visual notetaking
I’m a professional notetaker for events, lectures, and meetings. The fancy title for the job is “sketchnote artist”, which is French for “ I show up and draw the good bits on paper.
-
Digital notes (i.e., typed or even drawn on an ipad) vs. analog notes (i.e, handwritten) notes just don’t do it for me - they never have. My first pass at notes is always on 11'“ x 17” paper because it works for me. I have a hunch. Answer something for me:
Do you remember the last product you bought from the grocery store? And do you remember the last social media post you engaged with? Why did you choose them? How did you feel after engaging with each? My very educated guess: people remember an interesting physical artifact more than a digital asset pushing the exact same product.
If you can stand some related questions, here are some from my professor: “Why does that particular button make me feel more confident? Why are microsurgeons who are gamers better surgeons? Why is it nearly impossible to type on a tablet?”
If you REALLY prefer your notes to be taken digitally, there are plenty of folks that do. And if you pay me enough, I’m happy to. But I’m telling ya, the magic is in the paper!
When people look back at my notes, it reminds them of the day they spent learning from you. Check out some examples of my past visual notes below, and say ‘hey’ if you see anything that strikes a chord.
