Why I am Celebrating World Sketchnote Day #SNday2016!
Today the sketchnoting community is participating in “World Sketchnote Day.”
Before I knew about the word “sketchnote,” I had some idea of taking notes and thinking visually. I “bumped” into this idea when I was stuck writing my dissertation and didn’t know where to go with it. I had written out notes tirelessly trying to summarize ideas, arguments, etc, but it wasn’t until I actually sketched the ideas that I had a breakthrough. I have written about that process before, but the main point is that I learned something about myself, the way I think and the way I learn. Drawing, even very simple images, helps my brain make associations that I struggle to do with bare-bones text.
Once I learned about sketchnotes, Mike Rohde, Doug Neill, Dr. Makayla Lewis, Mauro Toselli and others, I realized there was a whole community of people who think this way. That’s when I really became a fan in the truest meaning of the phrase. The community not only adds a level of engagement that makes the practice relational, it also means that the practice will continue to evolve and develop as people add their own ideas to it.
You can check out some of my sketchnotes here, read my thoughts on incorporating sketchnotes into public speaking, and see the sketchnote guide I created for my dissertation, which is now a book, to help communicate challenging ideas graphically.
Now, I use sketchnotes to create class presentations, as well as a communication tool while I teach. I use it when I take notes during a meeting to help me pay attention, remember key points or just stay awake. I use it when I read books and when I write. I use it when I make to-do lists for our Saturday chores. In other words, at this point, I sketchnote as often as I can.
Below is how my own practice has evolved and how sketchnoting has helped me.
How I use Sketchnotes: A Timeline
How Sketchnotes Have Helped Me
