Strands of Genius: Learning Spaces That Work For More People, Cultivating Capacity For Creative Observation, Developing A Practice Of Pausing

Guest curated by Laura Matteson

Jul 14, 2022

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, LAURA MATTESON ::

LOCATION: Delmar, NY, U.S.

PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Illustrative

Hi! I’m Laura. I recently had the joy of working with Stolen Genius and Bold Woman Brands to design the new School of Stolen Genius site. I instantly fell in love with Rosie and Faris’s lifestyle and energy during our first chat together. (I mean how could you not, they had just finished a four hour lunch in France…) We also have a shared joy of blending ideas and using genius from unlikely places to create beautiful masterpieces in our lives. Needless to say, I’m super honored to guest-curate this newsletter for you.

I’m a visual translator (I like to say I draw out the best in people) and I spend most of my time managing my ADHD/Dyslexia, 2 young children, 1 spouse, 1 multi-faceted business and 3 flower boxes (that are miraculously all still thriving!) and I’ve learned that these areas of my life all have something in common…

…I’m not actually in control of any of them.

They thrive when I choose to step back, see what they are doing on their own and support them with an environment that allows them to do their thing well. This was a very hard lesson to learn (and I keep re-learning). I think most of us would much rather be in control. Most of my clients come to me wondering “why things aren’t going the way they want” or “how to find out what they are supposed to do next” and they want a process to follow. The best thing we can do is pause, notice and adjust. After we sit and watch what’s happening around them (not literally, more like mapping it out with pictures), the answer is always there, in the reflection.

We used this same method of stepping back and letting members use the environment the way they were already trying to use it during the SOSG site redesign. Now members (which might be you! And if not, go get in there!) can learn in their own personal style so they can get what they need to thrive. They can search for a specific presentation, browse through a category or explore a pre-made collection of articles and interviews. And visual learners can easily navigate the icons and photos to find what they need. Rosie and Faris said they were “more is more” kind of people - and I completely agree. The more people who can participate the richer and merrier the community.

For me, there’s nothing more fun than designing environments that work for the people who reside there, whether it’s a global online community, my family’s home or my own internal world. It all requires the same kind of listening and testing, and that’s what today’s links are all about. Enjoy!

Editor’s Note (Team Genius Steals): We had such a blast getting to work with Laura on the School of Stolen Genius site re-design. She was knowledgeable and articulate and at each step of the way we found ourselves wishing we had her talents! We’re so excited to share more of her awesomeness here today, and especially looking forward to hosting her within the SOSG community next week. We’ve got a couple of free passes to give away to next week’s session— If you haven’t yet checked out what the School of Stolen Genius is all about, and want to join Laura’s workshop, hit reply and let us know. Thanks so much for being here, Laura!

:: THE LINKS ::

LEARNING SPACES THAT WORK FOR MORE PEOPLE

Many people don’t finish a course or training because they simply don’t understand it or it’s not built in a way that their brain processes information. I love this article about creating online learning environments with Universal Design in mind (this also works for your team trainings) and is a great reminder that we don’t all think the same way. (Understood)

CULTIVATING CAPACITY FOR CREATIVE OBSERVATION

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves in leadership is learning how to be present and observe. This article talks about Lynda Barry’s field guide to making space for creative observation and links to even more juicy spaces for learning and developing this skill. (The Marginalian)

DEVELOPING A PRACTICE OF PAUSING

One of my most influential teachers when it comes to pausing and noticing is Sandra from Neurodivergent Narratives and this podcasts episode she released dives into how to do so with attention deficit disorder (even if you don’t have ADHD these observations will benefit how you pause and how you support your colleagues/clients) (Listen Notes)

Looking for more from Laura Matteson? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from her in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Scattergories

:: City :: Seaport, NYC

:: Book :: Break The Good Girl Myth by Majo Molfino

:: Podcast :: We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle

:: Album :: From Here to Now to You by Jack Johnson

:: SPARKING JOY ::

This is the little face that greets me every time I open my tablet to draw:

Have an amazing day!

Laura Matteson

P.S. Feel free to reach out and share which one was your favorite, I love meeting other creatives and strategists!

Email: laura@illustrative.us

Website: https://www.illustrative.us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illustrative.us

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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

Strands of Genius