Hello Friends,
Greetings from Barcelona☀️where I have been experimenting with the art of sketchnotes thanks to visual thinker and facilitator Chris Malapitan. More on that below👇
🙌Many thanks for reading The Quest.
If you are joining for the first time, welcome to our exploration of creativity, facilitation, and learning.
You can catch up on the last edition💡How to spark Aha! moments and all past editions here.
I’ll be honest with you.
This is the first newsletter I’ve sat down to write where I drew a complete blank.
Here’s my usual process:
💡I have a flash of inspiration for a newsletter theme during the week. Usually from a conversation I’ve had. Or something I’ve read, seen or experienced.
📋I sketch out a skeleton for a newsletter and curate a few tips and resources.
✍️I sit down and write it on Monday. I take a few deep breaths and then I press send.
For 44 weeks that formula has not failed me once for writing and sending the newsletter.
Until this week.
Instead of having a flash of inspiration, I found myself drowning in a bunch of fuzzy half-baked ideas.
I tried to pick one. It was like trying to catch a slippery eel. Just when I think I had it, it slipped away. Again, and again, and again.
I couldn’t figure out why.
Maybe it’s the culmination of an intense period of work?
Maybe it’s spending too much time in front of my computer?
Maybe it’s my perfectionist back for an unwelcome visit? Nothing feels good enough.
I realized that my creative well was almost bone dry.
Before I could create a newsletter, I needed to spend some more time filling my well. I slowed down. I tried to stop thinking about the newsletter. I avoided my laptop. I did some drawing. And then slowly it came into focus.
Keeping your creative well filled helps you come up with ideas. It gives you energy. And it helps you stay focused on what matters. So how can you keep your creative well filled?
That’s our Quest for this week🔎
👉Austin Kleon’s Keep Going
👉The Magic of Sketchnoting with Chris Malapitan
👉Visual Journaling
PLUS 👉 Join me at the IAF Facilitators Summit on October 15th + more
Let’s dive right in!
➡️Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad
When I realized I was stuck, I headed straight for my bookshelf for a little inspiration. I started leafing through Austin Kleon’s book Keep Going. It’s one of three best-selling books that he has written on art and creativity.
In Keep Going, Kleon offers 10 simple rules for how to stay creative, focused, and true to yourself.
There were 4 tips caught my attention as I re-read the book more carefully:
✅ Make lists.
Lists bring order to the chaotic universe. Leonardo da Vinci made “to-learn” lists. Kleon has a “someday/maybe” list. You can have a “spark file” for new ideas. You can even have a list for what you don’t like or want.
📵 Disconnect from your devices.
Silence and solitude are crucial for creativity to flow. Starting your day with your phone our phone invites anxiety and chaos into your life. Start with things that invite creativity like walking. Meditation. Reading a book. Writing. Or playing.
🖍️ Practice Playfulness.
Play helps increase focus and increases our connection with creative ideas. His tip? Create something and then throw it away. Experiment with new tools and materials. Even make intentionally bad art. Stay light and play.
✍️ Slow down and draw things out.
Drawing is an exercise in seeing. The act of drawing helps us live in the moment and concentrate on what’s really in front of us. You don’t have to be an experienced artist to draw. Just pick up a pencil and a piece of paper and draw what you see.
Oh, and check out Kleon’s brand new recommended booklist.
✍️The Magic of Sketchnotes with Chris Malapitan
Speaking of drawing, I learned to sketchnote. I joined Visual Thinker Chris Malapitan’s online course called the Sketchnote Club. And it was by far one of the most fun things I did in September.
What are sketchnotes? Sketchnotes are rich visual handwritten notes combining text and visual elements such as shapes and arrows. Like this one that Chris created on Brené Brown’s TED Talk “Listening to Shame”👇
Here are my 3 takeaways from the course:
- There is no right or wrong way to sketchnote. You can get started with just a scribble on a page. You can go a long way with a few elements like frames, arrows, people, icons, and type.
- Creating sketchnotes helps you to listen, summarize, and then map ideas. I had to really pay attention to be able to re-create the idea visually.
- Creating sketchnotes helps you remember key ideas. You can explain concepts using symbols, associations, metaphors, and colour. If you want to communicate ideas, learn to sketchnote!
Chris will run the Sketchnote Club again. Check out his amazing work and get in touch with him 👉here.
📖How to Create a Visual Journal
A few months ago, my friend and learn-it-all Jen Vermet introduced me to the idea of creating a Visual Journal.
True confession: I have never been able to keep up a regular journaling habit.
Inspired by what I was learning in the Sketchnote Club, I decided it was time to start one.
I did a little more research and found a guide on How to Start a Visual Journal.
Okay. I haven’t done it every day. And the drawings aren’t always the greatest. But it helps me to reflect and get ideas flowing. And I look forward to experimenting with it.
Here’s my visual journal entry from yesterday:
📅Join me at the Global Facilitation Summit October 15
I am thrilled to be leading an interactive session on “Unlocking Human Connection” the IAF Facilitation Summit on Friday, October 15th @3pm CET. The Summit will be an amazing opportunity to connect with facilitators from around the world who will share their insights and tools.
For more information and tickets check out the event page 👉here.
💌Thanks for reading The Quest
I always love hearing your feedback and suggestions. Just hit reply to share your thoughts and ideas. Visit my website for ways we can work together 👉 here.
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Creatively yours,
