Process and the Next Level: My ‘Infographic Life’

In talking about the creation of my “infographic resumé,” or a visual document of my background and experience, I think it’s important to give a little of the “backstory” of the challenge, prior to talking about specific reasons why I chose the visual devices used in the layout. Please excuse the length, but between details of the story, and the relevant process examples, it was impossible to pair the post down…

This resume (and relevant discussion) is being included in the soon-to-be-released book from Wiley & Sons Publishers: Look for “Stories That Move Mountains” in online and brick-and-mortar locations this fall!

The Story

It seems that as I worked my way through the field of design education and graphic design, I entered the mid-2000’s desiring something new and different that combined my experiences in a new way that would take my professional career to the next level. In 2005 I was working in textiles with Tommy Bahama and ready for something that more fully utilized my skills and talents. I had been teaching for 10 years, and knew I loved numerous aspects of design and design education.

I decided to enter a grad program at Antioch University in Seattle. The “Whole Systems Design” program fine-tuned my context-based problem solving skills, and educated me more fully on systems thinking and analysis – it was holism (or “wholism”) in a whole new way – very heady “big-picture” stuff.  Everyone in the program was responsible for applying learning to their own specific area(s) of interest. Mine was learning/development, design, and creative and effective use of technology. This was reflected in numerous papers and projects, including an internship at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center that had me looking at all the stakeholders involved in the use of a performing arts space that used technology and a wide range of users to harness an amazing opportunity to express people talents. I also wrote a final thesis on leadership and creativity. It was an expansive time for my own learning and considering “the new.”

I also put together numerous career “maps” that connected ‘parts’ of my experience within various careers and various documents methodologies in areas like coaching, management, leadership, learning and consulting. A few examples are included here—essentially, when it came to my background, experience and interests, I was really exploring how all the “pieces could fit” in different ways, since I was really looking to take life to the “next level.” Note I said ‘life,’ not just a career… I have always attempted to integrate the ‘whole person’ whenever possible.

Where was the gap between where I was, and where I wanted to be? You can imagine it was a pretty involved process.

I finished grad school as I continued teaching as full-time faculty. I was very busy with these two things, it’s amazing I had a personal life in the process – I met my wife during this time! Anyway, after I wrapped up my M.A., I considered what was next professionally. I had many leads, but nothing solid yet, and my new challenge…

Has how do I attack an old problem? Yes, the resume – something that never fully represented me, and here’s why: I had worked many amazing short and long-term projects over the years, and I had realized that I needed to be very strategic about how I represented a large quantity of diverse projects and situations. Design education was my greatest area of “regular” experience. When it came to graphic design, it seemed like my skills were never deep enough in any one area for all the ‘specialized’ out there, and I kept hitting this same roadblock with HR people and recruiters again and again.

Well, I am not really a specialist… the challenge: clarifying variety in a way that is not construed as “job hopping.”

I had approached this many times with a “traditional” resume, new a chronological format was definitely not an option for me, and also realized that since I am doing more and more data visualization, that it might only make sense to depict my experience on a resume as visual data – I needed to give different audiences another way to experience my experiences – as a compliment to my traditional (text-based) resumé. Why not give them an option to do that?

My infographic resume functions for three main reasons, and any results beyond these could be considered positive unintended consequences. A huge realization at this time, was that I was catering to the wrong audiences… they just weren’t getting it, and I was looking in the wrong places. My new approach needed to function as:

1.     A way to connect with a targeted and more appropriate audience (i.e. IT stakeholders and anyone dealing in statistics and data) a way to “experience my experience,” with a subcategory being the connection with anyone interested in organizational learning. Infographics help people not only experience data, but learn from it in their own way. In the case of a resumé, the ultimate goal is to sway the hiring manager (decision-maker) to bring you onboard.

2.     An illustration of my abilities with data visualization (i.e. a portfolio piece).

3.     And to have the opportunity to tell a story of where I have been, and what I have done – inways seldom done (or possible) on a traditional resumé.

The infographic resume has also apparently been able to not only showcase ability and style, but it’s apparently showcased my personality – let’s just say I can be a little silly at times.

The Design Process

Lead by my determination, I was very fortunate to have a few great people (authors on the book presently being co-authored, “Stories that Move Mountains”) available to give me feedback as I drafted several versions of my new visual approach to my CV. Imagine: these people were a great representation of my target audience! Now THAT is fortunate!

The First Design Challenge

I must say I did not start out with too much of a ‘formalized’ plan of attack. Unlike my usual approach, I did not start out in black and white to get a solid overall approach—OOPS. Not sure if that helped or hurt, but color did seem to be important right from the start.

Apparently ‘thinking outside of the box’ also required getting through lots of ‘inside-the-box’ ideas. Let’s just say I started pretty traditionally, meaning it was more like a slightly modified version of a text-only resume.

