One Squiggly Line

A visual thinking business that uses hand-drawn pictures to make things clear, simple, & fun
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One Squiggly Line Blog

Hand-drawn pictures can make things clear, simple, and fun in blogs, too!

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Onesquigglyline_visualthinking_wordsandpictures

Visual Thinking: Words & Pictures Together

melinda carpenter August 23, 2019

What grabbed your attention first — the image above or the big chunk of text below?

Odds are, the image grabbed your eye first. It's probably the main reason you're reading the text in the first place! So go back to the image for a minute. Really look at it. READ it.

Now, read the paragraph below:

Visual thinking makes complex information simple, brings clarity to confusing communication, makes the common unique, turns the passive into the active and apathy into interest. With visual thinking, the clumsy becomes elegant, the impersonal becomes personal, the dry becomes juicy, "Yes, but..." is replaced with "Yes, and...", trial and error turns to trial and learn, the cold becomes warm, and the separate become unified.

That paragraph and the accompanying image say the same thing! Most people find the information easier to absorb through the image than the paragraph. They're able to absorb that information faster and remember it longer. And, it's a lot more fun!

In Lettering, How to be More Visual, Graphic Recording, Creativity Tags creative thinking, Creative Connections Network, visualize, sketchnotes, visual notes
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Onesquigglyline_visualthinking_bemorevisual

Creativity: The Idea Box

melinda carpenter August 20, 2019

There's a myth out there that highly creative people just sit around and wait for inspiration to strike. Like a great big lightening bolt from the sky. Or a soft whisper from a mystical muse.

Truth is, creativity is not quite so passive. It is an active process. And there's a science to it, not just an art. There are even formulas, methods, and procedures for generating ideas and, equally importantly, evaluating them.

One classic way to create something new is to combine things. And a great way to do that is with an idea box. It's really easy to do - the image above shows one I used with kindergarten through jr. highers.

First, write out the parts of your project, problem or whatever you're thinking about. Next, make a list of thing that fall into each of those categories (random is good here!). Then, chose something from each list and put them all together. If you don't like what you end up with, reach back into your idea box until you find something you do like!


In How to be More Visual, Creativity, About Visual Thinking Tags creative thinking, creativity, Creative Connections Network, visualize, doodle
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onesquigglyline_visualthinking_doodle

Creativity: The 3 C's

melinda carpenter July 21, 2019

Creativity researchers acknowledge there are different types of creativity and sometimes break it down like this:

Big C — Creative genius (think Einstein, da Vinci, etc.)

Little c — Every day creativity, like writing a witty text

Professional c — Those whose job it is to create (like me!)

While not everyone can be a big C or a professional c creative, everyone has plenty of little c creativity! Drawing is a great place to start for any kind of creativity. Check out my YouTube channel for some quick videos to get your creative juices flowing.

Check out One Squiggly Line's About Visual Thinking page to learn more about little c creativity.

In life, How to be More Visual, Creativity Tags creativity, creative thinking, Creative Connections Network, World Creativity & Innovation Week, c's, the creative C's
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onesquigglyline_visualthinking_combiningelements

Visual Thinking: Words & Pictures Together

melinda carpenter July 17, 2019


What grabbed your attention first — the image above or the big chunk of text below?

Odds are, the image grabbed your eye first. It's probably the main reason you're reading the text in the first place!So go back to the image for a minute.Really look at it. READ it.

Now, read the paragraph below:

Visual thinking makes complex information simple, brings clarity to confusing communication, makes the common unique, turns the passive into the active and apathy into interest. With visual thinking, the clumsy becomes elegant, the impersonal becomes personal, the dry becomes juicy, "Yes, but..." is replaced with "Yes, and...", trial and error turns to trial and learn, the cold becomes warm, and the separate become unified.

That paragraph and the accompanying image say the same thing!Most people find the information easier to absorb through the image than the paragraph.They're able to absorb that information faster and remember it longer. And, it's a lot more fun!

Check out One Squiggly Line'sAbout Visual Thinking page to learn more.

In Graphic Recording, Creativity, About Visual Thinking, Lettering Tags Design Thinking, design, creative thinking, Innovation, Creative Connections Network
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onesquigglyline_visualthinking_andrewsimeon

Creativity: It's Contagious!

melinda carpenter July 10, 2019


There's a myth out there that highly creative people just sit around and wait for inspiration to strike. And while they wait, they really don't care about the real world.

Truth is, highly creative people know great ideas do not come from within. They come from connections made with something outside ourselves. Often, those connections are made with something created by another creative person.

That's why the highly creative notice, appreciate, and celebrate creativity wherever they find it. And they even seek it out. So if you'd like to be more creative, start appreciating creativity when you see it. You'll soon discover ideas really are all around you!

Learn More About Visual Thinking

In Creativity Tags creative thinking, creativity, Creative Connections Network, drawing, Leaders for Change
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Creativity: You ARE Creative

melinda carpenter June 5, 2019

Many people don't consider themselves creative because they can’t “draw” or “paint”.

