Mapping a New Future
During my hiatus, I am using this time to hone my skills so that I can be of even greater benefit to a future employer. One of these skills that I'm really excited about learning is graphic facilitation. If you haven't heard of this before, it's basically capturing dialogue onto large sheets of paper using pictures, words and colors. This approach helps people “see” their thinking and is super helpful for strategic planning and visioning discussions, helping simplify complex issues and cultivate big-picture thinking. I'm still in the beginning stages, but I'd love to practice with some friendlies. So if you have any planning meetings coming up, consider inviting me to help capture what's going on.
I'm also taking some fabulous classes at the School of Visual Concepts (if you don't know about this resource, check them out!) including Infographics, Data-Driven Design Sprint, and Sketching for UX Designers, Researchers and Developers. It's a fabulous place to learn from top-notch professionals in the field as well as network.
On top of applying for creative director positions, one of the options I'm exploring career-wise is instructional design. This seems like a natural path because I love to create and deliver learning programs that increase other people's skills and knowledge.
So it was really great to be invited recently to speak at both Green River College as well as Eastside Arts Collective about using their creative power for good. It was exciting to deliver workshops that connected adults young and old to their passions.
This time to reflect, refresh, and renew has been such a gift because I'm able to say YES to new opportunities. If you or your company has some needs that creativity can help solve, please contact me. I'd love to help!
"Steffanie Lorig's presentation about her work with Art with Heart and her books for children/teens touched my heart. With some writing exercises, she helped us to access our own wishes and ways we could take social action." —CuriousJoan, Sammamish