Revelation #1: I Believe in a Higher Power. The easiest way to get me praying is to have me hang two 35’ hand-drawn murals on textured walls with glossy paint jobs… the night before an event! (Please don’t fall, please let the tape hold… please don’t fall, please let the tape hold… If you have to fall, please don’t rip on your way down… please don’t fall, please let the tape hold… oh man, you took so long to create… please don’t fall… )
Revelation #2: Thousand, Schmousand. Interestingly enough, graphic recording for large groups scales really well… because the report-out sessions are well-facilitated and there are a limited number of microphones so only one person can speak at a time! The smaller groups (say, 30 or so)–where everyone can still speak up at once–are the ones that require more focus and tighter listening skills from me. So, if you can record for a small group… you can record for a big group. (My largest group up until today had been 350. Now it’s 850!)
Revelation #3: Nerves drown in Flow. Yeah, I’m about to record (and publicly speak) in front of a thousand people (or close to it.) But graphic recording is really a Zen process for me: when I prep for my recording, I simply prep; when I record, I record. The only time nerves sneak in is right when the entry music dies down and I know the event is about to start. Whoosh… adrenalin and nerves! But then I’m in the flow of my recording and the nerves simply can’t keep up.
Revelation #4: People can see when you live your passion. I don’t know how many people came up to me today and said, (and I quote,)
“Wow, I’ve been watching you work and what you do is amazing! It must be amazing to get to live your passion every day!
(Wow, does it show? Thank you! I love what I do… and yes, it does feel pretty darn amazing!)
Revelation #5: So What… I am a Rock Star… and I like Pan-cakes… and I will Eat… Them… for Lunch! One part art, one part science, one part process, and one part performance: Graphic recording truly allows me to tap into my inner rock star! By the end of the event, Pink’s “So What” was stuck in my head on permanent repeat and I loved it! So what better way to celebrate a job well done than to enjoy some rock star pancakes at 3 in the afternoon? (Hey, all I had up until then was a latte!)
I cannot wait to see what you draw forth,
Pancakes are my favorite “reward” food. Whenever I do a very long run or a race, I crave pancakes afterwards – it’s the only time I seem to want them. Of course, I then eat myself into a carbohydrate coma and completely undo any weightloss effects of the run…
Good point, Eris! That’s probably why I don’t lose that much weight after a graphic facilitation project…too many pancakes! ;^)