Cara Holland turns stories into pictures to help people work visually - S17/E04

In this episode, Cara Holland shares her move from social work to graphic recording and the development of graphic recording training in response to a need she identified at the beginning of her journey.She discusses how her art has evolved through various stages, provides insights into AI, explains why the unique process of graphic facilitation has yet to be fully captured by technology, and reflects on the story behind her book.Sponsored by The Reflective Travel Sketchnote Workshop VideoHave you ever wanted to create travel sketchnotes from an experience you’ve had, just using the photos and memories you’ve got?In the Reflective Travel Sketchnote Workshop Video, I’ll guide you through my process for creating travel sketchnotes and then help you reflect on your own photos and memories so that you can make travel sketchnotes of your own trips, too!This 2-hour recorded video includes a set of downloadable, printable sketching templates and a process to kickstart your own travel sketchnoting practice.All this for just $20.https://rohdesign.com/travelRunning OrderIntroWelcomeWho is Cara HollandOrigin StoryCara's current workSponsor: ConceptsTipsToolsWhere to find CaraOutroLinksAmazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast.Cara's SubstackVisual Edits NewsletterThe Journey Of Tiny ThingsGraphic Recorder ClubGraphic Change AcademyCara on LinkedInCara on IntagramDraw A Better Business BookToolsAmazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast.Neuland graphic boardNeuland roll of white paperNeuland markersLeuchtturm small notebookMicron PenCopic marker penFountain penWater colourProcreateAffirnityiPadTipsBe clear on what it is you're trying to achieve. Don't overproduce or overcomplicate what you're doing.Ignore the rules.Find a community, pull from each other and find ways to collaborate.CreditsProducer: Alec PulianasShownotes and transcripts: Esther OdoroTheme music: Jon SchiedermayerSubscribe to the Sketchnote Army PodcastYou can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or your favorite podcast listening source.Support the PodcastTo support the creation, production, and hosting of the Sketchnote Army Podcast, buy one of Mike Rohde’s bestselling books. Use code ROHDE40 at Peachpit.com for 40% off!Episode TranscriptMike Rohde: Hey everyone, it's Mike Rohde and I'm here with Cara Holland. Cara, how you doing?Cara Holland: I'm doing good, thanks. How are you?MR: I'm doing well. So Cara, talk to us about who you are and what you do.CH: I'm Cara Holland. I'm based in the UK, and I'm a graphic recorder and a trainer.MR: Okay, and talk to me a little bit. I think we all in this audience know what a graphic recorder does. Tell me about the training part. I'm curious about that.CH: Well, I guess there's quite a lot to it.MR: That's what I thought.CH: It's probably, in one way or another, about 50 percent of my time. We have an online academy called the Graphic Change Academy, and we train people to do what I do.MR: Okay, got it. Yeah, because I mean, when you say trainer, that could go in a lot of different ways, right? You could be an athletic trainer.CH: Sure.MR: You could be all different, but obvious it makes sense that you would teach the skills you know well and help people enter the business right because graphic recording and graphic facilitation and those sketchnoting are tough to do. They demand a lot of you as a person.CH: They do. They do.MR: Primarily, you are listening. I would argue that listening is way more important than your drawing skills, personally.CH: I agree. Yeah, I agree.MR: And we're not trained to be good listeners. We're trained to flip our screens and listen for two seconds and move on. So it's gotta be kind of an intense thing, but I suspect a fun thing, right, when you see people learning and then applying those concepts.CH: Yeah, it's great. It is great. I think it comes from being in the business myself and in the early stages of my career, feeling that lack of training and feeling like I wanted somebody to give me some hints and some direction. And it sort of came out of that place really, a need that I had that I found hard to fill.MR: Interesting. Huh, and so do you tend to focus on a certain student kind of profile or you're open to anyone who comes to you? And maybe in that case, who are the kind of students that come to you? What are their backgrounds?CH: It's really varied. And so, we've trained people in 92 countries so far.MR: Wow.CH: So it's really widespread. And we have a suite of courses. I guess people come for different reasons and there are different courses to suit. The two big courses are be a graphic recorder and be a graphic facilitator and they're two distinct courses. So people come with different desires for both courses.MR: Got it. I would think that if someone who is a facilitator now but doesn't do the graphic part might be more interested in the graphic facilitation side of things...