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In my continued study of social justice issues specific to the design industry, I found the incredible work of Sasha Costanza-Chock. Their book, Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need, explores “the relationship between design and power” and the ways in which everyone in the design community can “transform design values, practices, narratives, sites, and pedagogies so that they don’t continue to reinforce interlocking systems of structural inequality”. (This is an exciting conversation for another episode.) As I devoured Design Justice, one question posed in the book in the section about critical pedagogies immediately took me back to the conversation you're about to hear with Dr. Maha Bali. The question posed is this: “Is the aim of computing education to make all people good coders, or to make all coders good people?” While this question exists in the context of technology design, it can easily be adapted to any other facet of professional design education. Therefore the question might look like this: “Is the aim of design education to make all people good designers, or to make all designers good people?” Or, more generally: “Is the aim of post-secondary education to make all people good learners, or to make all learners good people?” While I don’t have close to all the answers (in fact, the more I learn, the more I learn how much there is I still have to learn…), this question intrigues me. It is a profound, fascinating, complex question that speaks to the very foundational underpinnings of post-secondary education. This takes us to today’s very special guest and conversation. I first learned of Dr. Bali’s work in reading an article in Times Higher Education called Do unto students as they would have done to them. This piece took a hard look at asking students to keep their cameras on during virtual synchronous classes and it inspired me to learn more about both sides of the issue. I then presented my case for ‘cameras turned off’ classrooms at a learning and teaching conference (which I have since turned into a podcast episode, 061). Coincidentally, Dr. Bali was asked to be the keynote speaker of this same conference in which I was presenting. (This is a fairly remarkable coincidence, as she lives on the other side of the ocean and doesn’t have close ties to the institution where she was asked to present.) Her keynote address was filled with stories of empathy, techniques for building equitable classrooms virtually and lots of space for reflection. It felt like a breath of fresh air in a hurried and sometimes impersonal world of online presentations. Our paths-crossing came full-circle when I reached out and asked her if she would like to have a conversation with me about teaching and learning online for this podcast. I was thrilled when she said yes. In the following 40 minutes with Dr. Bali, she echoes the fundamental question of post-secondary education I posed earlier, underscoring the need to be equitable, design for flexibility and taking time to step back to determine why and how we’re assessing student learning. She discusses the importance of listening to students, the importance of agency and choice, and the concept of intentionally equitable hospitality; removing barriers and creating a space for those furthest from justice to have a voice in traditionally gated communities of learning (such as at conferences). If you are an educator interested in creating a more equitable, meaningful, just world inside of your classroom so that it can be modelled by students once outside of your classroom, this episode is for you. Let’s listen in... Helpful Links: OneHE’s Equity Unbound @unboundeq Virtually Connecting@vconnecting About Our Guest: Maha Bali is an Associate Professor of Practice at the Center for Learning and Teaching at the American University in Cairo. She is an editor at Hybrid Pedagogy journal, and editorial board member of Teaching in Higher Education, Online Learning Journal, Learning, Media and Technology, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education and Journal of Pedagogic Development. She has blogged for the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Prof Hacker, DMLCentral blogs and Al-Fanar media. She is a co-founder of virtuallyconnecting.org and co-facilitator of Equity Unbound. She is a former International Director of Digital Pedagogy Lab. She was the ninth person interviewed on the Leaders and Legends of Online Learning podcast and she was featured alongside 15 amazing women of the open movement in the UnCommon Women 2018 Coloring Book. She is a learnaholic, writeaholic and passionate open and connected educator, who tweets a lot at @bali_maha and blogs a lot at http://blog.mahabali.me. (From her profile for The American University in Cairo) Music (public domain via freemusicarchive.org): Podington Bear - Curious Jungle Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

