How the City of Boulder Made the Most of Working with A Graphic Recorder…And You Can Too!

When you all bring ideas to me that are creative, I always want to share them back so others can use them. This story from Boulder's Recreation Centers demonstrates how integrating graphic recording throughout the entire process - before, during, and after - created deeper and more varied community involvement.

Pre-Event: Strategic Visual Design

Boulder's team envisioned gathering community input through a playful board game format, where residents could prioritize recreation center improvements using feature cards. Rather than settling for a generic design, we collaborated to create a custom game board that reflected the rec centers’ unique character. This pre-event visualization set the tone for engagement and created anticipation among participants.

Other ways to use visuals before your event are creating custom drawings to share via email, website or social media so people know what to expect. And we can turn your typical typed agenda into an engaging visual journey that gets people pumped about attending.

Event Day: Dynamic Engagement

During the session, live graphic recording via projected iPad screen transformed abstract discussions into tangible ideas. This real-time visualization served as a shared reference point, deepening participant engagement and maintaining high energy levels throughout the discussions. Watching ideas take shape visually encouraged more meaningful contributions and created a collaborative atmosphere.

Post-Event: Extended Impact

The team maximized the visual assets' potential by displaying large prints in each Boulder recreation center with interactive sticker voting for ongoing community input. This thoughtful approach extended the conversation beyond the initial session, allowing broader community participation through both the physical displays and a survey sent by email.

The result? A cohesive, engaging process that transformed standard community feedback sessions into a memorable, productive experience that continued to gather valuable input after the initial event concluded.

Want more? Here’s another case study of leveraging graphics throughout the entire event lifecycle with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

San Francisco, California: With the National Parks Conservation Association as they continue a long-term collaboration to reduce single-use plastics in parks - here’s a snap from last year. This year we’re also discussing strategies to support visitors and parks with electric vehicles. Fighting the good fight.

Houston, Texas: Right now I’m with Houston Methodist as they lead the effort to bridge disciplines and approaches in neuroregeneration research and practice. I’ve been delighted to support their work since 2019, even through the pandemic and having the twins. Here’s a shirt design I created for them this year, stay tuned for images of finished graphics in the next email.

Happy 13th Birthday ConverSketch!

ConverSketch turns 13 this week!

Solidly in the teenage years, it’s high time to use some Gen Z slang: getting to do this work with you all is lit, no cap (Translation: I seriously really love getting to do this work with you all). Thank you. 

To celebrate, here’s a photo of me with my very first live graphic recording from 2011* in Florida during graduate school. We held a series of workshops with National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges around the country about telling stories of climate change in their specific place to their visitors. Later in my career, I got to work on a series of creative climate change videos with one of the people I met while creating this graphic! See more climate action work here and here.

Do you have a story about how your ConverSketch graphic made a difference in your work? Please consider sending it my way and I’ll share a couple in the next email.

*I started practicing graphic recording in 2011, however ConverSketch wasn’t officially founded until 2012.

Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?

Bailey and Golden, Colorado: Supporting a series of workshops with Jeffco Public School principals as they reflect on a challenging few years and create the future they want.

Virtual Workshop: Remotely supporting the Federation of American Scientists and Institute of Education Sciences as they explore whether a Living Evidence approach could work for the research and best practices IES produces and disseminates.  

Huaraz, Perú: I’m delighted to share a write-up from Abriti Moktan, a graduate student who attended Hatun Tinkuy in December. You can see photos of the graphics in action, as well as our day in the field in the Cordillera Blanca.

Facilitación gráfica – ConverSketching in Spanish

Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t speak the language? How did you get around and communicate? One of my favorite things about graphic recording is the power of visuals to help tell a shared story, even if a group consists of people who speak different languages.

In December, I went to Huaraz, Peru to graphic record in Spanish for Hatun Tinkuy, which is Quechua for “Big, Important Gathering”.

Convened by Indigenous people and researchers from mountain communities all over the world, the purpose of Hatun Tinkuy was to connect, build relationships, and share work and resources to cultivate more resilient social and ecological systems in the mountains of South America. The workshop was held in Spanish with English and some Quechua translation, and visuals were captured in Spanish with English and Quechua translations in the works.

One of the most exciting aspects of this workshop was the opportunity to connect with and mentor two local artists who were interested in graphic facilitation. Liz and Huandy are talented and brave – they jumped right in and co-created with me over the course of the workshop!

Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Huaraz, Perú: Here are more pictures from the beautifully held workshop and community.

