Sketchnoting - Yes, You Can!

Several years ago, I would see sketchnotes come across my social media feed and think, "Wow, that's incredible.  I wish I could draw." I wasn't an artist, how could I possibly be expected to draw things on my notes? Notes by Sylvia Duckworth and Wanda Terral would scroll by on my Twitter feed while I sighed longingly, wishing I could create beautiful and useful images like those. You see, I knew that images were powerful and that they would improve my learning, I just didn't think I was capable enough or talented enough to give it a try. After having conversations with many others about sketchnoting, I'm positive that I wasn't alone. Too many people think that they aren't artistic enough to make sketchnotes. Guess what? That's a lie. A big one! It may be true that you aren't very artistic. It may be true that you don't draw well. I certainly didn't. However that doesn't mean that you can't sketchnote. You can. Everyone can.

Now, will everyone's sketchnotes turn out like Sylvia's or Wanda's notes? No, of course not, but they don't need to! Sketchnotes are first and foremost for the person who creates them. They help the person taking notes to make deeper connections to the content and to solidify the information in his/her brain. They don’t have to be amazing and frame-worthy every time. I guarantee you that if you give it a try, and stick with it a bit, you'll surprise yourself. It takes some time to develop your style and find what works for you, but it is so worth it. Sketchnotes are so powerful! When I sketch, I retain the content so much more than when I used to jot notes in a notebook or type them in a document on the computer. I can close my eyes and think of a conference session I attended or book that I read and see the colors I used in my sketchnote. I can recall the images and icons and even some of the main ideas just from the memory of my sketchnote. The gain is worth the risk.

For me, it took getting an iPad where I could draw and then quickly hit undo and try again. That gave me the confidence to go ahead and take the risk and try it out. After a while, I got involved with a community called #Sketch50 on Twitter which helped me practice and experiment with sketching. Eventually that led me me starting the #SketchCUE event which you can read more about here. In honor of the second annual #Sketch50 event in April 2018, I made a short video that chronicles my Sketchnoting journey. I hope you find it inspiring.

I want to challenge you to give Sketchnoting a try. Start simple - choose a black pen/pencil/marker and one color. Practice with some simple shapes or sketch your favorite quote. Write the words in black and then try to add some emphasis to the important words by changing the size or font or color. Allow your creative juices to flow - you have them even if you think you don’t. Trust me, I was the person who said I could never sketchnote because I wasn’t an artist. Get on Twitter and check out #Sketch50 or check out their website at sketch50.org. Take a look at the slides from the beginning sketchnotes session I run called The Power of Sketch and try out some of the prompts. In whatever way you are comfortable - pick up a pen or a stylus, lean into your growth mindset, and start sketching.  

#SketchCUE

*The information below was for #SketchCUE 2018.  Information on #SketchCUE 2019 will be coming soon!

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My favorite Ed Tech event of the year is Spring CUE in Palm Springs.  Not only do I get to go and learn, but I get to hang out with all my amazing PLN people face to face.  These people are online colleagues, but I'm proud to call many of them friends as well.  Every January, I start to get excited because I know CUE is just around the corner.  This year, I'm extra excited!  Why?  #SketchCUE!!

I'm a sketchnoter and the Spring CUE conference is when I do most of my sketchnoting.  So many amazing sessions and keynotes - I can't help it!  I LOVE to sketchnote, but I don't consider myself an artistic person.  It has taken me years to practice and dial in my sketching skills and I still don't consider myself artistic.  I do, however, feel confident enough in my sketches to share them out now, but it has been a journey of practice!  I don't know about you, but I love to see other people's sketchnotes.  The way the learning is made visual in so many different styles just blows my mind.  

Last year, I participated in an event that took place after Spring CUE called #Sketch50.  A bunch of people joined together on Twitter and did a sketch a day for 50 days.  This sketching practice helped me so much!  Not only did it give me practice, but it also gave me a library of little sketches that I can copy and paste and use in the future.  This got me thinking...what if we did some sketch practice leading up to CUE?  Something simple and fun that would help us brush the dust off our sketching tools and get some practice in before CUE comes around.  I reached out to fellow sketchnoters Wanda Terral (@wterral) and Cate Tolnai (@CateTolnai) and #SketchCUE was born!

Here's how it works:

From February 5th until March 9th, there will be a prompt tweeted out using the #SketchCUE hashtag each day (weekdays only).  We will have 25 simple prompts that will help you practice your sketching skills.  When it is all said and done, you will have a whole library of sketches that can inspire your future notes.  If you sketch digitally, and your app of choice allows it, you might even be able to copy and paste your sketches directly into your future notes. 

Steps to participate:

• Watch the #SketchCUE hashtag every weekday from February 5th to March 9th for the daily prompts.  (I will tweet them out, so you could also follow me - @TeachingTechNix.) 
• Sketch using your tools of choice.  This could be on paper or digitally.
• Tweet your sketch out to the community using the #SketchCUE hashtag before the end of the day for each prompt.  

That's it.  It's easy and it will be so much fun!  I hope you join in with us during the next few weeks as you prepare to #SketchCUE at #CUE18.