 

I started out by breaking down my experience into two primary areas: Education and Experience.

The process itself, started to formalize the approach.

During the process of designing, and getting feedback from said audience, I realized I didn’t really know what I wanted to say – or more specifically, what story I wanted to tell. I realized I was trying to tell too many stories, including elements of my personal life, exercise routine, health, education from as far back from as far back as high-school, etc.

I fine-tuned what I was communicating, and how it was being communicated. I used different types of visual representations and timelines for work, tools, skillsets, etc. It was coming along, but just wasn’t there yet.  It got more and more complex, and the information became quite dense from a visual standpoint. I took chances… some failed, some succeeded—ahhh process!

But there just wasn’t a “story that stuck.”

There were too many “side-stories” going on, and too many things I was trying to communicate. It was ‘muddying the message,’ and diluting the water. The layout was also relatively “divisive,” splitting up the content too much, with directions and boundaries that were far too strong. I believe it also limited the experience. I wasn’t able to make the kinds of connections I wanted, or show the relationships between things well enough.

Do over.

Reboot.

New layout.

The Journey

I finally hit upon a story I could build on. My experiential journey was also my physical journey – after all, I was quite a traveler… moving across the country, and traveling whenever possible. This could be something “thematic” that could help tie things together. 

I fine-tuned the content by unifying all experience and education as simple four different kinds of experience: yes, I believe that even education is experience. Color-coding was going to be a key device for breaking down all content.

I broke down the four areas, and explained what came out of each of those areas.

I quickly realized that the four organic circles and their skillsets would not be as specific as some people might like, so I added the timeline back in as a track for the map, color coding them accordingly, based on the colors of the four areas. It was deemed appropriate that broad, specific, professional and personal elements were all needed to represent the whole person: generally, this is a hard thing to represent in a traditional resumé, and I wanted to make every attempt to infuse my approach with as many elements of the whole person as possible, without ‘muddying the message,’ or telling too many stories.

I realized that a big part of representing the whole person was also about drawing relationships: so I made a brief statement about how each area helped to inform the other areas, drawing connective arrows between them.

I also address skillsets, personality style, and a geographical ‘map’ of the United States, to depict the journey. I gently drew dotted lines to where the four areas connected to basic geography. This is what it looks like today; ready to go until the next shifts in life...

The Final Question Mark

So in closing this chapter of sorts, I continue to reflect on the question of “how much data is too much data?” Pieces of my personal life were thrown out of the visual equation along the way, and I now look back upon my finalized solution and still ask: how much should I be highlighting other things? My experiences such as a professional touring and recording musician are relevant for representing the ‘whole person,’ but feel it is a little hard to work into the layout. This whole thing is a work in progress, and to be a true representation of the person, it needs to be able to grow, change, expand and evolve over time. Can that (or should that) be done through the telling of the same story? Maybe, maybe not, but perhaps soon the question may be:

Not a reboot… but perhaps an upgrade?

lol

m

Being Your Own Creative Director: "Designerly Ways of Knowing"

When I set out on my “design path” I was young – and really, design for me was more a way to make some money drawing. It was also a way to make money being “creative.”

Over the years, I have had numerous opportunities to reflect on growing up, and how I have changed. Then today, I read this post and started thinking about the bigger picture (no surprise for a “systems thinker” ay?)

Design has become a really big deal for me, and less about what anyone would normally think of as ‘being creative.’ A key premise for my blog, for instance, is design from a life approach perspective. I applied some “life design” over the last few years… shifting career focus from college education to corporate training. I did this through a process of analyzing economic niche’s and needs, as well as what would capitalize on what I enjoyed and did well. I transferred a great deal of strength into new areas. This is at the core of design-focused thinking.

Diving in deeper, my life turned out to be something much different than I would ever have imagined. I drew pictures, and also became a designer that was relatively happy, doing what I thought I was supposed to do. I led a life of design education, teaching in many colleges for almost 15 years – I never saw that coming!

It fostered a love for learning – my own learning – as well as helping others learn and achieve their own goals (through teaching, coaching and instructional design). I still love to make music and art, but I also design for learning. From a higher level, it follows similar processes across
the board.

It seems what HAS stuck with me is that higher-level creative, design-oriented thinking. Where education has run short over the years, has been how many universities completely separate their curriculum and programs. We did not see too much inter-disciplinary learning a few decades ago, but really – design thinking runs across everything: the ability to analyze a problem, and find unusual connections among related topics that will create a tangible and useful solution (form) that sticks – while taking the needs, parameters and problem into consideration (function).

And my definition of being ‘creative’ is just that – finding unique connections between seemingly unrelated things. Design comes into play when you ‘act’ upon those creative thoughts and bring a solution into existence based upon creative reflection.