Veterinarians and Climate Change: A few years ago, I worked with a delightful professor at Colorado State to create a series of illustrated videos about how climate change and vet practice are related. Here’s an article outlining work by a related non-profit, which links to one of the videos.

Not working: When an idea keeps appearing, it’s usually something to pay attention to. Here’s what I’ve been noticing: while the new calendar year is often a time of ambition, resolution, goal setting, and energy, that feels more like spring energy. So I’m exploring the idea of embracing the long, dark winter nights here in the northern hemisphere, and resting until the seasonal energy awakens. I mean, as much as one can with two-year-old twins.

Join In Celebrating…Karina is a 40 Under 40 Honoree!

Karina and Spencer at the 40 under 40 Celebration.

Please join in celebrating with us: Karina is one of Northern Colorado’s 40 Under 40 this year! Hosted by BizWest, the event “celebrates young professionals shaping the future of Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado who are making a mark on their communities through professional success and volunteer activities”.

Founding and owning ConverSketch has been a core piece of who I am, and running a business that gives back to the community has always been part of my core values. That’s why I choose to give back in a variety of ways:

• Prioritizing work with organizations and teams that align with my values.

• Donating a portion of my proceeds each year to organizations that are working in conservation, climate resilience, and supporting women and girls in business and education.

• Offering a limited number of scholarships for discounted graphic recording each year.

• Volunteering supporting women in rural Kenya: I have been a co-leader for service-learning program through Colorado State University taking students to Samburu, Kenya, since 2013.

Thank you all for being my co-collaborators and, truly, for being the reason I get to do this work! And a special thank you to Rebecca Everette, who nominated me for this award. You are an inspiration and lift up the women in your life!

Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

It’s been a busy year! Here are select highlights from this summer to give a peek into what I’ve been up to. I’ll be sharing a new video series soon as well! Stay tuned.

Wisconsin, Texas, and Michigan: Hosting a series of workshops for the National Parks Conservation Association focused on building connections and place-specific strategies to support visitors to Parks in electric vehicles.

Workshop participants in Munising, Michigan discuss how to support EV infrastructure in their community and park.

West Virginia: Graphic recording with the US Fish and Wildlife Service ePermits program as they built connections and a shared understanding of how to more effectively modernize the permit process. We also created an illustrated video together earlier this year.

Permit process modernization with fish and wildlife is always a good excuse to draw animals.

The wall of visuals extended behind and in front of participants as the week progressed!

Aspen: At the annual Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum discussing the leading edge on AI policy, safety and moderation, antitrust, and broadband.

Denver and Fort Collins: Apoyando el trabajo de La Cocina, un organización escuchando de la comunidad sobre desarollando un app sobre la salúd mental.

Supporting the work of La Cocina as they learned from the community what they’d like to see in a mental health app for the Latine community. Sessions were in Spanish and English and I translated key ideas to English for the summary illustrations to be used in future grant writing.

How to Use Graphics After Your Event for Seismic Engagement

Have you ever gotten a follow up email after attending an event? What was inside? A survey? A written meeting summary?

Was there any engagement? A lively volley of replies…or crickets?

After a workshop focused on zero waste in National Parks, the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA) blew me and the other participants away with the workshop summary.

And the results? More than 20 of the 32 participants replied to the summary, expressing delight in being a part of the group and the uniqueness of having graphic recording as part of the process. Here’s what Josh Simpson who founded Little Kamper refillable propane tanks wrote:

“For me, the most amazing part is reviewing the summary report and seeing how much was captured and translated into art. This was my first experience with having an artist in residence at a meeting and I'm blown away. My high hopes for this gathering were met at every step on the way and then exceeded when I reviewed the meeting summary.”

Another example of using the graphics to amplify impact is from the Boston University team working on improving care and outcomes for children with medical complexity.

They published a special issue of the  journal Pediatrics focusing on several years of collaborative and family-led work. In two of the papers, graphics from the process are used to illustrate key ideas and share important outcomes from the work.

Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

San Francisco, CA: As seen above, for the National Park Conservation Association and Subaru talking zero landfill input in National Parks.

Boulder, CO: For the City of Boulder as they asked citizens what they’d like to see in the Civic Area Park. This was created on paper on-site (and outdoors!) then additional color was added digitally after the event.

In the Studio: Storyboarding and managing several illustrated videos. Here’s a sneak peek at a first draft sketch for the US Fish and Wildlife Service – gotta love whatever makes bumblebees celebrate!

Cheers to 12 Years!

ConverSketch is twelve!

