How to Say No When it’s Right

Saying yes to opportunities, professionally or personally, can lead to some adventures you’ll never forget, or an opportunity to push your comfort zone and learn something new. 

Sometimes though, it’s important to say no – working on a priority where you need to focus your creative juices, or holding space for family or self-care. If you’re like me, saying no can sometimes feel like hurling yourself off a precipice into the unknown – will they be angry? Will this burn a bridge I’ll regret? Will there be NO RETURN? (Spoiler: no.)

I’m always glad I declined something if there was a reason not to – even if it was simply a feeling. Especially if I can do so in a way that feels honest and explains the why behind my decision. 

Recently, an interview I read with Ashley C. Ford that succinctly brought together some reminders about saying no, as well as how to do it gracefully. Here’s what stuck with me most: 

• Be kind – just because you’re saying no doesn’t mean you have to be rude or cold

• Being honest is better for everyone to avoid frustration and false expectations

• Be clear on your priority/goals, and use that as a guiderail to be able to say no to things that aren’t working toward that, or don’t serve that

• Turns of phrase I have already used when struggling with the right way to say no: 

  • I’m sorry. I don’t have the bandwidth for this. (So simple. So honest.)

  • This is an amazing opportunity. I hope you’ll keep me in mind for something in the future, but if I do this, I want to do it 100% and there’s no way I would be able to give you 100% right now. Or…

  • I want to do the best possible work for my clients that I’m wildly proud of. Right now I don’t have the capacity to give you that high quality collaboration. 

  • I can work on this, but I’ll have to let go of this other project. Which do you want me to prioritize?

Do you have guidelines for how to choose what to say yes or no to? How do you say no in a way that feels authentic and with integrity?

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?

Climate Change, Media, & Kids: A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of supporting a workshop hosted by NSF about how to leverage media platforms to tell stories and educate children on climate change. It was AWESOME and I can’t wait to see where this goes!

ShapingEDU Pente Challenge: ShapingEDU was back for another innovative virtual event – a pitch challenge for teams working to improve the future of education in the digital age…with real cash as the prize! I got to support teams as they practiced “yes, and…” improv thinking for their pitches, and was an expert resource to help them create custom visuals for the pitch or work through complexity. I love that ShapingEDU always includes student voices!

Arizona HIV/AIDS Leadership Academy: Another cohort wrapped up by reflecting on leadership values and key takeaways to be better leaders working to End the Epidemic. I’m always floored by the vulnerability and support the facilitators hold for each cohort. 

Drawing Connections to Climate Change is an Award-Winning Video Series!

I’m so proud to share that the National Park Service Drawing Connections to Climate Change illustrated video series won a 2021 Silver Telly award!

Who else won a Silver Telly in our Public Service & Activism category? Stephen Colbert. COLBERT. 

These shorts tell stories of climate impacts in places and ways we don’t necessarily think of first – such as loss of cultural resources due to intense storms, or warming leading to an increased threat of avian malaria for rare birds. 

What I love about the approach we took with these videos is that they tell it like it is: climate change is having some massive impacts on our beloved wild places. AND there are things each of us can do to minimize climate impacts! The series always ends asking the audience “Can you picture it?”, as a tool park interpreters can use to engage with visitors and imagine a future we want to see.

I am so delighted to be part of this team and would like to take a moment to send a major shout-out to Larry Perez and Matt Holly at NPS for championing this series and making darn good videos! Your skills are fire and it’s a joy to collaborate with you!

You can find the entire series as a playlist at NPS Climate Change Response Program’s YouTube channel, or browse the links below:

• Our newest release is from Haleakala – avian malaria and climate change

• Castillo de San Marcos, Florida – sea level rise and historic cultural resources

• Organ Pipe Cactus, New Mexico – the historic Gachado Line Camp and intense storm cycles

• Jean Lafitte, Louisiana – sea level rise and historic and natural resources

• Yosemite, California – the importance of winter seasons for the park to rest

• Summer Heat Safety – how to stay safe even when things heat up in National Parks

• Cabrillo, California – ocean acidification and sea life in tide pools

• And the very first Drawing Connections video from back in ’17 -- Fort Laramie, Wyoming – river flooding events and cultural resources

If you’d like to work together on an illustrated video, I’m currently booked out into spring of 2022. Get in touch if you’d like to discuss your project or be connected with another talented illustrator in my network. 

