Category: visual thinking

Mike Rohde’s visual conference harvest

Image by Mike Rohde, Creative Commons license
In the continuing visual thinking vein, take a look at Mike Rohde’s SXSW Sketchnotes AND, the gift he offers with his post, Lessons Learned from my SXSW Sketchnotes. Mike’s lessons from doing Moleskin notebook sketches to capture conference sessions and experiences, then sharing them freely on flickr… pulling out a few key quotes. Go read the whole article.

A Fast Spreading Meme
I’m fascinated at how quickly the sketchnotes spread across the net. On the Tweet scan and RSS searches for my name, “SXSW Sketchnotes” were popping up all over and being re-tweeted like crazy. [Nancy’s comments – we hunger for the visual]

Readers Like Personal Accounts
…Sharing a unique, personal perspective is a powerful way to communicate. Sketchnotes are one way that attendees to the panels can re-live an experience…
[Nancy’s comments – we hunger for the personal]

The Human Touch Attracts Readers
…They’re a little imperfect, yet very readable and understandable…
[Nancy’s comments – we hunger for something we can relate to – with comfort]

Sketchnotes Awaken Memories
…Notes and sketches of my activities help me recall clear memories — even years after the trip…
[Nancy’s comments – well, as I age, I appreciate this even MORE]

New Opportunities
I’ve been approached several times this week about doing “sketchnote” style illustrations for a couple of projects. ..
[Nancy’s comments – being open and generous pays off]

Creative Commons Frees Up Images
All of the sketchnote scans and photos have been uploaded to Flickr with a Creative Commons non-commercial, attribution license, which frees people to place my images on their sites with attribution, and no need to ask permission. I love this!
[Nancy’s comments – so do I. THANKS!]

Image by Mike Rohde

Our learning edges

Surfing Picasso by Greg Robbins Yesterday I was interviewed about “making mistakes in public” and how that allows us to get feedback and learn from others. My friend Philip Tarlow mentioned this Picasso quote to me last week, and it struck me as being about our learning edges. Doing things we aren’t quite sure we know how to do. Taking risks in the name of learning and doing.

” Thus when we used to make our constructions, we produced “pure truth” without pretensions, without tricks, without malice. What we did then had never been done before; we did it disinterestedly, and if iti is worth anything it is because we did it without expecting to profit from it. We sought to express reality with materials we did not know how to handle and which we prized precisely because we know that their help was not indispensable to use, that they were neither the best nor the most adequate. We put enthusiasm into the work, and, this alone, even if that were all that there were in it, would be enough: and much more than is usually put into an effort — for we surrendered ourselves to it completely, body and soul. We departed so far from the modes of expression then known and appreciated that we felt save from any suspicion of mercenary aims. “

Picasso, reported by Jaime Sabartes, Picasso: An Intimate Portrait, New York 1948

Image by Greg Robbins

Honaria Starbuck Paints the SXSW Experience

Watercolor by Honaria StarbuckI’m not in Austin for the perennial geek culture fest that is SXSW. But via Twitter and blogs, I’m getting some vibes all the way up here in the northland.

My friend and artist Honaria Starbuck is doing some on the spot paintings of the panels she is attending. She is also including some short poetry. It is an evocative way to share what is going on, very personally filtered through Honaria. Here is an example from Andy Beal’s panel (her picture to the right). You can see all of her painting posts here.

This is yet another example of visual conference capture. Low tech, unlike the work of David Sibbet at TED I blogged about earlier this week. When we think about “harvesting” and “sharing” what is going on at a F2F event, the options are widening. No longer are we limited to text live-blogging, or photo streams. These artistic endeavors capture a “sense” and, for me, enhance the more literal text and audio captures.

TED2008-BIG VIZ Production

I blogged last week that David Sibbet and others were doing real time digital graphic capture at TED. David Sibbet has posted a short video of the output. It is worth a minute to click over to his blog and see it. I can tell, I need to start learning more digital visual capture techniques! David Sibbet: TED2008-BIG VIZ Production.

David writes:

Here is a short video of the work I was doing at TED2008 with Tom Wujec, Kevin Richards, and John Schmeir of Autodesk and Phil David of Perceptive Pixel. …. Tom Wujec is now making an on-line book of all our drawings that will be available at www.autodesk.com.

Watching twice and realizing I’m listening

I’m fickle.

I forget most movies the day after I watch them. Same for most books. Rarely do I want to see or read something a second time. So Monday’s video comes courtesy of a movie I have now watched twice and am actually thinking about getting a copy of the sound track and DVD – Across the Universe . (Sorry, I did not embed it. Tech issue.)

I was wondering why I like to hear music over and over again – a different pattern from books or movies. Then I realized Across the Universe is, in fact, a musical. And the other movies I have watched more than once have most often been musicals.

What is is about musicals?

If I look at the golden age of musicals they are often racist and sexist. But they, like our society, have evolved to convey real issues.

And they have music.

The music carries two things for me. One is emotion. I think of songs as the soundtrack of my life,  and they bring both a deeper connection with the emotion of the text and they embed a memory deeper in my brain.

The other is the switch between dialog and music allows us to step outside of our daily concept of “reality.”

It is like when I’m on a plane, 30,000 miles above terra firma and I can reflect on the world in a way that is different on the ground. A step away that gives a step closer to clarity.

There is a connection here with my recent playing with visuals. The addition of a different type of aural experience changes how we perceive something. I wrote a while back about the impact of adding music as background to a focus chat.  Facilitators often prime a room by having music playing as people arrive for a gathering. My dance and yoga teachers set the tone with their choice of music.

Is a fully lived life a musical?