Lisa Schickert Smith Designs

Frederica Mathewes-Green

I am happy to announce that I have accepted a position as the Communications Specialist with the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church. I am excited to use more of my creative, design and communication skills. I will start on October 1st, diving into the job with the Special Session of Annual Conference.

I will still be doing freelance work, but I will be taking on less jobs. I will also be posting less on this page.

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day. By creating a culture that’s smart about mental health, advocating for legislative policies that make su***de prevention a priority, and funding innovative research, we can save lives.

Thank you to and Shaley Hoogendoorn for haring these resources.

"We’ve been brainwashed to believe that being able to handle extreme levels of stress for prolonged periods of time is a sign of our strength versus a warning sign that something is out of alignment." This resonates so strongly with me.

Are You Mistaking Handling Stress as a Strength vs a Sign You Need Support? 6 Signs of Unsustainable Stress We women have become so tolerant of the increasing thresholds of stress that we think it’s normal to operate under intense stress loads. We’ve been brainwashed to believe that being able to handle extreme levels of stress for prolonged periods of time is a sign of our strength versus a warning s...

This is an interesting art exhibit in the Baltimore Museum of Art. It looks at the ways women have been shown and used in art.

Women Behaving Badly: 400 Years of Power and Protest in Art - Ms. Magazine The Baltimore Museum of Art's "Women Behaving Badly" exhibit shows how women have always been rebellious and feminist, even in sexist societies.

It can be hard to say No but there are great reasons and this article helps give you some ways and tips.

The Magic of No: When to Say "No" and How All my people-pleasers gather around and let me tell you about a magical trick that will grant you more time in your schedule, reduce burnout and clear your mind. It's saying "No" Unfortunately, all magic comes with price and the price you might pay when you turn someone down is feeling guilty. But....

There are such words of wisdom here from Loretta J. Ross. I wonder what we could do with calling people in when it comes to business and creativity

Loretta J. Ross: Don't call people out -- call them in | TED Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.We live in a call-out cult...

This is an old post, but it is always worth taking the time to think about what we are sharing and communicating on Social Media.

The next time you’re reading a story, ask yourself - "Is this story share-worthy?" Use this guide to walk you through the steps of determining the credibility of the news you encounter in today’s constant news stream.

This graphic is brought to you by Newseum ED in partnership with Facebook, as part of a new initiative to develop and distribute media literacy resources worldwide.

These sculptures are amazing!

Artist’s Hand-Cut Paper Sculptures Capture the Vibrant Energy of Birds, Bees, and Beyond “I find the greatest inspiration for my work comes from nature. I love the patterns, symmetry, color, geometry and texture.”

Sometimes less is more.

The best minimalist photography from around the world Sparse and stripped back imagery is the order of the day at the Minimalist Photography Awards, which this year gives its highest accolade to Allen Koppe.

Have you used the new explanations on the google searches you do? I appreciate the extra information.

Google Adds New Search Result Explainers, Which Outline Why You're Seeing Each Result The explainers provide more context around how Google decides what results to show you in response to search queries.

August 9 commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous peoples live in all regions of the world and own, occupy or use some 22% of global land area. Numbering at least 370-500 million, indigenous peoples represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity, and have created and speak the major share of the world’s almost 7000 languages. Many indigenous peoples continue to be confronted with marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 8 August By resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 19...

Can any other creatives relate? I feel like this happens in the shower too!

Artist: KB Comics

What a great way to turn old electronics into something beautiful. Way to go 2020 Olympics organizers

Incredibly, there was a 2 year national effort in Japan to collect enough recycled electronic waste material to produce an incredible 5,000 bronze, silver, and gold medals for the Tokyo Olympics. The project involved just about every Japanese city, town and village. It was achieved by setting up donation sites where 100’s of 1,000’s of Japanese people donated their old electronic devices.

Finding new uses for recycling waste, in a way that highlights the issue of producing the waste in the first place - That’s what we call sustainable design.

This is a great explanation of how different ages/generations use social media and what you can do to appeal to them.

How different generations use social media: A complete guide Get insights into how each generation, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers, uses social media—and what it means for your business.

Inspired by the theme of this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: “Victims’ Voices Lead the Way” – Kendall Alaimo created a painting for the global campaign against human trafficking. The lips and megaphones symbolize survivors’ voices. Other elements highlight the importance of housing, education, justice, economic equity, community and stopping the demand for human trafficking.


Learn more at https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/endht/index.html

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2021: Kendall’s Art Inspired by the theme of this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: “Victims’ Voices Lead the Way” – Kendall Alaimo created a painting for the glo...

Imposter Syndrome can show up anywhere - even in the non-profit world. I think that most of us have experienced it. I know I have - what about you?

How To Overcome Nonprofit Imposter Syndrome A majority of all adults experience imposter syndrome at some point in their careers; 70% by the latest figures. It affects professionals of all occupations and backgrounds, with the impact on individuals in the nonprofit community being a significant

Lots of great info about emojis. What is your favorite?

Adobe reveals the word's favourite emojis in 2021 Plus: which emoji is the most misunderstood?

With the olympics starting tonight, this is a fun look at some of the older Olympic logos.

The best Olympic logos of all time, according to design experts The real Olympic blood sport? Debating the official logos.

What a fun way to change the landscape and story of landscapes

I'm always looking for new books to share with my daughter (and teach myself too) This is a great list of books to check out.

50 Children's Books About Mighty Girls & Women Around The World In celebration of International Women's Day, we're featuring a collection of 50 books about global girls and women from Afghanistan, Chile, the Philippines, China, and many other countries around the world!

New ways of looking at old things amuses me and sparks creativity. These maps are a fun way to look at thing differently

50 Hilariously Creative Maps That Show You The U.S. In A New Way These Maps Provide An Amusing And Unique Look At The Good 'Ol US Of A

Color=Emotions

Hue Are You? What Color Can Mean for Your Nonprofit Marketing Strategy - Clairification What emotions align with your nonprofit mission and brand identity? I adore color. I’m definitely not someone who wears only black! My personal ‘brand’ is multi-hued. You can see it at the top of my website. You can see it on my person. What do the colors you ‘wear’ say…

An interesting look at the Pride Flag.

The history of the pride flag and tips for inclusive design | Webflow Blog Take a closer look with us into the history of the Pride flag and how to make design more inclusive.

Are you looking for some new tools for your nonprofit? This is a great resource.

74 Free or Low-Cost Tools and Resources for Nonprofits Your nonprofit can use these tools and resources to significantly improve your digital marketing and fundraising campaigns.

What do you think? Are certain types more creative or is creativity something that can be created? Or is it a combination of both?

Creativity and Personality Types: Are Certain Types More Creative? » When it comes to creativity and personality types, which Enneagram and MBTI types are most creative? And can other types be creative, too?

How we tell stories is extremely important. We need to tell ethical stories that empower people.

7 ways to tell stories ethically: the journey from exploited program participant to empowered storyteller - CCF By Nel TaylorOne thing we are learning when it comes to community-centric fundraising is to move away from individual storytelling and toward organizational storytelling. But what if you have an incredible, compelling story to share? Is there a way to do it in a community-centric way? The following....