Art and facilitation together at last

artful facilitation workshop - graphic facilitation techniques

The very talented Avril Orloff

The best educational experiences leave me feeling excited and a little bit nervous about what comes next. I felt both after a creative and challenging 2-day The Artful Facilitator workshop taught by graphic recorder Avril Orloff.

For me, artful facilitation is a combination of techniques that invite creativity into the room. Graphic recording, preparing templates or agendas, and designing activities that engage visual learners help participants engage to their fullest. Here’s some of our photos:

Sometimes, doing the basics for a meeting is just fine. But have you been to a meeting that generated a list of flip charts – that live on a shelf? Yearned for a summary of a exciting planning retreat that captured the feeling in the room? Working with populations with different literacy levels? Want art to communicate across different backgrounds, literacy levels, ages, experiences? Artful facilitation techniques can help. I’m a visual learner, and as a facilitator I also want to welcome participants into my meetings – and now I have more tools to do just that.

Can’t wait for more opportunities to bring these out in 2012.

Personalized Christmas cards

I was asked to create personalized Christmas cards for a dozen people. It was such a thoughtful gift and the recipients were really touched at her gesture. Together, the person requesting the illustrations and I came up with meaningful and whimsical images about the people, and then I added a whole lot of festive.

Here’s three of my favorites.

christmas card with dogs

Continue reading

Home Harvest Farms illustration

Philip is the visionary behind Home Harvest Farms, sturdy planters for indoor food production. His vision includes communities growing food everywhere. For him, intensive, local food production opposes climate change by protecting the climate, transforming the economy, connecting with nature, and rebuilding community. He contacted me about bringing these four concepts to life in two paintings:

Home Harvest Farms- climate change illustration, local food production, urban agriculture

www.homeharvestfarms.com

Home Harvest Farms can look like this: Continue reading

Crisis to Commons: community gathering

Tragedy of the Market: from Crisis to Commons

January 6 - 8, 2012: from Crisis to Commons gathering

“CEOs are dreaming of owning everything on the planet. What are we dreaming of?” Capitalism is in crisis. More than ever it’s time to ask: what are the alternatives?

Tragedy of the Market: from Crisis to Commons is a community gathering January 6 – 8, 2012. By donation, childcare and lunch available. Information: http://commons2012.wordpress.com/, twitter @commons2012.

I’m pleased to have developed the illustrations for this important event.

Procrastination file folders

Set of 5 Letterpressed Procrastination Folders: secret santa gift and maybe never sometime unlikely later

Set of 5 Letterpressed Procrastination Folders

Maybe. Never. Unlikely. Never. Sometime. It’s part of a procrastination filing system. Now you can pick it up from the floor and put it into folders.

This letterpressed set of “Procrastination File Folders” is printed with wood type on 85% post consumer recycled folders, using an antique Chandler and Price 12×18 press.

Stay tuned for future additions: Pondering, Plotting, I’ll Think About It, Whatever, and Probably Not… that is, if I get around to it.

Purchase on Etsy by clicking here. Happy procrastinating.