The reality is that creativity can take on a variety of forms - many forms beyond the physical realm. In fact, creativity starts and is born from our internal world. Our goal is to figure out which medium best portrays our personal creativity.

Thus, we must make sure we cultivate an environment that is conducive to creativity. But how do we do that? How do we know what that environment looks like? Isn’t it different for everyone?

Yes.
 

The first step, and the most important step, is to become more familiar with ourselves.

We must be able to recognize the types of things that stir our heart, set our soul on fire, and make us come alive. Because once we recognize them, then we can begin to replicate them.  
 

And the only way to find out is by trying out a variety of different things, as creativity demands quantity.  

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

-Howard Thurman

Learn More About Visual Thinking

In life, Creativity, How to be More Visual, Tips & Tricks, the creative process, About Visual Thinking Tags creativity, vision, art, thinking, creative thinking, Creative Connections Network, visual thinking, World Creativity & Innovation Week, design, practice
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ideas.jpg

Creativity: 10 Ways to Shake Things Up!

melinda carpenter May 29, 2019
  • Take a cold shower

  • This will likely be an unfamiliar experience, allowing you to create new neural connections.

  • Make a new meal without a recipe

    • This will force you to be comfortable without all of the answers in front of you

  • Try a new hairstyle

    • A new change could inspire you!

  • Create a new outfit that you’ve never worn before

    • Mixing and matching will help you form new styles. A new outfit can give you a new vibe, which can inspire confidence.

  • Journal about your day

    • This reflection time will allow you to absorb what you’ve learned throughout the day. Journaling will also allow you to look back on old memories and see patterns in your life.

  • Take a new route that you haven’t taken before

    • This will give you a new perspective. This will take you out of auto-pilot mode, and force you to think in different ways.

  • Rearrange your room or living space

    • This can create a fresh environment and get you out of a routine feeling

  • Ask more questions

    • The more curious you are, the more you will learn.

  • Limit or eliminate social media for a day

    • You can use the extra time gained from eliminating social media to be more productive. You can spend this time in silence. It will likely be an unfamiliar experience.

  • Exercise your body and mind

    • Whether working out, doing yoga or meditating, this will allow your body and mind to relax and take a break from life.

    • Giving your mind a break allows creative ideas to flow naturally.

    Hire me to shake things up for you!

In life, Creativity, About Visual Thinking, How to be More Visual, Visual Thinking Tips Tags creative thinking, creativity, ideas, quotes, TEDx, thinking, Design Thinking, Creative Connections Network, travel, blog, pictures, practice, books, productivity
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CreativeConnectionsNetwork_SynthesisImage_Illustration_MelindaWalker_OneSquigglyLine

Synthesis Image or Illustration: Creative Connections Network

melinda carpenter November 26, 2014

Synthesis images are not always created live. They can be created from print materials or audio and video files, too. This synthesis image was created from an entire website to draw people in and highlight all they have to offer. Check it out!

In Visual Thinking Examples Tags creativity, drawing, thinking, synthesis image, illustration, visual thinking, social media, visuals, blog, website, Creative Connections Network
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One Squiggly Line:

A visual thinking business that uses pictures to keep things clear, simple, & fun...in blogs, too!


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Visual Thinking:

Words and pictures used together to engage the whole brain and turn information into knowledge that can lead to wisdom and action.

It's about communication, not art!


Graphic Recording:

Large-scale visual notes drawn live, in real-time, usually in color.


Visual notes:

A catch-all term for notes of any size created with a mixture of words and pictures, and may or may not be created live.


Sketchnotes:

Small-scale visual notes drawn in real-time. They may be created live or from audio or video files. My sketchnotes are usually black & white.


Graphic facilitation:

Facilitation of a meeting through the use of visuals. Often involves the use of templates and worksheets. Popular for problem solving, brainstorming, goal-setting, and strategy sessions.


Synthesis images:

Illustrations created to simplify complex information, drawn in the style of graphic recording or sketchnotes. Synthesis images are usually in color and generally created from print materials (like a company report or brochure).


Graphic Illustrations:

Simple, stylized drawings (including icons) created to represent an idea, concept, or information.


Other Illustration:

Drawings done in a variety of styles with varying degrees of complexity for a variety of reasons to depict pretty much anything.


Lettering:

A variety of unique, original lettering styles drawn by hand and designed to complement and add impact to the words.


Sketch Animation:

Short animations made from hand-drawn illustrations, generally to inform or educate.



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“The soul never thinks without a mental picture.”
— Aristotle

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One Squiggly Line

A visual thinking business that uses hand-drawn pictures to make things clear, simple, & fun

Hand-drawn visuals to make things clear, simple, and fun so you can understand more deeply, communicate more clearly, and act more confidently. Visual Notes ~ Illustration ~ Sketch Animation ~ Graphic Recording ~ Other Creative Services.

One Squiggly Line | San Francisco Bay Area & beyond!, California, USA

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