In this episode, Ashton Rodenhiser shares her mission to teach sketchnoting skills to students and professionals so they can use doodling and drawing as their best thinking and learning tools.Sponsored by ConceptsThis episode of the Sketchnote Army Podcast is brought to you by Concepts, a perfect tool for sketchnoting, available on iOS, Windows, and Android.Concepts' vector-based drawing feature gives you the power to adjust your drawings saving hours and hours of rework.Vectors provide clean, crisp, high-resolution output for your sketchnotes at any size you need s ideal for sketchnoting.SEARCH in your favorite app store to give it a try.Running OrderIntroWelcomeWho is Ashton?Origin StoryAshton’s current workSponsor: ConceptsTipsToolsWhere to find AshtonOutroLinksAmazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast. Ashton’s WebsiteAshton’s WebsiteAshton on TwitterAshton on InstagramAshton on FacebookAshton on Youtube Ashton on Pinterest Ashton on TikTok Ashton on LinkedInBook: Beginner's Guide to SketchnotingFree video lessonIFVP ConferenceFind Your Artistic Voice by Lisa CongdonDario PaniaguaToolsAmazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast. Sketcher markerNeuland Bullet tip outlinerPosca pensMicrosoft Surface ProSketchbook ProDocument cameraTipsHowever you need to create it, do it.Cliches are okay.Don't get into the comparing mode.When you are intimidated, you can instead flip it and turn it into inspiration.Have clean nice letters.CreditsProducer: Alec Pulianas Theme music: Jon Schiedermayer Shownotes and transcripts: Esther Odoro Subscribe 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 and I'm here with Ashton. Ashton Rodenhiser, how are you today?Ashton Rodenhiser: I'm doing so well, Mike. Thanks so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.MR: It's so great to have you on. We've had fits and starts trying to get this recorded and we finally did it, so I'm excited. And so looking forward to talking with you and sharing your story with everyone. So why don't we just jump right in? Tell us who you are and what you do.AR: Yeah. So I am based in Canada, on the East Coast of Canada. You know, being a mother is pretty important to me, so I always like to mention that. I have three small children between the ages of 5 and 10. I felt like growing up I really wanted to be an artist, but it was like never an option 'cause there was just so much negative rhetoric in my home, in my community about, you know, the lack of art opportunities out there. I put that in a diplomatic way.And so, I really struggled even though I did really well in school, I really did not know what I "wanted to be when I grew up." And I fell into a role as a facilitator. I did that for a couple of years, and that's how I learned about graphic facilitation and kind of where I am today. That was 10 years ago, this month, fall of 2013. It's really easy for me to remember because it was the longest I'd left my six-month-old at the time. It was a whole day to take a graphic facilitation course.I had never even seen it before, but I was like, "This is the best thing ever," where I was able to take my experience as a facilitator and my love for all things creative and mash them together. And then I was facilitating a group at the time and luckily, they were just so great and easygoing. I just threw some paper on the wall and started drawing and I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. It was horrible. But I still have that picture to this day and share it often actually as like, "This was my first one, look how bad it was."And you know, I put it away for a few months and then I brought it o