Welcome, Visual Thinker! Let's Slay the Inner Critic.

Welcome to Loosetooth.com! I'm Brandy Agerbeck and here's where I share all the ways I help you reclaim drawing as your best thinking tool. So you can see and shape your life and your work in new ways.

This Spring marks the 20th birthday of this site. My work has shifted in the past few years, so I've radically changed this page to give you an overview of all I offer. It's a long page, but it covers all the bases.

Enjoy the scroll!

If you've been here before and you want to jump straight to a section, here are links for you:

Brand NEW course!
Everything you could want to learn about running your graphic facilitation business >>


Have you ever found yourself trying to write a paper or craft a speech, staring at your computer screen, trying to line up words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs – struggling to find the structure of what you want to say? Searching for the path to take your reader or viewer on?	Have you ever tried to learn something new and the ideas just don’t stick? The lesson goes into one ear and out the other? poof The learning is lost?	Have you ever been deep in the middle of a difficult decision that you feel surrounded by it? Trapped? You’ve longed to rise above it so you could see the big picture and clearly see the decision you need to make?


Have you ever found yourself tackling a REALLY BIG problem, so complex that it feels like a giant, complex tangle? Have you wished you could tease apart the tangle, to pull into apart into solvable pieces?	Have you ever felt overwhelmed? All the to-do’s and ideas buzz around in your head like a swarm of bees. The mental noise is so pervasive you just can’t think straight?

And what happens then?
The Inner Critic pipes in...



I'm not a good writer. Why is writing so $@#^! hard? No one is going to listen to me anyways...	I feel stupid. I am stupid. Why can't I get this?	Sheesh! Decide already! It doesn't matter, I'm going to make the wrong choice anyways.



This problem is going to EAT ME ALIVE. What made me think I could do this?		Where do I even start? It's all too much! Why even try?

*shudder*

Ugh.

The Worst.
The Absolute Worst.

The Inner Critic is nerfarious.
It's tenacious.
It's ubiquitous.
It's a Grade A Jerkface.

And what happens if you let the Inner Critic Win?

	The speech falls flat or the paper is unpersuasive.
	It may be as concrete as one bad grade...
	...Or big, but amorphous, as not getting your message out into the world.

	The time, energy and money you invest in your education is wasted if you’re not truly learning.
	Your lack of knowledge is keeping you from getting where you want to go, being who you want to be.
	That spark for learning goes out.

	At best you’re stalled out by that pesky, not-yet-made decision.
	At worst, the unmade decision creates a domino effect of bad stuff, or folks frustrated with you.
	You lose your sense of agency because you've convinced yourself you're bad at making decisions.

	That REALLY BIG problem goes unsolved, wasting your time, stacking up stress, costing you money, losing opportunities.
	You stop looking for the difficult-but-oh-so-worthy projects and default to the simple, but shallow stuff.

	The sense of overwhelm stops you in your tracks before you even get started.
	Over time, the overwhelm wears you down physically and erodes your confidence.
	You just stop trying.

YIKES.

NO.

We don't want that.
No one wants that.

Let's not do that.

I’ve got the solution to each one of these problems.

It’s at your fingertips.

And all you need is paper, pen and The Idea Shapers.

I wrote my latest book, The Idea Shapers: The power of putting your thinking into your own hands, to help you do just that: take control of your thinking, communicating, learning, decision-making, problem-solving and feeling of overwhelm. To strengthen your visual thinking skills and shape your ideas. To reclaim drawing as your best thinking tool.

You may read that dreaded D-word, drawing, and tense up.


I haven’t drawn since I was 7!	I can’t draw a straight line.	That’s not me. I’m not an Artist.

That Inner Critic l❤❤❤❤❤ves to hate drawing. That is because drawing is the secret weapon for slaying the Inner Critic.

The Inner Critic hates nothing more than transparancy. He/she/they/it can't hide in the shadows if there are no dark corners.

The Inner Critic loathes the tangible. It/they/she/he revels in being slippery and pernicious. (Yeah, I just said pernicious. If you don't know it, it'll become your new favorite word to hiss.) Making your thoughts and feelings concrete on paper (or tablet, or whiteboard...) gives it LIFE! Power! Give you a new perspective!

