Tag Archive for: visualization

What do you go by? How do you name yourself?

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Has anyone ever named you or called you a title that was new to you, or didn’t feel right? Perhaps they saw an aspect of you that you hadn’t recognized about yourself? 

Just yesterday, when I was talking with a new colleague about a project, she called me a “creative.” Of course, in the scheme of things, the work that I do is on the creative side, but that’s an adjective, and I don’t see myself as a “creative” (the noun).

I kind of liked it, and I imagined a visual. I would be standing in the middle of a word cloud, surrounded by all kinds of labels/titles/proper nouns.

What are precise words or word combinations that describe not only me but how I do what I do—getting to the heart of the matter:

  • partner, mother, daughter, pet guardian, friend, volunteer
  • graphic facilitator
  • Appreciative Inquiry coach 
  • death literacy specialist
  • contemplative chaplain/spiritual care companion
  • former special education teacher, principal, administrator, curriculum developer… educator? 
  • what adjectives describe my characteristics—cheerful, compassionate, caring, creative, hard-working, etc. 
  • what words share my values—honest, open, spiritual, independence, belonging, learning, authenticity, generosity, equality, compassion, curiosity, creativity, civic engagement, beauty, love, kindness, purpose, integrity, honesty…

What would be the most appropriate descriptors for you?— your work and play—all of you?

This conversation dovetails with the work that I’m doing around creating visual obituaries in workshops, in which people comb their memories for highlights, relationships, achievements, milestones, challenges, learnings, and more. I think that the experience of plumbing the depths of our memories can be a deep, rich, fun, and challenging experience. I would want an obituary, whether written or created as a visual or an audio recording, to provide a full picture, a real understanding of a person. (Of course, that understanding is from the creator of the obituary—beyond the basic facts, touching into values, life experiences, anecdotes, and more. I am not advocating a “warts and all” approach, yet realism is important to me.) 

My idea of a personal history or creating visual stories about my past (or prompting other people to do the same) was expanded early in April when I attended a program with Susan Piver, a Buddhist meditation teacher. We were discussing our personal lineages, meaning who were influences in our lives. She went bigger and broader than I had ever thought before. (This work had been part of my chaplaincy training through the Upaya Zen Center. Our assignments were to copy the patriarchal lineage chart, which was passed down over the centuries, and create a matriarchal chart of our own design, though there are many gaps over the 2,500-year history, as women’s contributions were not recognized for centuries and sporadically at best. And, to create our own lineage chart.) 

Who has influenced you over the course of your life?

I have done my share of thinking about the influences in my life. My lineage chart includes family (blood relatives and chosen members), my educational experiences, my work, volunteer work, and Buddhist practice. When Susan started naming artists and musicians as part of her lineage because of their influence on her, my mind was blown! This idea potentially integrated my visual resumé creations with my lineage chart and invited me to think so much bigger and more precisely… I was on a roll, thinking of artists, musicians, and rethinking what the people on my lineage chart mean to me and who I have been/am/am becoming. 

A memory popped into my head of the wall of the Nike building in San Francisco from one of the years I did the Nike Women’s Marathon there. It inspired me to imagine making a visual that includes all the names of all the people, places, pets, and experiences I had that make me who I am today. What would it look like… like the wall of the Nike building in San Francisco, or maybe a drawing of me in the middle of the space surrounded by rings of names and/or photos, or an upward spiral surrounding my figure in the center?

If you created a written and/or visual history of your life, what stories would you tell? 

Who and what would you include—how have you been influenced by them or those experiences?

 

I am going to think through how I want to represent and honor the people who have been/are an important part of my life… and then endeavor to share the visual with those who are living, to share my gratitude for them, with them. (I just remembered creating this visual quickly in 2020. It’s essentially my academic education and training… it’s a start but not the whole story—and needs to be expanded and updated.)

 

A visual obituary may be part of the final celebration of my life, yet I believe I need to acknowledge and celebrate those I value and care about now. I would not want the task to go undone… tomorrow is not given. 

The unexpected leads to discovery, play, learning, and joy

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Not following the directions leads to deep learning and joy

Early the other morning, I was working on the Methods and Materials course for my Art-Assisted Grief Therapy certificate. Generally, I don’t get involved in art early in the day because I never know how long it’s going to take, and I don’t want to have that time constraint unless I plan for it. But I knew the assignment was a timed experience: Use seven different types of media and seven different surfaces (one medium per surface), devoting only five minutes per piece … so this assignment should have taken 35-40 minutes. I was determined to get it done. Well, you can guess what happened… I ran over.