It’s refreshing to read David’s post, and about how being creative – and using design skills – is turning out to be what can give all of us a better advantage in ‘challenging times’ as they say.

Perhaps we can ALL be a Don Draper, no? Or at least, maybe we can do it without all the Bourbon and mistresses.

J

In essence, we should all take the hand-off from Don, and be our own creative directors, because being creative is not necessarily about the form things take (i.e. drawing a picture), it’s about finding ‘sustaining solutions that stick’ – making all our lives better.

Whether it’s math, science, engineering, visual arts, music, psychology, sociology…

We can all benefit from design, and design thinking.

Things are really starting to happen, hitting us in torrents in an increasingly connected world, and fortunately, we’re starting to realize the value in design. Reports are finding that “design schools are not only a major source of new talent for the economy's rapidly growing creative sector, but are critical catalysts for entrepreneurship.”

David writes: “Design, broadly defined, is an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving that seeks to develop more effective products, environments, and organizations. At its heart, design is about understanding people and how they interact in the larger world.”

This quote ends on a key point: design from a systems perspective, meaning we design our environment – and everything in it, in a much bigger system. The system just keeps expanding, and more sustaining and successful solutions exist when they take the bigger picture into consideration.

NONE of these issues focus explicitly on art, graphic design, architecture, interior design or any of the “creative professions.” They exist across everything, and signify a way of thinking, not a specific way of doing.

Nigel Cross would be proud, as he has a great body of work encompassing what he calls “Designerly Ways of Knowing.” His work over the last 40 years has developed from the basic premise that designers (whether architects, engineers, product designers, etc.) have and use particular ‘designerly’ ways of knowing and thinking. This continues to expand beyond the professions listed above…

And seeing and discovering that human innovation may hinge on a design-thinking approach that crosses all boundaries to true inter-disciplinary kinship…

THAT’s exciting!

Thanks for reading!

m

A few side notes:

All this design-talk seems to only beg me to mention my first book is in the midst of final contractual agreements with Wiley Publishers. Myself and two authors are looking at having a book on visual storytelling, presentation design and managing effective change out by fall… YAY!

Also, I am very thankful for the decision I made in 2005: I chose to enter a master’s program at Antioch University Seattle. I received an M.A. in a program called “Whole Systems Design.” It challenged my thinking, and moved me towards looking at the more complex relationships between things – something I suspect I was already doing. I was in a program alongside all kinds of people. A few were artists, but that was more the exception – and it really didn’t matter, and it was more about cultivating a propensity to apply a way of thinking to whatever you area of focus was: in systems language that would be your “system in focus.”

Separation of fields of study (and anything else for that matter) could be the death of society, and it seems to be what’s presently poking us pretty uncomfortably. So you could say uniting disciplines is in my blood at this point and not a hard sell at all, considering my background and experiences.

Learning to Walk Again

A song has really been staying in my head a lot lately – go figure! Anyway, it’s a track called “Learning to Walk Again” by Foo Fighters.

Seems like such a simple concept, but isn’t “reinvention” what design, creativity and life are ultimately all about?

First we learn, and then we start ‘moving’ and applying our learning. Some of that involves successes – we run, and some of that involves failures – we fall. We’re hopefully always in some kind of motion. Walking is a nice analogy for life, and certainly not a new one.

The grand, larger sweeps of our actions involve so many smaller swells, rising actions, and dives in under our heads – apparently now I have turned my metaphor into a swim! Regardless, being able to get a sense of the bigger picture always keeps you headed towards the prize – the goal that may change over time. Time is what helps mold us.

Staying present, but being willing to try things, succeed, fail, learn, grow… and grow older in the process.

I recently started drumming again… after some time away. It’s not like I ever actually forgot how to play, but the rediscovery came for me, as it was the same – but different. Now with electronic drums, and the access to hundreds of new sounds, it definitely feels like rediscovery. In my sentimental mind, I see myself playing in the garage when I was a teenager again – it’s that feeling that I’m talking about. It’s the equivalent of feeling like a kid again. All the training and experience in the world can be good, but to reconnect with the cursiosity and excitement is refreshing. How easy it is to forget as we get older.

I feel like I have the new opportunity to try things. It’s a beautiful thing when we can all take a step back to do something like that.

Creativity happens while we’re “failing often to succeed sooner,” and with little attachment to each little outcome, perhaps we can get towards our grander outcomes…

Even before Nirvana disbanded, Dave Grohl was busy considering new musical ventures. As if Nirvana wasn't enough: here's a great drummer... moving towards becoming a singer, songwriter and guitarist. Now there's a move I can relate to! I love it... it's inspirational, because he kept trying things.

Take a few words from Dave Grohl and the Foos:

“Learning to walk again… I believe I've waited long enough

Where do I begin?