Drawing out your ideas is the first step in making amazing things happen.

I am here to help you
learn these lifelong skills
and shush your Inner Critic.

Who am I and how do I know this stuff?

My name is Brandy Agerbeck. I was that kid who drew all the time. That’s me when I was seven, at my family’s cabin. I never stopped drawing. And I am an artist. I even got a Bachelors of Art and was a printmaker (intaglio and monoprints, mostly). See? I know fancy art terms.

But seven year old me or twenty year old me never would have guessed the work I have done for the past 22 years. Alongside writing, teaching and speaking about visual thinking, I’m a graphic facilitator. It's a very strange job!

Brandy Agerbeck's graphic facilitation work since 1996

Photo by Mattias Weitbrecht

I make giant, live drawings of a group's work. These can be:
	Conversations For example, internal strategy meetings and brainstorming sessions
	Presentations Like big annual conference and keynote sessions
	Co-creation When you don't have an event, but you need my superpower of visual synthesis

I get to do my two favorite things for a living: drawing and thinking. And adding my listening skills, I'm unbeatable. It is my role and responsibility to be the Chief Visual Thinker for the clients I’m serving. It is extremely gratifying work to be able to show and shape the words, ideas, thoughts and experiences of the participants.

An example from the Tinkering Summit hosted by the
Chicago Children's Museum in 2013:

A time-lapse video The Kennedy Center created from my work with them in 2016 at their Arts Summit on how to be a Citizen Artist:
(thumbnail isn't showing but video does load)

The majority of this page is about how I can help you learn these skills. Not just the role of graphic facilitation, but the visual thinking skills that can help you in countless scenarios.

If you instead want to hire me as a graphic facilitator, to listen/think/draw for you, hop on over here for the intro. Here's a very dusty, mile-long portfolio page. Here's my FAQ with loads of process details.

Contact me to discuss your needs. Super helpful if you add your event date (even if it's not inked on the calendar yet) and location in your email.

Back to you,
my smart cookie.

A human can recognize an image in as little as 13 milliseconds!

Our culture is increasingly more visual and we are surrounded by media.

You are becoming a more sophisticated viewer of visuals, even if you don’t feel capable of making images. Or you don't have the vocabulary to talk about what you see.

I want to change that. I want you to be confident in making drawings to make meaning for yourself. I want you to put that power into your own hands.

Here’s the deal —

Even if you haven’t drawn since you were seven, there’s no reason you can’t start up again today.
You’re simply out of practice.

If you need a straight line, we’ve got rulers for that.
The right tools make this easier.

And you absolutely do not need to be an artist, or think of yourself as one, to be someone who draws.

Full stop.

I create every single visual thinking resource — books, online courses, live workshops — because I know from both personal and professional experience how powerful drawing is as a thinking tool.

My own first step in bringing anything to life is to grab paper and pen and start sketching. Sometimes those drawings get redrawn and refined later. Often, they don’t need to. That near-scribble of a drawing and scrawl of writing accomplished its task. It shifted my thinking. It got me a step closer to the task at hand.

Here’s a beautiful truth. It’s a secret I am eager to share –

I want YOU to make your own beautifully messy drawings.

I want YOU to sharpen your visual thinking skills to think critically, communicate clearly, and reduce overwhelm.

I want YOU to reclaim drawing as your best thinking tool, to put YOUR thinking into YOUR own hands.

I get it. Drawing is unlikely a part of your daily life. It may feel childish or a thing only artists do. Unneccessary or inaccessible. Here's 3 free resources that I hope are good context-setters and mind-shifters. Each was crafted to help you see good reasons to put your thinking into your own hands.

