Our ever-changing life paths are never a straight line. There are ups and downs, curves and twirls. Visually speaking, life can look like a scribble with no real beginning and no end. This next art card is about putting your pen to paper and seeing where it takes you. STEP ONE: Grab a blank art card (white cardstock, 4.25" x 5.5"), a black pen or marker, colored pencils, markers, or crayons. STEP TWO: Scribble! Let your hand move, and don't think. Keep it on the paper and swirl and twirl around the page, only lifting your pen when you close the gap started at the beginning. STEP THREE: Random ..read more

Women are constantly changing and evolving, and frequently it's unnerving. As growing girls, we had to adjust to a monthly cycle, always carrying just-in-case supplies should IT sneak up on us. Sometimes, when I was young, changes were welcome; they were a right of passage to show me I was moving forward. I remember wanting my boobs to be bigger because, for some reason, I associated that with becoming more interesting to boys. Finding the boy and settling down was locked to a calculated and traditional timeline for me: college, marriage, job growth, and kids. Most women I knew from my genera ..read more

Imagine walking down a fabric aisle at Joann Fabrics or the scrapbook paper aisle at Michaels. The colors and patterns they choose are often brilliant. They pair questionable colors, yet when they interact in the design, it just works. These are the patterns and colors I like to think about when I design folk art cards. When you create art cards, I encourage you to experiment with mediums - crayons, colored pencils, fine-tip markers, dual-tipped watercolor markers, oil pastels, etc. It's a good rule of thumb that if you are drawing a design with small spaces, you'll need a medium with a tip s ..read more

Let's have fun creating something beautiful! Follow the steps and let go of negative thoughts - this project is all about enjoying the process and adding your personal flavor. Your finished card will be a unique expression of you! First, head to Target or Michaels and grab some art supplies like colored pencils, fine-tip markers, and a black Sharpie. Don't forget to pick up a ream of white cardstock paper, which can make four cards. These cards fit perfectly into an A2 envelope. Cut your paper into quarters. The art card will measure 4.25" x 5.5". Then follow the six steps in the slider below ..read more

I think a lot of moms who have become empty nesters in the past one to three years are unique. We went from a pandemic that kept our babies (young adults) close to us, making it harder to let them go. Well, at least it did for me. I had this bonus time with them and loved it. I watched my teenagers grow closer as they leaned into our bubble. As scary as the pandemic was, the time became precious. I knew it would be challenging for me when my oldest child went to college. I also knew my younger child was only two years away from college. I prepared for a sense of loss. How could I not? My feel ..read more

Thanks to everyone who attended my presentation on IDIODC! I'll post the link to the recording in the comments section after it becomes available. In the meantime, I promised to share an activity and resource handout. The QRG below is for Instructional Designers wanting to increase their visual design skills and heighten their awareness. Learning to spot visual distractions takes time, so focus on one design principle at a time. Look at communication sources around you; email, advertisements, LinkedIn posts, anything trying to grab your attention. You'll be surprised when visual design proble ..read more

I'm so excited to be invited back to the show. Join us in our chat on OCTOBER 5, about visual design in adult learning and finding the balance to keep learners engaged. Visual design is a big part of building successful learning experiences. Whether you’re an instructional designer producing training or an ID that manages a team that creates your vision, you have to be tuned into the presentation of visual information. How slides are laid out can make or break the learning experience. Rachel Allen Dillon returns to IDIODC with more powerful visual designs that enhance your instructional desig ..read more

Being a Rookie Conference-Presenter Based on the comments flying in, I could tell that at least six of the speakers at the 2020 Multimedia for Learning Conference, hosted by The Learning Guild were seasoned. It was pretty cool to be in the same virtual space as some well-known people in the learning and development field. It was also a bit intimidating. Whenever I present, I worry the content I share won't help the audience improve their skills, which is why they're there, and my ultimate goal. Receiving Great Feedback I was relieved to receive positive feedback from the Level 1 survey. I eve ..read more

Between working full-time, being a mom, freelancing, and writing my novel, I haven't been able to blog much for years. On Mother's Day/my birthday this year, I typed the most beautiful words to a writer--THE END. It was a gift. With the help of critiques and beta-readers, I wrapped up THE SPIDER'S SONG feeling the highs and lows of the journey. I fell in love with my characters and enjoyed their world while the pandemic swirled outside our windows. My 85,000-word young adult novel has been cathartic to write. The beauty of being the director of a story that has some personal truth to it is I ..read more

For the past seven years, I've been a judge for the Endangered Species Coalition annual youth art contest. Every year, I'm honored to review 40 young artists' work. The categories of artists are broken down by age, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and the top ten pieces in each group are reviewed by a panel of six judges. It is a difficult process to decide which pieces of work inspire support and empathy for wildlife and increase actions for animal and plant conservation the most when all of them do. I sit for hours trying to create a matrix to determine who in my mind are the winners. Of course, it isn ..read more