I didn’t stick with the plan… which is surprising! When I try something for the first time, I generally do it the way it’s designed. That experience becomes my baseline, and I experiment from there. My curious mind got the better of me, and I decided to use one surface for each different medium, which was quite readily accomplished in the 40 minutes, and yet was not the assignment! When teaching/training or facilitating, I feel frustrated when folks do not follow the instructions—I mean, they’re created for a reason! Well, I had just become the kind of student/participant that I shake my head about… and I couldn’t live with that. So I had to complete the assignment the way it was designed, which took another 30 minutes or so. 

Truth be told, I totally loved all the time I devoted to this assignment (aside from running late and pushing my schedule around like putty)! It was a delight to see what worked—or didn’t—in which ways on the different surfaces. 

When have you deviated from the directions, changed the recipe the first time you’re trying it, gone above and beyond the plan?

How do you feel while you’re doing it? And, afterward? Are there consistent learnings from these experiences or a wide variety of results and thoughts?

When terrible teaching stimulates discovery and deep play

As it turns out, I am also taking a course with an artist I don’t know well. I am intrigued by her process and find the results interesting. While she may create beautiful art, I discovered she is not a teacher. It is truly one of the worst experiences I have ever had. (I will spare you the details.) 

What I can say is that her terrible teaching freed me up to play! Initially, I tried to make sense of what seemed like small problems. As I got further into the (recorded) course* there was no way to make up for the artist’s lack of understanding of what learners need, which is the what and the how of the processes and more. Once I got past my initial feelings of annoyance, it felt like all bets were off and I was going to take from the experiences what I could and run with it. 

I am having fun now, experimenting in ways that I would not have if she had developed a robust learning experience… I can see (now) both the good and the problematic sides of these experiences. I will share the completed works on Instagram in a few days, if you’re curious!

When, and how, have you worked with challenging learning experiences to shape them
into what you need and want? How do you feel afterward?

 I would LOVE to know!

* I have been taking recorded courses for years, and this is the first of dozens in which I have had to “make lemonade from lemons”!

In praise of great teaching

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It’s so important, I will say it again:

Great teaching, the right tools, experimentation, willingness to get it wrong to get it right, perseverance, and the pull of a challenge are essential elements of the learning experience and lead to success!

The Back Story

Acrylics, with and without Flow-Aid on raw linen, 33″ x 36″

I am venturing into new creative territory—color mixing. I have been playing with all different kinds of paint (acrylics, fluid acrylics, high-flow fluid acrylics, and gouache), additives (water, Flow-Aid, and mixes), and substrates (mixed media and watercolor papers, raw canvas and raw linen) for the past six months. While I loved taking a class in watercolor decades ago, I found it very challenging and lost patience with it (or maybe with myself?). The work and play this past half year have been (mostly) a delight!

Now I am in the process of learning color mixing with watercolor to make my work with acrylics (and the rest of the paints) more consistently successful—meaning achieving my desired results with greater ease. 

I started an online course over the weekend and discovered a few key factors to my success and happiness with my effort:

  • A great teacher makes a HUGE difference! I love learning from someone who goes step-by-step—the mark of someone who teaches with learners in mind, who can step out of their own level of expertise to meet us where we are.
  • The right tools are very important—from the light (a simulation of good daylight), the right paper and paints (I have several sets of watercolors and it took a bit of playing Goldilocks to find the one that worked best), and the best brush for the task (easier said than done).
  • I had to let go of a desire to get it right the first time—I know (in my mind/logically) that it’s critical to experiment AND there are only so many hours in a day so I want to get “there” fast. My heart needs to be involved in this journey as I want to enjoy—and not just learn from—my results). Experimentation and “stick-to-itiveness” is essential. 
  • Ensuring that I use my new skills consistently, so they become second nature is critical. The teacher I am learning from has developed a 14-day challenge in which we use our new skills—I LOVE it! It’s a great investment of my time and money.

Whether I’m focusing on training, facilitation, or coaching, these same concepts and practices are foundational to growing my knowledge and skills and those of my clients. While my example below is a deep dive into the world of visualization skills, if that’s not your world, how would you adapt the ideas to your work and your clients? I would love to hear of your modifications and expansions upon my ideas—I hope you will be in touch!