A regular weekday morning in my new workspace looks a little different now than it did pre-pandemic. I have my laptop, notebook, and phone as I’ve always had, but I’ve added a rambunctious dog, a sticks-her-head-in-the-toilet-on-a-regular-basis curious two-year-old and an often understimulated-and-craving-interaction-with-kids-her-own-age four-year-old. In great part due to my husband taking care of any and all household tasks before he leaves to teach his students in person, my sister-in-law Facetime-sitting from the UK and the fifth member of our family, Netflix, I’m able to get about 2-hours of work done before chaos ensues. The rest of my daily professional work gets done in small sips throughout the day and then in a more focused state after the kids go to sleep. I don’t say this for you to feel any sense of pity for me (we’re in a very fortunate situation in which I’m able to work from home and have the choice to keep my kids with me); I say it to set the stage for anyone who is on a video call with me during the work day. Virtual Reality The way many of us interact and communicate has changed, virtually overnight. We know that. We now use tools like Google Meet and Zoom to communicate on a daily basis with colleagues and clients, friends and family, students and teachers. The debate around whether or not all participants should keep their cameras on during these interactions is, in my experience, a hotly-debated topic. When first using video conferencing software for professional purposes, I was in adamant agreement that all participants should keep their cameras on. I had a quiet, nicely lit space in my home… so why wouldn’t everyone else on the call be in the same situation? Hindsight is 2020 (no kidding!) and I now have a much different understanding of the how, what, when, where and why students may choose to keep their cameras on or choose to turn their cameras off. My stance on the mandatory ‘cameras on’ debate has taken a complete 180 degree turn. After having taught eight university-level courses in the past year, as well as having had candid conversations with colleagues and having read and heard a diverse range of viewpoints about the ‘cameras on’ debate, I’ve changed my opinion. I know it makes many instructors happy to see the faces and reactions of students, which is great and completely understandable but through my experience I have found that it’s not necessarily a measure of engagement or active participation in a meeting. Environmental factors, paired with emotional and mental health realities, as well as differences in the way people learn, have converted me to a ‘camera optional’ advocate, through and through. Simply, cameras don’t equal connection. I don’t have all the answers and I’m continuously learning. This is in now way an attack on anyone who has used cameras in the past (I have too!) but I encourage you to keep an open mind and an open heart if you feel strongly about participants keeping their cameras on during virtual synchronous sessions. I will provide you with three reasons why you may wish for your next meeting to be ‘cameras optional’ or even encourage a ‘cameras off’ meeting. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong choice, so much as there is a less informed and more informed choice. The 3 reasons are as follows: Reason #1: Keeping Cameras Off Levels the Playing Field Reason #2: Keeping Cameras Off Removes Distractions For All Reason #3: Keeping Cameras Off Encourages Participants to Tap Into Their Unique Learning Styles Reason #1: Keeping Cameras Off Levels the Playing Field You’re attending a party with 200 people. You don’t know most of these people, their personalities or their intentions. The party is in 30 minutes… at YOUR house. This would be stressful for anyone and this is not unlike what students may feel attending a classroom where they’re asked to keep their cameras on. When in a physical classroom, we’re all on more neutral ground; a space that doesn’t belong to anyone in the room. In a virtual classroom, we’re entering into students’ personal spaces. We know that all students do not have this same quiet space in their home, or a safe space at home or even a home at all. Asking students to keep their cameras on can be a very vulnerable situation that undermines the feeling of psychological safety in the classroom. Proactively asking students to keep their cameras off is respecting each students’ unique circumstances and removing unnecessary anxiety about inviting you into their space. This idea becomes that much more important if you’re recording classes to allow students access to them later. I haven’t found an easy way in Zoom to record a meeting without showing students’ faces, while at the same time being able to see students’ faces during the live class. Therefore, asking students to keep their cameras off is an act of respecting students’ privacy. It also helps create a more equitable environment for students who are simply having a bad day. Some have bad days a lot more often than others, but the great thing about virtual classrooms is that these students can choose to show up even if they were not able to physically attend if it was in-person learning. Furthermore, some students and instructors have a lack of bandwidth or internet connectivity issues can be avoided if the number of videos streaming on screen are kept to a minimum. Asking students to keep their cameras off can be as much about technological accessibility and inclusion, as any other type of inclusion. Reason #2: Keeping Cameras Off Removes Distractions For All I think that participants’ keeping their cameras on in small group settings and/or if everyone