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?

Another New Video! This video for the National Park Service is designed to introduce a virtual field trip for students to learn about what brown bears eat when they emerge from hibernation, but the salmon haven’t started their run yet. CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

Ute Mountain Ute Student Voices: The Tribe received a grant for after-school programming for youth, and are starting by gathering the kids’ ideas and interests before taking steps to begin creating the programs – here’s a snapshot of one focus group. 

Graphic Facilitation: for a couple of teams right now. This is a custom element I’ve embedded into the Miro Board to support the multi-disciplinary team of researchers applying for an NSF grant to get on the same page about their approach and begin the process of writing up the complexity in a coherent way. 

Research to Action: What Any Sector Can Learn from GCSE+Drawdown

Why, yes, you CAN have an interactive and participatory virtual conference with over 3,000 participants from all over the world!

Earlier this month, the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE), and Project Drawdown brought together researchers, leaders, and community members to learn, share, and create solutions for people and planet.  

Some of the most powerful insights can be translated to any sector, so no matter who you are, here are a few snapshots from graphics showing what resonated most with the participants over the course of the week: 

Effective communication is more important than ever. To do so, we need to meet people where they are. 

Listening to and elevating diverse voices we haven’t in the past. At GCSE+Drawdown, there were several Indigenous presenters who openly shared their research and perspectives.

Networks and partnerships are needed do the incredible things we are called to do. Working together we can fill in one another’s gaps, offer new perspectives, and share resources.

Complex challenges require creative solutions, which means looking for systems and across disciplines.

GCSE always does an excellent job leveraging the graphics I create with them. Last year they created a stunning Global Sights and Sounds page to share the graphics and highlights from the conference. This year we collaborated to create visuals for social media posts before, during, and after the conference. I also made a massive Conference Synthesis map created over the course of the five-day conference. Scroll to the right and zoom out to see the entire thing! 

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?

Middle School: Facilitating a series of professional development sessions on using Adobe Fresco with their students as a creative thinking tool. 

US Fish and Wildlife Service:  Graphically facilitating a session with regional leaders to analyze how to create an internship system that is inclusive and supports hiring a more diverse and representative workforce. The outcomes will be refined into a strategic illustration which can be used in tandem with the Hiring Barriers and Biases illustration I created last year. 

Strategic Planning:  With a non-profit focused on supporting our democratic process through data-driven approaches. I can’t share the whole graphic, but here’s a snapshot of the title of a session that really elevated the energy levels during a remote retreat. Remember to celebrate accomplishments and share kudos for your team! 

Standing for Love

I was all ready to share some insights from last week with you, as I spent five days with thousands of people from all over the world graphic recording their discussions on climate solutions. 

In the midst of this hopeful and action-oriented virtual conference, the violent insurrectionist* attack on the US Capitol unfolded. It feels heavy, and also disingenuous not to acknowledge what is happening and denounce it in no uncertain terms.

I stand for equity. 

I stand with the Earth. 

I am learning to be anti-racist. 

I am for accessibility.

I stand with science. 

I stand with Love. 

*Originally, I used the language “domestic terrorist attack” here. I’m learning about how the word “terrorist” has been used in the past referring to violence committed by White people (the Oklahoma City bombing), and the resulting policy has been used largely against marginalized communities instead. I’m still forming an opinion, but my takeaway is this: moving toward anti-racism means critical thinking about language I use.

Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?

NCSE + Drawdown 2021: The Global Council for Science and the Environment and Project Drawdown co-hosted a beautiful and powerful virtual conference to connect research with action for global climate solutions. Here is a snapshot of the Miro Board visual synthesis I created over the course of the five-day event distilling key ideas and actions from participants. Click here to explore the board in more detail.

Accessibility Widget on the Website: I’m excited to have discovered the User Way Accessibility Widget thanks to Drawing Change. This widget supports front and back-end accessibility for people with differing abilities to ensure any website is ADA compliant. Check it out here!