Yesterday the now Dr. Nadia Byrnes showcased all of the data from her PhD dissertation. She did a wonderful job bringing it to life for all in the audience. Her mother and I were commenting on what a confident presenter she was. I said that she was like a professional athlete- always able to bring it to that next level when needed.

I was reminded of the final SSP presentation that I wanted to highlight. Jennifer Jo Wiseman talked about how she turned her data into theater. What an amazing idea. She showed pictures of events they’d hosted where each persona from a segmentation was highlighted at a different station with foods and materials for the participants to sample and explore. It brought the data to life for people who may not love numbers and statistics quite like we do. I thought that this was a truly brilliant idea. Some people really need a tangible experience to connect with an idea.

I use this concept in my own life. When I am struggling with an idea or concept, I will create a piece of art to bring it to life. Well maybe it is going a bit far to call it art. One of my favorite writers and a sensory fan Gretchen Rubin (http://www.gretchenrubin.com/) is writing a book about habits (one of my favorite topics), so she has been blogging about it for some time. She has written how sometimes what we think is a ‘treat’ or carrot really isn’t. This resonated with me, because it is something that I sometimes struggle with. I choose the momentary pleasure that isn’t so great for me in the long run, so I created this picture to illustrate the concept.

See I said art was stretching it. 🙂 But more recently, I did get inspired to create something a little more involved. Those who know me well know that I have been meditating for a few years now. If I could recommend one activity to add to your life, it would be meditation. I could go on and on, but that will be another post. I do guided meditation, and Deepak Chopra puts out my favorite series. I have several, but there is one that I love especially. In it he says, ‘Be bold. Rooted in the knowledge that you are as mighty as the universe itself. Full of love, joy, and power. You are stardust. A bright golden light.’ It just sticks with me and comforts me in times of trouble. It is very important to me to be brave. I was a very brave little girl, but at some point I lost some of that courage. When I feel it wavering, I repeat this line. So when I was decorating my new home and had a large empty space on the wall, it was time for my first painting.

The whole thing is covered in silver sparkles and the purple letters have at least 7 different kinds of glitter in it when you look up close, and it’s a little 80’s, but I absolutely love it. And when Axes saw the final version he said, ‘It’s perfect.’ What a sweet little boy. So don’t hide yourself or your data under a bushel, bring it to life and let it shine! You are stardust after all, and your data is pretty magnificent too.