Watershed Perspectives

September brought fascinating work with clients across the country and across sectors, but one theme kept emerging organically. This is one of my favorite things about being a graphic facilitator – we get to listen, learn and make connections.

This month I keep hearing a similar idea from a team working on resilient coasts and watersheds, to social and ecological scientists working in mountain systems around the world, to community-led conservation practitioners:  

The same small perspective just doesn’t cut it. To really solve problems for our environment and people, we need to look at challenges from a larger perspective, like a watershed. If we’re only looking to solve problems for one community or piece of the ecosystem, there are bound to be repercussions or solutions that don’t last. Looking for system connections

Is there a way for you to take a “watershed” approach to a problem or challenge to look for a solution in a place you may not have thought of?

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Seattle, WA: Facilitating with the Wilderness Society’s Community-Led Conservation team as they explore what it would take to create a supportive, inclusive, and effective community of practice.

Basalt, CO: With mountain researchers from around the world exploring the potential of creating a new alliance to elevate indigenous and mountain community voices for better climate policy.

Denver, CO: With the Attainment Network learning and sharing about different career pathways to support students who may not choose to or think they can attend university.

Virginia Beach, VA: With the Environmental Defense Fund kicking off a series of systems thinking workshops for the Resilient Coasts and Watersheds team – the rest of the workshops are virtual throughout the fall.

How to Scale Your Work Up, Even When Once Size Doesn’t Fit All

Have you ever been wildly proud of something you or your team accomplished, but then wondered…Can this scale?

One of my favorite things about being a graphic recorder is that I get to work across sectors and pick up on patterns and shifts. For example, right now, three of my clients are all figuring out how to scale across the country in very different areas:

• Supporting children with medical complexity and their families in hospitals and clinics

• Helping communities become more resilient in the face of large-scale wildfires

• And creating a national community of practice around community-led conservation

While there is not one path forward, some real gems became clear last week with the team working with children with medical complexity. I thought these ideas deserved a little airtime, and maybe YOU are working on scaling too…perhaps there’s a keeper in here for you!

• Take an iterative approach - start small, test an idea, and learn and grow from there. Remember: It doesn’t have to be perfect!

• Scaling complex work takes time. In a world of instant gratification and grant-makers wanting results, this may be tricky…and also imperative.

• Relationships are key to building trust, which is key to being able to move quickly or be patient when needed.

• Facilitate communication across teams regularly, in-person if you can, to build those relationships and cross-pollinate ideas.

• Take what you’ve learned in each place and weave it together for solutions that are greater than the sum of the parts. You may already have a solution!

• Ask those you’re serving to be part of the process (and compensate them for their expertise and participation!).

• You already know enough. While it’s almost always tempting to want/NEED more data, you probably already know enough to take the first steps.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Chicago, Illinois: After working together remotely in 2020-2021, it was an absolute joy to get to meet the convening team and state teams working together to improve the lives of children with medical complexity and their families. Closing this multi-year pilot in a flawless hybrid meeting, the teams shared their key insights, discussed what’s next, and how to sustain the work moving forward.

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Graphically facilitating for a leadership team at US Fish and Wildlife Service to craft a visual metaphor telling the story of equity, inclusion, and creating a welcoming organization for all employees.

Virtual with Adobe Creative Campuses: Sharing and learning with Creative Campuses across the globe, these quarterly gatherings are always lively, a lovely way to build community virtually, and thoughtfully curated to create welcoming and informative spaces! The sessions start today, so here’s a graphic from the spring!

Chaos Clarified: Visualizing Systems Cycles

As I was floating in a river canyon last week, thinking those sorts of nebulous thoughts, a memory clicked into place while gazing at the ancient stone and water around us. 

Way back in 2018 (that was at least 15 years ago, right?), I partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund and Colorado State University to graphic record a series of systems thinking workshops looking at pollinator habitat in midwestern agricultural lands. Over several months, this thoughtful team took a deep dive into systems thinking and I visually mapped out the process and ideas as we went. 

With so many moving parts, mental models, things we can/cannot control, emotions, perspectives, and information to sort through, it felt overwhelming to make decisions or know what we could do to make a positive change.

As we leaned into the systems thinking tools, we began to practice and see how they were one way to help us clarify complexity, map out relationships, and illuminate patterns or points of leverage that had previously gone unrecognized.

So, this last week as I was wondering why it felt like so many complex and difficult things are colliding right now in my country, and why the heck can’t we think long-term and collaboratively to solve problems, a sketch from 2018 popped into my mind: 

This drawing shows the time cycles of different elements of the pollinator/ag system we were mapping, and how each element’s cycle is quite different than the others. 

For example – our political cycle is four years, while many ecological cycles are much longer (100+ years). And the agricultural cycle is much shorter – just one year. So, if each of these cycles is driven by a different time constraint, the patterns of misalignment start to become clear. And the motivation to create policy or strategies that wouldn’t come to fruition until 10, 20, 100 years later…those are less persuasive in an election year. 

Systems mapping also created a framework to being understanding where changes could be made, and where ripple effects might begin. 

I love this question from Hugh McLeod: Where can the smallest change make the biggest difference?

So, in times where challenges seem enormous, pick up a pencil and make a few marks – you might be surprised at what becomes clear and where YOU can make a difference.

I am delighted to get to share some Very Exciting News!

When I first found out about graphic recording back in 2010, I took a training in the Bay Area which shaped how I approach the work and gave me a strong foundation to build my practice on. Since then, I’ve had the delight to become friends with one of the instructors, Emily Shepard of The Graphic Distillery. Em is kind, funny, compassionate, extremely talented, and an exceptional teacher. 