is able and willing to turn on their cameras is a powerful way to connect with classmates. But even in these small group settings, it can make for a very distracting experience. Students not appearing actively engaged, checking their phones, someone’s dog makes an appearance, the realization that two students in the class are looking down at their phones and giggling at the exact same time. Are they sharing a meme about your style of teaching, commiserating in a gif-able moment or perhaps it has nothing to do with me? It’s like passing notes in class, but literally right under my nose. As an instructor, it’s very challenging to actively engage pages and pages of students’ video screens because video conferencing software only allows the viewing of so many at a time. It can be easy to miss individuals physically raising their hands or hoping to engage in meaningful ways when there are so many screens needing viewing at once. Sometimes the argument for asking students to keep their cameras on is that we can all see one another in an in-person classroom setting, so why shouldn’t we be able to see everyone in a virtual setting? When students are rarely asked to look at other students in the class; they are facing forward, focused on the instructor. Asking everyone to keep their cameras on during a virtual class is a similar setup to having a single student in the lecture hall facing the front of the room, focused on the instructor, with all of their classmates up there at the front with the instructor, looking right back at them. Reason #3: Keeping Cameras Off Encourages Participants to Tap Into Their Unique Learning Styles This is the most exciting of the three reasons. Relying on participants keeping their cameras on as the primary method of engagement, trying to mimic sitting in a physical classroom, misses the opportunities for different ways of engaging virtually. For example, for visual learners, the presenter’s camera on and being expressive with body language and facial expressions helps with effective communication. Additionally, highly visual slides and other interactive visuals, as well as use of the chat feature, polls feature and collaborative Google Docs, and sharing software like Kahoot, Menti or others, I’ve found to be effective ways to engage visual learners in virtual classrooms. Furthermore, auditory learners will benefit from expression and enthusiasm in the presenter’s voice, as well as other participants’ voices when appropriate. Even music and sound effects incorporated into presentations can enhance engagement. And for kinesthetic learners or anyone who has a hard time sitting still, moving and listening may be a more effective way to connect with and solidify content. (Call me strange, but interpretive dance was a regularly used tool in my undergraduate test prep tool kit!) If cameras are expected to be on, an instructor may take a students’ ‘on-the-go walking classroom’ as a sign of disrespect or not caring about the class, when it may, in fact, be the opposite. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Let's talk about the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for a minute; a framework that seeks to optimize teaching and learning in a way that minimizes barriers for all students. As part of the UDL framework, providing multiple means of engagement that will create learning environments where all learners feel engaged and motivated, is essential. Minimizing threats and distractions is part of this strategy. This includes varying the level of sensory stimulation through background noise and/or visual stimulation, as well as varying the social demands required for learning, including any demands placed on learners for public display. Final Thoughts We’re still living through a pandemic; an upside down, strange and scary world, where we’re all weathering the same storm but in very different ships. Demonstrating empathy and understanding for individual situations is a great reason to offer a ‘cameras optional’ meeting. My teaching philosophy has shifted during this pandemic in an important and powerful way that I believe will stay true for a long, long time: I see my role as creating content for, and speaking to, those who are ready and willing to learn and I'm playing a supportive role to everyone else who has the best intentions but is in a place that makes it difficult to engage fully. When I’ve spoken to friends and colleagues about teaching online, the most common answer is: “I find it frustrating teaching a group of students who I can’t see”. Instead of seeing ‘cameras off’ as an obstacle, I choose to see it as an opportunity. An opportunity for me to know that students feel psychologically safe in our shared classroom. An opportunity to shift focusing my emotional energy away from worrying about what students are doing behind the screen that I have no control over and into more productive activities I can control. An opportunity for me to reach a little further into my teaching tool kit and find engagement techniques that don’t require cameras. An opportunity to see this not as a compromise, but an entirely new style of teaching for me to grow into and develop that promotes inclusion and engagement. Educator, author and keynote speaker, Maha Bali, from an article in Times Higher Education says it best: “Remember that you need to connect with (participants’) voices and thoughts, not their faces.” Cameras don’t equal connection. Music (public domain via freemusicarchive.org): Podington Bear - Moodswing Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