Aha! Drawing the Connection to Our Plorking* with Visualization

As you reflect on your journey with bikablo—whether you have completed the Basic course (Days 1 and 2), the Advanced course, Extraclasse or coached with me to elevate your work—what are you doing right now to consistently broaden or deepen your skills?

In thinking about visualization, most recently, I am thinking of my practice and my clients through:

  • offering the students in the Gonzaga University course, “Visualizing Meaning and Purpose,” a list of prompts for every day of the week—we share our drawings on our Miro board.
  • working from a list of prompts with several of my Drawify colleagues, to add to the platform (working in .svg format/Concepts)
  • reviewing a beautiful card deck over the weekend and being inspired to create new drawings based on the figures in the deck
  • being part of an international graphic recording team—and brushing off my sketchnoting skills to make “mini-stories” to capture key points shared during presentations at the Stanford University-sponsored Me2We conference last month.

* plorking—playing and working

Here’s a Query!

Are you interested in consciously and consistently improving your visualization skills? If so, how will you do it? While there is a world of possibilities, which is the right match for you at this moment in time (or planning for the future)?

  • Are you seeking a live class—in-person or online? 
  • Would meeting up for 30/45/60 minutes once every two weeks or once a month be the right fit for your style of learning and schedule, based on daily prompts? It could be a place to share your work, ideas, questions, and challenges.
  • Do you like the intensity of a 10-day Challenge—with the opportunity to post your work, see others’ work, and receive encouragement and/or feedback?
  • Is the new Procreate Starter Set package from bikablo the direction you’re moving? What interests you about it? What questions do you have?
  • Is one-to-one coaching a better use of your time and resources?
  • What other ideas are percolating for your professional development?

I hope you will consider the questions I raise in several ways: 

  • answer them, if building your knowledge and skills in the bikablo method is part of your professional or personal development plan—and let me know if I can be helpful as you design your path
  • re-write them to meet your needs and desires. What are you dreaming of learning now (and how does it fit into your plans for the remainder of the year or longer)?
  • tell me what you’re thinking about what I have shared and your plans. I find sharing my plans with the world (wisely, to those who will nurture nascent ideas) brings a different level of commitment from me.

I hope to hear from you!

The Delights of Teamwork!

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Mere words cannot express the fun, the collegiality, and most importantly, the impact of the work we accomplished at the #StanfordLEAD #Me2We2024 event last week. (Perhaps that’s why I’ve included a visual to represent my gratitude for the experience of being a member of an international team, in which each individual contributed something unique to the dynamics of the team and the event.)

The team, assembled by Drawify founder Axelle Vanquaillie, included Alexandra Oporto d’Ugard, Ben Crothers, Erin Nicole Gordon, Filippo Buzzini, Olina Glindev, and me. We hail from six different countries, yet we were on the same page, bringing the impact and influence of visualization to a conference already brimming with big names, big ideas, and participants hungry for engagement.

While we all played several different roles—as grocery shoppers, chefs, dishwashers, errand runners, schedulers, graphic recorders, presenters, and illustrators—I will say that I felt luckiest. The conference committee, h/t to Raphael Auwerkerken for his work in bringing us to the event, and to the conference committee that provided us with a gorgeous space in which to set up our array of analog recordings, were true partners throughout the experience.

As host of the table and showcase space for the first day of the event, I had the opportunity to meet so many of the attendees, share information about Drawify—our purpose and intention for being at the event—and encourage them to share their appreciation for their professors in their program. (They wrote on file cards, which were made into a gift for each of the professors in the program.) As you can imagine, people were curious. I loved sharing my passion for visualization with those who wanted to have a conversation.

Digital graphic recording has become a go-to practice of mine. The four sessions I attended were a pleasure to capture. One of my favorite memories is attending a workshop on improv, sharing my recording with the two presenters immediately afterward, and seeing their delight. They had no idea I was recording the event and were astonished to receive the visual summary. Kesinee Angkustsiri Yip told me that they had just incorporated three days earlier and she was going to print out the digital recording, frame it, and put it on her desk. It was a gift to have the time to connect with Kevin Weinstein and Kesinee after the session.

 

While I had never created tags with snippets/key phrases from the sessions, I loved it! The opportunity to capture a key idea for a session, draw and letter quickly on the Neuland Tag It, and offer it to others as a remembrance was a kick!

