Tell Me Thursday - Graphic Recorder

I have actually taught classes about taking minutes, and have talked about graphic reporters, but have never had the fun of watching one at work!  When I was in Minneapolis last week for General Mills' Table Talk, they brought in an extremely talented woman, Julie Primozich, to take notes of our meeting. She listened carefully, then created art from the things she heard everyone say. The picture on my post yesterday was her in action -- here's a shot of one of her finished works of the day:

 

Watching her work made me think about the different careers available. Julie captured our whirlwind day in a creative, but thorough way, and seemed to have a great time while doing it! While I work as a freelance writer and software instructor, she's traveling all over the country recording minutes for corporations and organizations. (Which isn't actually her full-time job -- she runs a creative talent agency that helps match up creative people with marketing people.) One mom I met on this trip is a researcher for a major university, while another is a classically trained opera singer! 

The moms on this trip all had blogging in common, but it was in no way the only way that we shared our talents. Some worked in social media for companies, some were homeschoolers, some were moms with a passion for saving money and sharing their knowledge. It was gratifying to see all the ways these women incorporated motherhood into their lives, and how while it definitely defines them to a point -- it is not the only definition. It goes back to my recent post about the seasons of life, in that life constantly changes and evolves and it's best to be an active participant in those changes.

While at General Mills, we also had the good fortune of meeting Suzy Goodsell, the archives manager for General Mills.  She is in charge of the history of the company -- including the largest cookbook archive! I found it fascinating to learn how they are carefully preserving the histories of all the companies that have been rolled into General Mills and are sharing that information with consumers.  So, even though Pillsbury was a competitor for many years, now that they are joined with General Mills, their long history is being preserved.

We also met Jackie, the Consumer Insights Manager, whose career has been full of learning what consumers really do in their homes --- to the point where in the past she interviewed them in their home, going about their daily lives to truly learn how they shopped and prepared meals.  Today, she is still learning about consumers and how they use products.  And, she recently started blogging herself!

There are so many interesting opportunities out there, if you only take the time to look, listen and learn. During my brief stay at General Mills, I really thought about all the different career possibilities that exist right now -- and I wonder what will be available as my kids grow!

Did you play Wordless Wednesday?  Then head on over to Tell Me Thursday and tell your story!