Thank you for being the reason for many years of discovery, creativity, fun, and making meaning together.  Am I proud of what we’ve done together? You bet I am!

If you asked me when I picked up my first chisel tip marker where I thought this would take me, I probably would have said something like “I don’t know, but this just feels like what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Through creativity, strategy, and deep listening, we've co-created to bring your visions to life and spark new possibilities. Each project has been a unique opportunity to learn, stretch our minds, and explore diverse perspectives.

Here's to another twelve years (and beyond!) of cultivating imaginative solutions and drawing your meaningful ideas together.

Thank you for your collaboration, humor, and what you do to make the world a better place.

Cheers,

Where in the World is ConverSketch?

Virtual Global Driving K-12 Innovation Summit: Working with Laura at PumpkinBerry Consulting is always a delight, and collaborating on this Summit was no different. Our job was to bring educators and IT professionals together across the US and world to hold space for connection, creative problem-solving, and celebrating the work they do every day.

Sunrise, Florida: I joined the City of Sunrise to digitally graphically facilitate the community’s vision for the future of their city. I visualized what was most important to community members including parks, recreation, good government, safety, and multiple transportation options. After hearing more via surveys, the County Commissioners will add their ideas too!

Colorado State University: As part of a larger retreat for the Climate Adaptation and Management Planning Program, I graphically facilitated a visioning session with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). These folks are passionate about our planet and wildly smart – it was a treat to be in the room with them.

2023 Roundup & 2024 Reflection Gift For You

Welcome to 2024 y’all!

How has this new year felt for you? Has it been subtle shift or have you felt a more noticeable change in your life?

Each of us is figuring out the steps to the ever-changing dance of balancing working, caregiving, and pursuing other things that fill our cups – creative pursuits, moving our bodies, travel, or simply enjoying some tea and book.

For me, 2023 was full of learning curves as a mother. Even so, I’ve been delighted to collaborate with many of you on your fabulous projects - scroll down for highlights from videos to in-person graphic recording throughout autumn/winter of last year.

I hope for you 2024 feels like a deep breath of possibility that’s full of moments that feel delightful, balanced, and are opportunities to grow! 

Here is a sheet you can download to reflect and focus this next year. Mine is printed and hanging near my desk as a reminder!

Thank you 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?

Ute Mountain Ute NUCHU Planning Video Series: You can watch all three videos here to learn about the outcomes of the retreat we held last summer and how to get involved with the tribe’s community and economic development priorities.

National Park Service Climate Change Response Strategy Video: Here’s the link to watch the video about NPS’ approach to climate change.

Colorado Food Summit: Farmers, ranchers, chefs, schools, food access/equity organizations, and local food enthusiasts from around the state came together to learn and network to create a more robust local food system.

Soil Health Roundtable: Producers and researchers from across the intermountain west to work collaboratively on regional soil health. Without healthy soil,

Colorado Tourism Stewardship: How can we support tourism without loving destinations to death? Over the course of the day, I illustrated conference participants’ ideas in an Experience Wall based entirely on what I heard!

The Attainment Network: The Pathways Conference is an opportunity for educators from around the state to connect and share how they support learners who may not follow a “traditional” path. This is my third year working with this crew and I love the positive impact they’re having on young people!

Diverse Attorneys Retreat: How can a law firm not only attract, but nurture and empower diverse employees? At this retreat, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women attorneys envisioned their ideal work environment. The Chief Diversity Officer then took the chart to the Executive Leadership Retreat to share how they can do the work to support all their people.

A Personal Update: Kai and Ayla are now over a year old and are walking all over! I’m planning to continue part-time with ConverSketch this year and am slowly increasing my capacity for new projects while prioritizing time with family. Thank you for your patience and understanding as I navigate this new path!

Collective Impact

Last week was my first on-site job since the twins arrived! I had the delight to work with long-time clients the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Santicola & Co. to bring together tribal leaders and potential funding partners in a unique workshop.

The first two days were a smaller group - the tribal leaders and consultants that support different priorities for grant funding in the community ranging from housing to expanding a solar farm. Small groups worked through focused rounds to clarify their needs and a story that painted the picture of why it matters for the tribe. Then, each group created a pitch, which was presented to potential funding partners on the third day.

Whenever I get to work with the Ute Mountain Ute, I am struck by the generosity, intention, and systems approach that is taken. Each piece is approached in a way that can create a collective impact that is greater than the sum of the parts.

I created a visual summary the work of all 8 project groups over the first two days, as well as making custom flip charts for each group to present their needs and requests to the funders. It felt so great to be in the room with the group, stretch my body and mind, and using markers and chalks to visualize and synthesize the ideas shared.