Learning to talk again… Can't you see I've waited long enough

Where do I begin?”

Thanks Dave!

m

Learning: The Wherewithal to Change

I was just re-reading a little Csikszentmihalyi (say that ten times fast) and some of his writings on creativity.

“Television is a fantastic tool for increasing the range of what we can experience, but it can make us addicted to redundant information that appeals to the lowest common denominator of human interests.”

And it doesn’t end there: you could substitute so many other ‘things’ in place of the word television. What about ‘social networking,’ or something even more specific, like ‘Facebook?’

It doesn’t matter really, because that’s really not the point. The point is that all new innovations can have a dark side. That’s not to dismiss them as completely ‘bad’ or negative, but the ‘lowest common denominator’ is closer then you might realize. Heck, I love to stop thinking, and turn on the TV, or Netflix, or… well, you get the picture. We ALL need a dark side. hehehe…

Sometimes it seems like the very challenges we set out to solve 5-10 years ago only introduce new ones today. Kinda like overpopulation—perhaps at least partially brought about by medical advances and longer life spans.

Hence the reason that we need two things: awareness and creativity.

Awareness to see what’s happening around us…

And creativity to have the wherewithal to (at least try) to change it.

As someone that has spent a great deal of my life learning, and developing learning for others, I am realizing more and more everyday, how learning is a constant, looping, systemic process. Looping, because it involves action-reflection and passion-objective types of responses, systemic because it’s dynamically responding to every piece or variable of the puzzle…

It’s more complex than a straight line.

Cycles repeat, and loops boggle our brains, but refusal to allow our brains to go numb is perhaps the key to learning. Being pliable and flexible to allow for change as we dynamically respond to the fluctuations of life—now that’s exciting.

I love TV, the movies, Facebook, the web, my iPhone, my Windows Phone, and so on… But I sometimes catch myself growing a bit numb from the repetition of certain kinds of information—it’s just not healthy.

Whether it’s my brain, or exercise and my body, or numerous other examples I could mention, this brings me back to previous discussions on the need to ‘mix it up.’

Constantly being able to shift between action and reflection is a healthy and great example of ‘mixing it up.’ Maybe I’ll talk about it next time, but I’ll conclude this thought by saying life will always be about opposites, extremes, fluctuations, and the ability to keep adjusting to new situations.

Try not to let any single thing get you to used to the ‘lowest common denominator.’

What are your most luring situations or patterns in your typical day?

The Good from the Bad: Reframing Frustration

This may very well be the final post of the year for me… wow, I started this a year ago… right at the end of 2010! I seem to have found a ‘groove’ of sorts, posting in a not-nearly-weekly fashion, but still productive for me. Hopefully it has been helpful in some way for all of you… please feel free to leave comments, as it seems to often go quite quiet from the audience, and I often don’t know, albeit still good for me, how much I am just “talking to myself.”

Anyway…

A short reflection in this post.

Yesterday, in the midst of a mad rush to get out the door to the office, I had a creative idea (music) that I just had to get out and documented – I often forget melodies, rhythms or lyrics unless I make this effort.

A quick setup with the tools, and I was off and running – or maybe NOT.

NOTHING was working… a plugged-in guitar was full of unintended static and low signal, and so was the vocal mic. I switched connections, cables and even mics… same thing, NO CHANGE.

You could say it was very frustrating.

I soldiered on. What used to be known on a PC as the three-finger salute (control-alt-delete) was employed… basically, I rebooted.

HAHA… problem solved, if nothing else works, reboot often solves even the most serious dilemmas! Wouldn’t it be great if everything in life was that “easy?”

Anyway, I finished up a rushed quick-recording for future reference, hurriedly threw myself in the shower, and then I was off to work. That said, it seemed I was still carrying the frustration in my hurried movement to Redmond. What’s up with THAT? I was grumbling at drivers with deeper road rage than I would ever want to admit, and then something happened.

Unfortunately, it took almost the entire 30 min drive but…

I started laughing. It’s a great thing to be frustrated about: the fact that I needed to express something. I had a cool idea that needed to get out. It’s not like I lost $500 at a crap table or something. I was actually happy to be frustrated.

I was thankful.

It really is great to be so passionate about something that when it cannot go the way you might like, it becomes painful.

The fact that I even HAD a good idea is a good thing… imagine that! I guess I am thankful for the good pain, and perhaps not so focused on that actual pain, but why it was there to begin with. Reframing comes with focusing on what’s important. All the toil and trouble we go through to make something happen is about focusing on what is important, and learning from how we might improve the process. Don’t obsess about the pain ay? Have any mind-blowing reframing happen lately?

So next time, I’ll go right to rebooting!

And with that, Happy New Year!!!