The Center for Graphic Facilitation

Making Art Work

clipped from www.catalystranch.com

Article by ALLISON RIGGIO | Contributing Writer | Chicago Journal

It may be years since most white-collar businesspeople went to art class, but a new corporate training philosophy might change the way Chicago does business.

The West Loop’s Catalyst Ranch teamed up with the Art Institute to develop an arts-based corporate train­ing philosophy unlike any other.

Aptly named Art-Work, the program utiliz­es the museum’s artwork as a medium for teaching communication and other business-related skills.

Why You Should Include a Joker in Every Brainstorming Session

IMAGE: Ganymedes Costagravas'

The Fast Interview: John Morreall on the link between humor and innovation, why authoritarian bosses fear humor, and the funniest CEO in America. 

clipped from www.fastcompany.com Humor makes us think more flexibly. People who think funny do better on creativity studies. To put it really simply, humor loosens up your brain to think of more possibilities and be more open to the wild and wacky ones. There is a guy at the State University of New York at Buffalo named Roger Firestien who has a center for the study of creativity. When he teaches brainstorming, he says you should put a joker in the group -- somebody who will come up with preposterous ideas. Very often that will stimulate people to come up with ideas that will work. Let me give you an example. A bunch of paint engineers were moaning and bitching about how hard it is to get paint off a house. One guy says, "Why don't we just put gunpowder in the paint and blow it off the house?" That led people to think, "What could we do that would be the equivalent of gunpowder?" They came up with a chemical they added to the paint and when you wanted to remove the paint you did a light wash with a second chemical over the first one. That didn't blow it off the house, but it allowed it to drop off. read full interview >>

Assessing the impact of societal issues: A McKinsey Global Survey

It has been amazing to see terms such as "triple bottom line" and "social return on investment" move from the social sector into the boardroom. This global survey details how executives feel and think about the soft stuff that have hard business consequences.

clipped from www.mckinseyquarterly.com Executives expect the environment, including climate change, to affect shareholder value far more than any other societal issue during the next five years. Their concern now exceeds that of consumers. Most managers are personally worried about global warming. Only one in ten reports not worrying at all, and just 3 percent say they do not believe that it is happening. Corporate political influence and involvement, health care and other employee benefits, and job losses from offshoring also rank high on the sociopolitical agendas of business leaders. Executives indicate that companies are getting a little better at managing sociopolitical issues and understanding what the public expects of them.

Nancy Andreasen: On Creative People

Nancy Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D.

Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at The University of Iowa; Institute of Medicine member; Editor in Chief, The American Journal of Psychiatry; 2006 Vanderbilt Prize Winner for outstanding woman in biomedical research

As part of the Discovery Series Lectures, Andreasen speaks on life, literature, science, children, women and creativity. Although they may have moments of self-confidence coupled with self-doubt, she finds creative people as having a natural innocent and humility that drives them to push against themselves. They are not driven by a "prize". Most often, creative personalities are driven towards answering a question or creating something.

"They are driven," notes Andreasen "by a sense that they haven't gotten it quite right."

This sense of disquiet comes from a profound acknowledgment. "Most find that creativity is a gift.  If you've got something that is a gift, you don't feel that it belongs to you. That's what keeps creative people humble."

See videos>>

ADHD: Fast Kids, Slow Brain Growth

Brain development found to be slower in children with ADHD
Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:43pm EST

clipped from www.reuters.com Children and teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have developmental delays of up to three years in some regions of the brain, U.S. researchers said on Monday. "The sequence in which different parts of the brain matured in the kids with ADHD was exactly the same as in healthy kids. It's just that everything was delayed by a couple of years," said Dr. Philip Shaw National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health. Shaw said the delays are most pronounced in regions of the brain that are important for controlling thought, attention and planning. ADHD is a condition suffered by about 2 million U.S. children that often becomes apparent in preschool and early school years. Children with ADHD have a tougher time controlling their behavior and paying attention. The finding was based on imaging studies involving 223 children and teens with ADHD and 223 without the disorder.

Manic Comic Preachers

This group of international comic artists and illustrators picks a theme (kittens, hobos, moustaches) and dips their quills into the surreal every Thursday night. The results are posted on their blog.

clipped from stldrawingclub.blogspot.com STL Drawing Club OUR SKETCHBOOKS WEIGH A TON WE DRAW EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT clipped from stldrawingclub.blogspot.com STL Drawing Club has gone global with the addition of Maximo "Max" Vento. Max is an up and coming graphic novelist who hails from Spain. His first book is due out in his homeland by the end of the year. Clean shaven, baby-faced Max gives us his take on our mustache theme. clipped from stldrawingclub.blogspot.com In honor of the upcoming FBC moustache ride we all drew moustache themed drawings last night. You know what that means!!!NOTE: I'm not crying in that self-portrait, those are eye boogers. Although YOU'D probably cry if you were driving a hot-rod made entirely out of your own moustache.

The Writing On The Wall

Good penmanship is more than just a quaint skill. A new study shows that it's a key part of learning.

By Raina Kelley | NEWSWEEK | Nov 12, 2007 Issue

clipped from www.newsweek.com Many educators say yes, for reasons having nothing to do with thank-you notes. Handwriting is important because research shows that when children are taught how to do it, they are also being taught how to learn and how to express themselves. A new study to be released this month by Vanderbilt University professor Steve Graham finds that a majority of primary-school teachers believe that students with fluent handwriting produced written assignments that were superior in quantity and quality and resulted in higher grades—aside from being easier to read. The College Board recognized this in 2005 when it added a handwritten essay to the SAT—an effort to reverse the de-emphasis on handwriting and composition that may be adversely affecting children's learning all the way through high school and beyond. Emily Knapton, director of program development at Handwriting Without Tears, believes that "when kids struggle with handwriting, it filters into all their academics.

World Usability Day

Think of this day next time you try to figure out the self-checkout aisle!

clipped from www.worldusabilityday.org "Making Life Easy!" World Usability Day was founded to ensure that the services and products important to life are easier to access and simpler to use. The focus for World Usability Day 2007 -- November 8, 2007 -- is healthcare. Whether it's new medical devices or technologies; drug research, approval, or delivery; patient forms or medical record sharing; emergency disaster planning; increasing the functionality of hospitals; or everyday healthcare delivery, EVERYONE is affected by usability in healthcare.

Picture, Words and the Worlds in Between

A wonderful, concise visualization of the connections the artist sees between comics and information design. It manages to perfectly relate Tufte, Galileo, Chris Ware, Linda Barry, Scott McCloud, graphic facilitation, information design and comics!

 

 

-- Austin Kleon (email), January 19, 2007 | posted on Edward Tufte's blog.

One Hand, One Sharpie, One Wall

Paul Williams of Idea Sandbox sends us this video.
It is Harold and the Purple Crayon meets the graffiti artist Bansky.

(WARNING: Don't let your mom catch you doing this at home on her wall!)

Paul also suggests checking out this upcoming book THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN by Dan Roam. (March '08) and the author's: http://www.digitalroam.typepad.com/