extracting essential data elements--one drop at a time.

I irregularly visit NYC on a somewhat regular basis. Business meetings, visits with family,   museums--and wonderful friends where we pick up where we left off.

Kathyann and I hunted for a place to grab some lunch and talk about what old friends talk about. We settled on Distilled NY and the menu graphic captured my attention.

​I realized I am basically a data distillery. 

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It doesn't stop there. When you work in a field where you are often one of only a handful of women invited into conversations you see things. I seek out colleagues with design aesthetics, indomitable spirits, and perseverance toward an outcome or goal. When you can call them friend--all the better.

The aforementioned Kathyann designs jewelry that matters. There is a Power Collection that reminds me of the boom and pow of old batman cartoons.

Near and dear to my heart is the I AM COLLECTION. I never had the right answer when confronted with the question, "what are you?" growing up biracial during the 70s.

Kathyann taught me the answer--anything I want to be.

How does she describe her designs? "Uncomplicated, imbued with meaning and intention"

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Amy Herman taught me a new way to think about data. I was intrigued by her work teaching visual intelligence at the Frick and connected with her book Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life. 

I have always had a passion for art. Traveling for work I prioritized visits to local museums over cocktail socials with clients or late evenings in hotel restaurants. The lessons I have learned help me engage audiences with exercises in perception and bias before we even look at a chart or a graphic.

My collaborators enjoy the sketches and design thinking pulled into creative briefs to better visualize  scope and design of data projects big and small. You have Amy to thank. 

Watch the freshly minted TED talk below. Distill it down to the 4 "A"s as described in the TED talk, ASSESS, ANALYZE, ARTICULATE, and ACT--and wait for the donut. There is always a donut.

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You pretty much can’t get away from bacon or whiskey in the south. Put a doughnut in it and you’d be good to go—Hillary Scott, American country music singer-songwriter