“Shit is bleak“ Humor is often used to poke fun at tragic or depressing events. Good-natured comedy can help us cope with a negative situation. Take this Onion headline parodying the sober subject of climate change, for example, or this screenshot from comedian Marie Faustin’s pandemic-themed skit. What could be less funny than killer virus…
It’s 2021 and I’m celebrating twenty years of being self-employed at Stone Soup Creative. What does it mean to be a solopreneur and creative professional for this long? I’m old, and I’ve been at this for a while. But I’m also wiser than when I began. Here’s 20* lessons I’ve learned about running a business,…
Inspired by my muse – my bulldog Violet – I created this Doggo Lingo infographic (and a few animated GIFs, just for fun). What is Doggo Lingo? It’s how dogs “talk” online, of course! If you are interested in: 1. Live sketchnoting OR 2. Illustrated infographics, like this one – – I’ll happily be there to make your next event,…
Is there a visual learner in your life that you’d like to encourage or support? Or maybe you wish to engage a group you work with by using visuals? Here is a curated list of ten fun, practical and unique art supplies, tools, books, and other gift ideas for a variety of age ranges, for…
The event has ended and it was a success. Participants are fired up with new knowledge. A graphic recorder captured the event (either virtual or in-person) and people loved seeing their ideas and discussion points come to life, or they were inspired by the speaker’s innovative story-telling. They feel connected to the message and want…
Virtual meeting fatigue is real – but remote digital visual note taking helps people tune in, not check out. Behind the scenes: A marketing course took their instruction online via a zoom webinar. From my home office I was able to draw a lecture on my iPad while the students (all adult professionals from…
I just had the best experience participating in – and simultaneously scribing* and sketchnoting** – a training on learning fun, powerful and practical ways for teams to work more effectively together. Specifically for educators, these protocols are a process developed by National School Reform Faculty (NSRF) to train coaches in their Critical Friends Group® methodology…
World Usability Day I celebrated World Usability Day on November 15, 2019 with the Indiana chapter of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) – a single day of celebration and educational events occurring around the world that brings together communities of professional, educational, and other groups for a common objective: to ensure that the services…
Here’s an interesting – and challenging – project I recently completed: the How to Plan Your Meeting or Workshop process map. This step-by-step infographic provides a color-coded, single-page pathway to the significant components of an important meeting or workshop. Background This past spring I earned a certification as a Structured Professional Facilitator with the goal…
The more iconic something is, the more we project ourselves onto it; the more detailed and realistic, the more we see it as something other than ourselves.” – Scott McCloud Drawing out concepts and ideas instead of writing down words is an effective way to communicate. Simple drawings such as icons can help overcome…