Yes, And

I manage a couple of leadership development programs at work. One of them is focused on fostering innovative/collaborative thinking within the organization. This is the first year this program is being offered, so the session content and facilitators are still a work in progress even as we deliver the live sessions. Even thought I know what's going to be covered, I don't know how it's going to land. Today's session focused specifically on innovation and creativity - identifying what they are, how we can effectively brainstorm, barriers to both. I've been working with the facilitator over the last few weeks, and was surprised when today he mentioned "yes, and" during the session. It wasn't something we specifically talked about during our pre-session work, but I was excited to hear him mention it and encourage the "yes, and" mentality with the group. 

If you're not familiar with "yes, and," it's one of the foundational rules of improv. When you use the actual statement "yes, and" or the concept, you move a scene forward and you create a space for creativity and support for your fellow performers. It allows the scene or an idea to build rather than ending or stopping. In 2015, Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton published the book Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration - Lessons from The Second City. I got to see them speak at a conference in 2016 (I think?) about the book and their work at The Second City. I've used some of the improv activities in training and programs I manage. I loved hearing the learners in this group embrace the philosophy today. It makes me excited to see what else they do in this program. 

I almost never use French knots for lettering; I always think it's going to look terrible. I thought I'd do a little "yes, and" today and embrace the idea that it could look terrible, but that doesn't mean it was worth doing. 

The back - this is what French knots look like from the back. They're one of my favorite stitches from the back.

Details:
Stitches: French knots (3 wraps), back stitch
Thread palette: DMC C725, C907, C603, C798 (3 strands)