Why am I telling you all this? Because she just launched her new online course, Draw It Out! If you’ve ever wondered if YOU could take better visual notes or become a graphic recorder, this is your moment. She created this course to help equip people with tools to better understand each other and communicate more easily. Check out her course overview and outcomes here!*

And if you want a MASSIVE discount of $100 off, be sure to register before Friday, October 9th at 8 pm Pacific using the code birdflightdio. 

This is an affiliate link, so if you register I get a kickback because that’s how Emily rolls. For the record, I’d promote the sh*t out of this class regardless because she’s amazing.

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers, 

Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Children with Medical Complexity: In the last of a series of virtual reflections with universities and health campuses across the country, the graphics summarize lessons learned, accomplishments, and where these teams can focus in the future to support families and children in their health.

On Trails and the River: We snuck out for a small rafting trip in Western Colorado/Eastern Utah last week. Here’s a plein air watercolor I sketched at camp one evening. Spending time in nature fuels my creativity and soul, and I am feeling particularly privileged to have access to public lands, equipment, and time away. 

Water Research Vision 2050: Phase one of this project is also coming to a close this fall, and we are gearing up for the final Writing Workshop later this month to refine a framework for the Agricultural Research Service’s vision for water research in the coming decades.

Concerned About COVID-19? Instead of Canceling Your Event, Consider This

If you’re planning an event, you’ve probably been following the news around COVID-19 very closely, weighing options, and building backup plans. First and foremost, I hope you are healthy, and I’m sending strength to those who have loved ones who are sick. For a list of resources for updates and guidelines for gatherings from the WHO and CDC, scroll on down to the bottom.

Working with planning teams and event organizers as a graphic recorder, I first want to say YOU’VE GOT THIS! The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to pull ANY event or meeting off is immense, and adding uncertainty of any kind creates more work and potentially more stress.

With shifting travel advisories and varying individual risk tolerances for travel, should you postpone or even cancel your event?

NOT NECESSARILY!

Let’s be clear. I’m NOT advocating for unsafe travel or putting people at risk.

Instead, consider holding the meeting remotely to ensure your participants are safe and healthy! Here’s an excellent resource for tips and tools for remote meetings and events as well.

You might be thinking at this point “Sounds great on paper, Karina, but we all know how easy it can be to get distracted while working or convening remotely.” I agree – it’s wildly tempting to be multi-tasking on a video call.

So, how to keep participants glued to their screens and following what’s going on?

Partner with a graphic recorder.

We can work digitally and share screens to show the visual notes unfolding in real-time on the remote meeting platform, or set up a camera on paper and boards to build colorful walls that can be sent to the convening organization after the event to display in your office and share with people at the next in-person meeting.

AND WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

Resources and Updates on COVID-19 from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Huge thanks to the International Forum of Visual Practitioners for compiling the great resources!

• A live-tracker of the spread of the disease from Johns Hopkins University

• WHO: World Health Organization:  

  • Planning recommendations for Mass Gatherings

  • Basic protective measures 

  • WHO's rolling updates on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

• CDC: The Center for Disease Control

  • COVID-19 information page

  • The CDC’s recommendations for traveling

  • The CDC's interim guidance for planning mass gatherings or large community events

• A Joint Statement on Tourism and COVID-19 - UNWTO and WHO Call for Responsibility and Coordination

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Phoenix & Tucson, AZ: Working with the State of Arizona’s HIV Prevention Program to capture ideas and stories on how to end the HIV epidemic. To say I was humbled is an understatement – from LGBTQ youth to trans communities to African American communities, it was an honor to listen and be part of these listening sessions.

Fort Collins, CO: Facilitating collaborative discussions around river health across departments within our City’s government. This is our backyard river, and one I love dearly, so I’m looking forward to seeing how different departments can work together!

Phoenix, AZ: I’m headed back to Arizona this week for the Third ShapingEDU Unconference hosted by Arizona State University. I am so excited to be part of this dynamic, innovative community building better learning futures for students. Here’s the Summary Illustration of the 10 Actions and Areas the community has developed guiding this work.

One Simple Question You Can Use to Train Your Brain to Apply Systems Thinking to Any Challenge

I’m on a learning-about-systems-thinking-kick. Why? Because the challenges and questions I’m seeing across sectors with the clients I partner with are more complex, more dynamic, and require solutions that address root causes.

And I want you to have the skills to recognize systems at play and know how to look for creative solutions that lift your team to the next level.

My last post covered the basics of systems thinking and a few everyday places to observe systems in action.

Okay, so it’s easy to see how stocks and flows apply to a bathtub, or feedback loops are seen in bank account interest.  

But what about starting from scratch? Where to begin?

Here’s a gem from Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows. Ask yourself:

If A causes B, is it also possible that B causes A?

Alright Karina, bring it back down. What does that actually look like?

If perceived lack of control causes low employee engagement, is it also possible that low employee engagement causes perceived lack of control?

Or…If not having a shared vision causes a siloed organization, is it also possible that a siloed organization causes not having a shared vision?

And if you want to get even more cerebral, she also challenges readers to “Try to think of a human decision that occurs without a feedback loop.”

 Do you have a persistent challenge your organization keeps coming back to? If you think some visual strategizing could illuminate a new solution…

Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

In the Studio: Filming a new illustrated video for the National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, creating digital illustrations, and prepping for a lot of travel next week.

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It's been a month since we've been back from rafting the Grand Canyon and I'm stoked to share this shot taken by my husband - that's me in the light blue rowing through a rapid called Upset! Click on the photo to see a larger version! Photo: Spencer Branson