Welcome to Episode 68, which is the second in a special 2-part series all about mindfulness and creativity. Before you listen to this one, please check out Episode 67 where our guest host, Mark Corrigan, walks us through the basics of mindfulness practice and in this episode he gets into the nitty gritty details of creativity and mindfulness practice. A special thank you to the artist REW<< and their album Syzygy which is layered behind this podcast episode. Let's listen in... Key Takeaways from our Conversation: Creativity concepts Not only for graphic design and the arts, but in general problem solving (number crunching, coding, managing / interpersonal, writing, etc.) Very rare that we reinvent the wheel when we create (consider the importance of not putting undue pressure on yourself) Consider bottom-up design vs. mastermind tendencies: E.g. start with simplest colour sets, single font, etc. instead of trying to integrate all requirements at once (I tend to do this 😆) Essentialism — less, less, less! Only what’s needed to convey an idea; otherwise too much attention is granted to irrelevant parts. Ask: What can I take away to make things simpler? Patience, acceptance (iteration is needed!) Concepts to assist creatives: Keep attitudes / qualities of mindfulness in awareness, e.g.: Beginner’s mind: Approach as if it were the first time, noticing something new, sense of awe / renewed appreciation (positive association can allow for more divergent thinking) Trust in yourself (and self-compassion) Accept situations without judgement, can allow you to move on faster, give more compassion, make use of emotional intelligence (listening skills) to become a better colleague or leader Acceptance: Total honesty with calendar management / capacity limits, self-regulation (willpower) Non-striving: while you may need to complete a creative task, your brain needs idle time to do “background processing” (rest, walk) Taking your conscious mind off things works wonders! Your unconscious mind might help you conjure up new ways of thinking of things Breath work (noticing physical sensations) Also: mindful walking, eating, reading, looking, etc. Developing your own practice: There’s no one-size-fits-all; adopting various approaches to creatively build your own practice :) Concept: mindfulness muscle (takes time; about the journey!) Frequent, intentional breaks in work Breath work, pause practices at transitions, visualizations, open awareness vs. focused attention, longer practices (retreats) Good listen: Savvy Psychologist on The Performance-Boosting Power of Positive Self-Talk (and other episodes related to mindfulness and self-destructive thought) Commonly 10–15 mins / day About Our Guest Host: Mark Corrigan is an information and communications technology consultant, sessional lecturer at Ryerson University, and mindfulness enthusiast. After a decade in a variety of communications, software development, and management roles, Mark is now pursuing a career in neuroscience, with interests spanning mental health and well-being research, translational science, health technology development, and mindfulness integration. In September, he is returning to school for his MSc in experimental psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Since 2018, Mark has been developing his mindfulness practice through a variety of workshops, community organizations, and self-directed practices. He is a proponent of the mindfulness-in-education and mindfulness-in-the-workplace movements, and has facilitated introductory sessions on mindfulness theory and mindful breathing exercises for his students and colleagues. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and learn more about integrating mindfulness into school, work, and home through organizations such as RU Mindful, Mindfulness Toronto, or Mindfulness Everyday. Music (public domain via freesound.org): REW<< - Syzygy [Album] Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Artwork: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

As July nears its end, we are half way through the summer season and another round of Magazine Production & Publishing has almost come to an end. I’ve had the opportunity and great pleasure to teach this course a second time this summer with an enthusiastic group of students who, commendably, manage to focus on school work even given the pull of the summer sun. In this course, we’ve had three more wonderful guests speak to our class and I wanted to capture these conversations here in a second Magazine Miniseries. The three main modules in the course (the business of magazines, magazine design and magazine production) help steer each of the three conversations. In this first episode, we hear from L’Amour Lisik, Managing Editor of The Malahat Review and Associate Prose Editor of Plentitude Magazine. Both of these publications are literary magazines, a genre focused on creative writing. Literary magazines showcase authors who may not have an audience through traditional commercial publishing. New and emergent writers (some of whom