My Brandyfesto	Shape Your Thinking	The Draw Quad
Before the books, in 2011, I created this PDF to introduce you to me and what I believe in. Click for PDF >>	I very happily spoke at TEDxWindyCity in 2013. Following the day's theme of Contrast, I spoke of 2 types of learners and how to work in the space they share. You'll see the 5-step process that is the first seeds of The Idea Shapers. Click to watch video >>	I began 2011 chewing on the question "how do I help people to see how drawing fits in their life?" How it could actually help and gasp be fun? Click to learn more >>

And I'm always posting new resources online:

From a lifetime of personal drawing and 22+ years of professional experience, I've discovered that these are the types of folks I am here to serve. I am not saying there are only 5 types of visual thinkers, just that these are people I can help. Take a look and see which ones feel familiar:


You are motivated by helping people make positive change.	You are motivated by the pursuit of knowledge & skill building.	You are motivated by finding the clarity within complexity.	You are motivated by self-awareness, growth & accomplishment.	You are motivated by getting your message out into the world & understood.
Facilitators \| Graphic Facilitators \| Change Mgmt Consultants \| Change Agents \| Therapists \| Counselors \| Agile Practitioners	Life-long Learners \| Students \| Educators \| Librarians \| Trainers \| Learning Professionals	Leaders \| Directors \| Analysts \| Strategists \| Researchers \| Project Managers \| Information Architects \| UX Professionals	High achievers \| Entrepreneurs \| Intrapreneurs \| Small Business Owners \| Bullet Journalers	Writers \| Speakers \| Leaders \| Teachers \| Students \| Influencers \| Communication Professionals

Did any of these resonate with you? Likely more than one?

Yep.

You are never just one thing.
We take on different roles for different situations.
And all of these roles in life and work can be
supported by drawing. Let me be your guide.

Welcome, Visual Thinker.

I am happy that you are here.

Fantastic! Let's GO.

There's a lot of ways to learn these skills.
Keep scrolling to learn all of your options.

First, if you want an immediate drawing experience that is highly guided
— like just hit play and follow along —
I recommend registering for Draw In Your New Year.

I walk you through 4 specific drawings
that are super easy to do, but still
chock full of meaning making for yourself.

Get details and register for $97:

Now, let's talk about more options.

Here are your doors into the rich world of visual thinking:

Either keep scrolling or jump to the format you prefer.

For those who want to serve groups through the role of graphic facilitator —

For anyone who wants to use drawing as a great thinking tool —

The Graphic Facilitator's Guide:
How to use your listening, thinking and drawing skills to make meaning

by Brandy Agerbeck,
2012

The Idea Shapers:
The power of putting your thinking
in your own hands

by Brandy Agerbeck,
2016

Through the 24 guiding principles in this book, you will develop your ability to listen deeply, think critically and draw swiftly to make great work happen. Also available in German at Neuland.com.

Based on my 2013 TEDxWindyCity talk, Shape Your Thinking, I lead you through a five-step process that helps you reclaim drawing as your best thinking tool. The Idea Shapers are a set of accessible, clearly illustrated visual thinking concepts.

Read a free chapter, "The Powers of Graphic Facilitation" to learn 3 ways transforms what happens in the room.

Buy your copy of The Graphic Facilitator's Guide on Amazon.com

Read a free chapter, "The Properties + Powers of Drawing," to learn just what makes drawing a great thinking tool.

Buy your copy of The Idea Shapers on Amazon.com

"Congratulations to Brandy Agerbeck, who captured all the key information, all the more subtle tacit knowledge and tons of helpful hints all in one clearly-presented book. I predict that Agerbeck's book will eventually be referred to as the Graphic Facilitation Bible."

Nancy Margulies
author of Visual Thinking
and Mapping Inner Space

“Once again Brandy Agerbeck provides simple, clear and highly practical guidance for anyone who aspires to excel in visual thinking and facilitation. Brandy is a master practitioner and a natural born teacher. You can't do better than this book.”

Dave Gray
Founder of XPLANE
and author of Liminal Thinking

To interview me about my work, hire me to write an article about visual thinking for your publication or to talk about book signings or sales, please contact me. I am also happy to arrange bulk book sales (10 copies or more).

Above are my 2 solo books.
Click here for my full bibliography.
There's more good stuff over there!

For 2019, I've taking myself off the road with no large teaching tours
so that I can focus on building online courses to help
you learn the power of paper and pen, anywhere in the world,
any time of day or night.

These courses are all video-based, which gives me
the giddy opportunity to demonstrate these tools and
techniques in ways that are not possible on the pages
of a book.

From my itty bitty Chicago studio,
I bring you my core online visual thinking course:

This is the foundational course for every type of visual thinker.
The format is daily video lessons, over 25 hours
of me teaching directly to you.