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?

Westminster, Colorado: With the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Here’s a close-up of part of the drawing from the 3-day workshop.

Wildfire Policy Landscape Mapping: In a virtual workshop with the Federation of American Scientists, I helped map out the complex political landscape of wildfire legislation and initiatives to help the coalition guide a cohesive path forward.

UNICON 2023: Hosted by CKGSB University in China, this year’s Executive Education forum focused on collaboration between East and West and what technology means for the ever-evolving landscape of education.

No Travel Budget? You Can Still Have Graphic Recording

Are you planning an event that could use graphic recording, but you don’t have a budget for travel? Let’s talk about remote visuals.

I recently had the pleasure of supporting Wayne State University’s Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness & Research (CLEAR) as they held a symposium on environmental justice for maternal and fetal health in the Detroit area.

Though most participants attended locally, I was able to join remotely to capture visuals in real-time. The team projected my work on large screens around the room in tandem with presenters’ slides so participants could see multiple ways of engaging with the information as it was being shared.

Here are some of my tips for success:

• Good sound is a must. Make sure your people have easy access to microphones so the graphic recorder can hear well.

• What’s your why for having visuals? Answer this question to decide what’s most useful for displaying the graphics. Is it important for participants to see the graphics as they emerge? Or as a reveal at the end? We can work together to design a strategy that best serves your needs.

• Before, during, after: we can work together to make the most of your investment by thinking about how to leverage the visuals to support your goals for the event.

• Practice makes everything better. Schedule a tech test to make sure sound and displays are showing up well so everything goes easy on the day of.

“The first comment about the CLEAR presentation was about how wonderful it was to see your graphic recordings and what a great idea it was to interpret the research in this way.

Thanks again for your excellent drawings that so innovatively communicate the work of CLEAR in such an easily accessible way.”

— Judith Moldenhauer, CLEAR Team

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?

Though I’m still very much easing into working as a new parent, I’ve been loving the projects I’ve gotten to support this spring:

Wayne State University: Here is one of the graphics I created for the CLEAR symposium mentioned above. I loved learning about the community-centered and interdisciplinary approaches this group is taking around maternal and fetal health!

Learner Voice Symposium: Partnering with the Attainment Network is always a treat because they center learner voices and walk the talk of including youth and non-traditional learners in conversations that matter!

WildfireSAFE App Video Series: I’m delighted to finally get to share the WildfireSAFE app videos with the world! Matt Jolly and his team at USFS have developed an incredibly sophisticated and simple-to-use app that helps fire responders and residents understand fire danger in very specific locations and times. This app can help save lives – if you live in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), please check it out!

Tech Leadership: Supporting a leadership team as they navigate big shifts in the organization. I was impressed by the vulnerability and authenticity with which folks showed up in a completely remote environment!

ConverSketch Returns in April

Karina holding Kai (left) and Ayla (right).

Hello!

Here are a few updates as spring flowers emerge here in the Northern Hemisphere, and I start to emerge from the cocoon of newborn twin life:

• I’ll be returning to graphic recording part-time starting in April, focusing on virtual and single day local (Colorado) on-site projects. I plan to start traveling this summer. If you have an event that could use some visual thinking, I’d love to hear from you and get you in my calendar. I’m looking forward to partnering with you all!

• Our twins, Kai and Ayla, are growing and learning more every day. It’s a joy to have them home from the NICU and off oxygen and get to see their personalities emerging. Baby coos and smiles sure are special! We’re looking forward to more walks and seeing more friends as the weather warms up and the twins get stronger.

• ConverSketch turned 11 in February! An enormous thank you to each of you for being a part of what makes ConverSketch special – it’s all about your ideas, creativity, and collaboration!

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?

While I have been fully immersed in being a new parent, here are some projects from last year that have been published in the last few months.

CoSN Driving K-12 Innovation: The Consortium for School Networking hosted another series of dialogues and ideation sessions to support educators and schools Driving K-12 Innovation across the nation last fall, and I got to create live graphics which are beautifully featured in their annual publications. Check out the full reports here.

Rangeland Ecosystem Services Publication: Another studio piece from the fall, created in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Service exploring pillars to resilient rangelands and rangeland ecosystem services.

The Wilderness Society: Last fall I had the joy of working with the TWS Community-Led Conservation team to create a vision and roadmap toward truly supporting communities and wilderness. This spring we got together to finish a summary illustration of their vision and values and how they fit into the larger TWS organization.