Perhaps the highlight of the three days (for me) was my presentation, Re-envision Yourself and Design the Life You Desire. I am dedicated to infusing Appreciative Inquiry, into every aspect of my work. The room was bursting at the seams— there were close to 100 people in a session that was meant for 80. Everyone was all in. We learned together—sharing thoughts, questions, plans, and insights. My role was truly as a facilitator, creating the environment and offering an experience that each individual would make their own. I felt almost guilty that my colleague Erin, who was graphically recording the workshop, had huge swaths of time in which participants were talking with each other. (Maybe a pause during a graphic recording is a blessing?) Of course, she became very busy as they offered up their thoughts. I was thrilled when one of the participants said, “This is exactly what I came for!” Participants left with plans for their immediate next steps for the future they desire.

These new experiences stand out for me (and may provide a few ideas, for graphic recorders, facilitators, and event organizers): 

  • a mid-size international team brings diverse, fresh energy to an experience
  • professionals from different backgrounds and with various skill sets enliven the processes used and the final products
  • hosting a space—being available to explain our work was an amazing opportunity for participants and increased engagement
  • space for showcasing the work, and enabling people to engage with it easily increases the impact on participants 
  • the creation of mini-stories/meaningful takeaways was an additional opportunity to connect with participants—we were surrounded by interested people, and some requested key phrases be “sketchnoted” for them live and in the moment
  • having my session graphically recorded was a gift I don’t often receive—give that gift to all presenters 
  • offering the opportunity for the students to show appreciation for their professors and to give the professors a gift was heartwarming and impactful.

My thinking? Let’s do this again—the results were tangible!

PS: If you’re curious, I posted this piece to LI with the use of Gemini (AI) and a little light editing afterward… Check out the differences

 

Rituals Create a Rhythm

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This time of year, the late fall, and the beginning of the holiday season has a different rhythm and feel to it. What do you think?

I start to plan differently, make space in my schedule to slow down, to shift the balance of work, studies, play, and connection—areas which are really overlapping circles in the Venn diagram I imagine.

I easily slip into rituals of baking, shopping, and making gifts, choosing a photo for the holiday card (I am a paper and pen gal), envisioning my yearly drawing that will accompany our card, and more.

What rituals and habits support you?  What has become second nature and comfortable?

What new traditions are you creating in response to your changing circumstances?

These questions are equally relevant to our work, wouldn’t you agree?

What practices do you bring to your work to create and hold space, build rapport, increase connection, and nurture success?

I considered this question, “How are working in person and online similar and different?” with a new lens last week at an in-person training (an event that remains relatively rare).

Here are a few of the methods I use in my training and facilitation work.

  • When I’m online I ask people about where their feet touch the ground, to learn where people are coming from at that moment —literally—to create greater awareness of who is in the room. And I share that I live and work on the land of the Munsee Lenape and the Schaghticoke, in New York.
  • When in person, I’m relating to where folks are from yet making that connection in a different way. Last week when I was in NYC with participants from the five boroughs, I shared where I lived in the city, on the land of the Lenape on the Upper West Side, during my years in graduate school, and saw nods of recognition around the room.
  • Rituals in my work include using methods and practices that will create a warm and welcoming environment by recognizing people’s individuality and their group affiliations.
  • I plan for co-creating the learning experience. I endeavor to ensure that participants are fully engaged not merely consuming content, which means making the time and space for participants to think, question, practice with real-life applications, reflect, capture their knowledge, and plan for using it.
  • Asking for their written feedback about their learning and experiences is a sign of respect (from me to the participants) and an opportunity for me to learn what was new, important, interesting, perhaps puzzling, and what can be improved.

In your work, what are rituals, routines, habits, or practices that serve you and others?

What needs to be explored for its continuing efficacy, as people and circumstances change?

What is your North Star/the values or principles that guide your assessment?

My approach for all design and re-imagining/re-design—whether for change and growth in my personal or work worlds—is the 5D model of Appreciative Inquiry, because it:

  • is supportive/grounded on a positive foundation
  • exploratory
  • invites experimentation
  • flexible, and
  • results/success oriented.

I seek to create rituals, habits, and practices that support my own growth and that of everyone with whom I work.

I’d love to learn what you think and feel as you take a step back to reflect on the habits and practices that support you. Perhaps you will even share one or two with me!

All materials copyright ©2019 Jill Greenbaum, Ed.D. All rights reserved.