My year of visual thinking in 10 seconds

Last year, visual thinking led me a lot of firsts. Which is interesting, because every graphic facilitation event can be the first time for something. I listen with fresh ears. Anything can happen. But the uncertainty doesn’t make me nervous – like a singer onstage, I embrace the zone of being in the moment. No matter what is happening in the room, I trust my skills. It helps me say yes. In 2014 I said yes to more things outside my comfort zone, and it led to a lot of firsts. (Scroll below the video to see what happened!)

At the time, these things felt like small potatoes. But since I love a good list, here’s what I was up to in 2014:

– More travel than ever: I was inspired in NYC, Berlin, beautiful northern BC and beyond
– Full time graphic recording for amazing events and causes: For stronger families, healthy communities, better jobs, innovations in business, better health care, cleaner environment, addressing racism, and Indigenous wellness
– Returned to my facilitation roots and said yes to bigger projects: Facilitating visioning and goal-setting sessions for researchers
– Taught sketch noting to first-year university students
– Coached entrepreneurs using graphic facilitation
– Helped Wacom launch a new Fineline stylus for the ipad: I’m a big Wacom user for infographics so it was a blast!
– Illustrated for Google, Shaw, GSK, philosophy, Lululemon
– The Graphic History Collective held its first gallery show and plans are underway for a second book
– Finished co-hosting the first online Conversation Series for the International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP) and joined the conference team for Austin 2015
– Published my first graphic recording in an academic journal
– Used graphic recording in my final projects for grad school, and graduated with a Masters in Educational Studies

I want 2015 to bring even more fun and networking. The first projects I have lined up have me excited because they’re challenging and collaborative, and I’m kicking off the year hosting a local visual practitioner party. And I’m committed to writing on a more regular basis to document my process and techniques.

Here’s to our year together with visual thinking!