River Reflections

Reflections on a side hike.

Hello everyone!

I hope you had a relaxing long weekend with loved ones and are refreshed to finish this year with your unique and spectacular style.

As for me, after 24 stunning days on the Colorado River, we’re back home and getting used to things like email. And ceilings. 

Spending so much time offline in a wild place lends itself to reflections on life, the universe, and everything. I hope you’ll excuse me while I share some of the things sticking in my brain and heart that I hope stay with me for a while. At least until the next river trip reminds me all over again*.   

Presenting: Some things I learned in the Grand Canyon

• Disconnecting for any amount of time is really great. Yeah, yeah, I know…but seriously. 

• When scouting a challenging situation -- let’s use a massive rapid as our metaphor, shall we? -- sometimes the route that looks scary is actually easier. Picking a smart, solid path into the big waves and going for it might be easier than fighting the current to get where it looks safer. 

• It’s okay to not always be doing, or helping, or working. It’s okay to just be. 

• This slowing down may require practice. For me, starting by just taking 5 minutes after a meal to sit and digest helped develop a habit of pausing, appreciating, and taking a moment to look around to be present.

• Trusting ourselves and listening to gut feelings are handy skills for navigating most situations – challenging and otherwise.

• We cannot expect others to read our minds. It helps to approach a disagreement with curiosity, not hostility.

• I recognize the immense privileges I enjoy to be able to do a trip like this: the indigenous lands we were on, taking time off from work, my physical and mental abilities, and the equipment, knowledge, and skills to get ourselves through 280 miles of remote desert river corridor.

• There are powerful forces in the world, like big rivers. Sometimes we don’t need to, or simply can’t, muscle through. A successful route may require thoughtful observation, looking for what’s not necessarily apparent on the surface or at first glance, then working with the forces at play. Get the right amount of momentum and angle to move through. Then make adjustments – not fighting – but pivots to square up to the big waves. Then, remember to plant your oars and enjoy the ride.

Scouting Lava Falls, the biggest rapid we rowed.

*If you’re thinking “Wait a minute Karina, weren’t you rafting the Grand Canyon, like, last year?” Close – our most recent trip was just a couple of years ago, and we spent a few weeks on river trips this past spring. This was our third trip rafting down the Grand, and we felt wildly appreciative to win a last-minute permit this year and had to say yes to the opportunity.

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, 

Watercolor in a side canyon.

Where in the Virtual World is ConverSketch?

This week I’m getting back in the studio working on video projects and strategic planning process design. For now, I’ll leave you with some photos from the trip.

Sunrise at a river camp.

The boat I rowed with Apollo’s temple in the background.

River selfie!

I’m Out of the Office for a Little Time on the River

Hello!

I’m taking some time off through the end of April to unplug, recharge, and spend time in nature on rivers.

If you’d like, check out this post about how time in nature fuels my creativity. Here’s a post about how whitewater rafting and running a business are similar. And here’s a link to my most recent post with a reflection template to think about what seeds you want to plant and nurture for yourself this year. Need inspiration? Here’s what Emily created with her kindergarten class!

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?

Before we headed out, I had the pleasure of graphic recording for several fantastic projects! Here are a few highlights:

Adobe Creative Campus Collaboration: Learning and sharing how campuses are infusing creativity across majors and classes toward creativity for all. The conversation about STEM, STEAM (adding art), and STEMM (adding medicine) was especially lively!

Inclusion Café: Working with a US government team to facilitate dialogue about building a more inclusive and welcoming culture for ALL people.

Thinking Out Loud: A Clubhouse conversation about trends and observations in tech from cancel culture to the future of AI romance.

iMasons APAC Annual Summit: The Infrastructure Masons annual member summit for the Asia-Pacific region explored the future of Edge technology, growth, demand and training the next generation of data center leaders.

What Whitewater Rafting Has Taught Me About Entrepreneurship

A big hello!

If you missed it, the past three weeks I’ve been rafting and camping in the Grand Canyon, which has meant a total disconnect from technology and dropping into River Life (read: plenty of good company, good food, good beer, good scenery, and great rapids!). If you emailed or called while I was gone, thanks for your patience!

Reflecting on some of the biggest lessons I learned in the Canyon, there are a surprising number of similarities to being an entrepreneur. Here are a few of the reminders I’m taking with me as I jump back into life off the river:

Little side hikes can be the most unforgettable. Some of the most special places in the Grand Canyon are hikes up side canyons which are always full of delightful surprises. Will you find yourself in a slot canyon? Or surrounded by spring frog singing? Or stopped in your tracks by an unexpected waterfall around the next bend? Going the extra mile and wandering off the main river corridor can mean a new discovery you won’t forget!

Approaching each day with expedition mentality/generosity. This is huge. Often the biggest challenges on the river aren’t the rapids, or pushing through a headwind…but learning to live with 15 other people for three weeks. When everyone does their best to work hard, contribute, and put the group first, success is pretty much guaranteed.

The power of presence. The gift of being completely surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery, the music of the water and birds, and the steady dip of oars in the water allow one’s mind to open and heart to soften. Without the distractions of notifications or, for that matter, calendars, it’s easy to let the conversation drift, get engrossed in a story, or simply sit and be. This is one of my favorite ways to reset, refresh, and honor the people around me.

You can’t fight the might of the river. This was my first Grand trip rowing my own raft down the river, which meant navigating the rapids! When there’s an obstacle in a rapid and the force of the river is pushing toward it, the way to avoid it isn’t by trying to overpower the water, but by reading it and lining up where you want to go.

…And, at the same time, knowing and honoring your own strength. When the going gets tough, tapping into the reserves and pushing on. Sometimes you don’t have a choice, like when you are in charge of a boat and there are 30 mph gusts of wind buffeting you head-on all day. But you know you have it in you whenever you need it most.

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: Getting back into the swing of life off the river and catching up with all of you. I’ll be traveling to graphic facilitate and graphic record off-site meetings next week, but if you want to get together for coffee and river stories, let’s get together!