the case for sketchy

I’m not much of a planner. People think I am, but I'm not. Now that the cat's out of the bag on the planning stuff, please let me explain.

It’s not that I don’t like to plan. I’m learning that my best thought out plans – even with contingency – don’t see the light of day. Unseen forces and lurking variables throw my plans way off track. And that’s okay.

While in high school I had planned on entering the very competitive world of photography. I had secret dreams of landing a sweet gig with National Geographic. Who wouldn’t? Always having a dose of pragmatism, even then, I diligently planned my learning and researched careers. I thought I had a good grasp on what the first few steps could look like. I had a plan.

My plans changed. Several times. And that’s a good thing, because it brought me here.

So what do we do if we don’t plan? We sketch.

The best plans I’ve found focus on this concept of sketching. And I’ve seen good sketches everywhere: from businesses and organizations, to personal goal setting. Maybe your sketch evolves, holding enough detail to make it seem like a plan. It’s not. A sketch is flexible, scalable and dynamic. Like us.

We change, grow and are impacted by elements beyond our control. Every day. How can we expect ourselves to stick to a plan? If it’s not attainable, we won’t get there. And that just plain sucks.

Stop building your next plan and start a sketch. Leave some areas blank. Don’t box yourself in, even if you think you’re designing a perfect container. That’s only the now talking, not the later. It’s the later that will throw the curve ball at you.

I started being sketchy last year, and I’ve seen a little momentum. Some sketches have almost become pictures. How sweet is that? Maybe not National Geographic sweet, but sweet.

Go be sketchy.


~ Jeannette