to discover what the circumstances need and create differentiated responses.

What are your thoughts?

And if all this chat about a new lens for viewing you, your work, or your relationships feels important and worth your time and energy, please reach out to me for a complimentary call about my Appreciative Coaching work. I believe that this work and play of how we see ourselves, others, and the world is one of the most crucial and exciting challenges we all face.