I started my Fourth of July festivities by running the 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) Kenwood Footrace. My finish time was a bit slower than usual, as I haven’t been running much; instead, I’ve been doing long, fully-laden hikes in preparation for a 240-mile backpacking trip. During a race, I get obsessed with those mile […]
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I’m in the process of planning this summer’s Sierra backpacking trip. Maps, guidebooks, and random bits of equipment are heaped all around my house. Along with testing gear, dehydrating food, and packing, I’m plotting out my itinerary. One crucial bit of information I am researching and marking on all my maps: potential bail-out points. If […]
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I recently received an email from a nonprofit community, asking me to facilitate a three-day retreat for the whopping rate of $500. The other benefits I was offered included “exposure,” a “cool venue,” and a chance to be “creative.” My standard day rate is $3000 plus expenses; for nonprofits I’ll generally discount to $2000. I’ve […]
In my last post, I began to answer the question “What happens with all those charts after the meeting?” Some specific examples will help you visualize how the use of graphics has helped other organizations do their work better. (Names are fictitious and images edited to protect the privacy of my clients.) TIE ONE ON: […]
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I’ve been graphically recording sessions at the California Society of Association Executives’ annual conference. Attendees rush up afterwards to take photos and shower me with compliments, then rush off to their next session. I rarely get a chance to answer two important questions: What happens to these pictures afterwards? How might this work be useful […]
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No one reads a comic strip because it’s drawn well. They read it because it makes them laugh! When I give a presentation about visual thinking tools, I ask folks to “raise your hand if you can draw.” Very few hands go up. If I asked that question in a kindergarten class, EVERY hand would […]
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Life coaches, personal trainers, and business consultants advise us to set goals and create a strategic plan with actions and deadlines that will enable us to achieve them. When is it appropriate to modify or abandon a goal? I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Last year, I set the goal of running my first […]
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I seem to be creating a series here – see my previous posts on fuyu persimmons and avocados.
I’m totally in love with cartoonist Lynda Barry. She posts the syllabus and homework exercises for her university classes online so anyone can follow along. The piece below was done following the assignment about halfway down this page. Barry’s exercises are always extremely specific, down to the type of pen and notebook she asks students […]
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There was hard freeze last night; as a result, every single leaf has fallen off the fuyu. I love the starkness of these bare trees against the blue blue sky, with these gigantic, silly-looking orange fruits still hanging on for dear life. I wanted to capture that starkness with a minimum of color. Decided the […]
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Tags: Art, Art Every Day Month