Click over to the course's registration page for all the details.
The course is delivered in 9 modules, cover the major categories of
visual thinking choices I refer to in the video above.
The lessons are released over a three-month schedule, but never expire.
You have lifetime access.

Get details and register for $597:

I love shared learning.
The Agerbeck Method rarely gets discounted,
but there is always groups discounts for 2, 3, and 4 people
registering together. Grab a friend or two and join us!

While The Agerbeck Method and Draw In Your New Year are my two current courses, I've got loads of good stuff in development.
Hop on over here to take a sneak peek.

Does your team, organization or event
need a memorable, hands-on,
visual thinking keynote or workshop?

I am happy to craft a in-house experience for you.
Here are in my Workshop Menu of current offerings:


Add a memorable & experiential element to your event to spark creativity, problem-solving and reflection.	Learn the vitals of visual thinking for communication, critical thinking and wrangling complexity.	Craft the 10 crucial flipcharts that take meetings from meh to masterful.


Tune into this essential life skill of listening by making it tangible with paper and pen.	Capture the core qualities and guiding principles for supporting groups visually.	Attune and boost the imperative life skill of listening with paper and pen.

Click on this image for my Workshop Menu PDF
for descriptions and details.

Looking to hire me as
a speaker or trainer?

“Brandy is a triple threat. World-class expert, top-notch trainer and seamless facilitator.
Learn from the best.”

Patricia Martin
CEO, LitLamp Communications

Gorgeous smart humans who joined me on The Idea Shapers Tour in Eichenzell, Germany, October 2018.

This workshop was a delightful partnership between Loosetooth.com, bikablo and Neuland, as part of Neuland's 50th Anniversary. I'm proud to be a Neuland Ambassador.

If you're independent and are looking for these programs,
self-organize with like-minded, local colleagues, and reach out.
These don't have to be within organizations if there are willing learners.

Are you an individual looking
to work with and learn from
Brandy directly?

My signature workshop for the general public is The Lab.
Since 2012, I've welcomed over a hundred people
from 18 countries for three days. Seven of us.

What makes the Lab unique is the emergent agenda
led by me, Brandy Agerbeck, creating a safe yet
challenging environment for learning, experimenting and growth.

Emergent does not equal laissez-faire. We roll up our sleeves and
dive deep into visual practice together. And this is the singular
opoortunity to get my constructive feedback and direct guidance
on your work.

3 days together tailored to your needs.
There's no better way to turbo boost
your visual practice.

Only remaining dates for 2019:
August 7-9, Chicago

Get details and register for $3000:

See you at Camp Drawmore?

Camp Drawmore is my soon-to-be-launched
member's community.
I welcome drawers of all types, all stripes.
It's a online space to focus on your visual practice,
no matter what shape it takes.
Recharge your inspiration battery.
Keep your motivation
mounting for your work at hand.
Connect with like-minded visual thinkers.

Interested? Click here to sign up for notifications.

When you embrace these visual thinking tools,
you can...

	Push around the parts of your presentation on sticky notes, til you find just the right flow.
	Draw out and share your visual structure with your audience to make your message stick.
	Banish writer's block with the humble index card.

	In class, take visual notes that shift you from human tape recorder to real-live learner.
	Sketch visual mnemonics to lean on visual memory in test-taking.
	Make a drawing of a tough subject to create higher levels of meaning on Bloom's Taxonomy.

	Nothing wrong with a Pro/Con list, but a 2x2 matrix may map out more nuance in your decision.
	Making a physical drawing often elicits physical cues. Tune into your body's signals as you draw. Where is the tension? What causes goosebumps?

	The complexity of visual thinking is a worthy partner to a complex problem. Even with simple shapes and lines, you can turn a tangle into a clarity.
	Iterate your drawing to take a problem from mess to murky to maybe-this-works to mastered.

	Just get that swarm of ideas, feelings, possibilities, worries out of your head and away from the Inner Critic!
	Even the messiest of drawings makes your inner thoughts tangible, and easier to navigate.
	Erase overwhelm and take the first step in making great things happen, by making a drawing.

Please join me on your favorite platforms:

Hey! High 5 for getting to the bottom of this extra long page.
Use coupon code ULZ7THDW to take 50% off
Draw In Your New Year.