later become household names) submit to, and are featured in, literary magazines. Typically funded by granting organizations that promote the arts and sometimes affiliated with universities, these publications are often produced by a small staff with contributions from independent writers. L’Amour provides us insight into the world of literary magazines and the role she plays in the publishing process. L’Amour is based in Victoria, British Columbia and in this conversation we discuss the responsibilities of a managing editor, the role of an editor and editorial board in fostering equity, diversity and inclusion, insight into submissions including the acceptance and rejection process and the importance of empathy in the process. Finally, L’Amour offers tips for getting started in the magazine industry. Let’s listen in… About Our Guest: L'Amour is a queer writer and artist of Mauritian-Chinese/Scottish settler descent who lives and works on the unceded traditional territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples. She's the Managing Editor for The Malahat Review and an Associate Prose Editor for Plenitude Magazine. She holds a BFA in Writing from the University of Victoria, where she focused on poetry and creative nonfiction. Aside from writing, she enjoys clogs, dogs, and graphic novels. Music (public domain via freesound.org): Podington Bear - Love Song #1 Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

In today’s episode of Talk Paper Scissors, we’re continuing our quest of reflecting on a year of virtual learning and teaching. With me is Daryll Wilson, psychology graduate student who has a double major undergraduate degree in neuroscience and biology. I saw Daryll sit on a panel at a learning and teaching conference I was also presenting at in May of this year. I was so impressed by his insights and so interested in his work that I invited him to have a chat about all things learning and teaching in a virtual format. Daryll studies the psychological side of pedagogy. In our conversation, he addresses some of his challenges of learning online, as well as challenges of other students who he’s worked with this past year. He provides his ideas about the ways in which instructors can help students by offering flexibility; both in how and when students work through course content, as well as with flexible deadlines. Furthermore, we discuss Daryll’s graduate-level research all about incorporating strategic pauses during lecture and why it’s a promising strategy. He also discusses his insights about lecture best-practices and why he believes that more lecturers don’t build best-practices into their teaching strategies. Finally, a quick note: there’s about 5-minutes of wacky audio in the middle of this recording, but please stick with us. I promise the audio quality improves and it’s a valuable listen. Welcome Daryll! About Our Guest: Daryll is an MA student in the Psychological Science stream. His wide range of experience and expertise has allowed him to pursue diverse research and academic interests. His thesis work aligns more closely with his developed passion for teaching and learning as it examines the effectiveness of a proposed procedure-based teaching intervention for both online and in-person lecture contexts with the aim of optimizing lecturing across academia. Daryll also serves as a Graduate Educational Developer with Ryerson's Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, developing himself as an educator in both theory (through research) and practice (through professional development). Through all of this, Daryll carries with him his identity and perspectives as a Black scholar, continuing to advocate for equity, change and justice in academia and society writ large. Music (public domain via freemusicarchive.org): Podington Bear - Limelight Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

Hooray for friends! Today’s episode features 3 of them! I have the wonderful good fortune of working with some great people, including some of my very best friends on this planet, three of whom you’ll hear from today. Jay Wong, Nat Lumby, Chris Ambedkar and I all teach in the same undergraduate program. Jay is also a practicing designer. Nat is a packaging specialist currently pursuing her PhD. Chris is a digital media go-to with experience working in the creative side of provincial government. And they all happen to be award winning university lecturers! The four of us were very interconnected this year. I co-taught a course with Chris and also one with Jay, who taught a course with Nat. I worked with Nat to build on her work in another course for delivery to a spring-semester audience. We have been learning from each other all year. I asked them to sit down with me and take a few minutes to reflect on a year of virtual teaching, including what worked really well, what surprised us (for better or for worse) and what the future of virtual education might look like. What you’ll hear in the next 45 minutes is our personal experiences of what worked well to build community and increase student engagement. You’ll hear the words ‘flexibility’, ‘community-building’ and ‘balance’ a number of times. You’ll hear our thoughts on breakout rooms, our video conferencing software feature wish list, as well as how ‘edutainment’ has a bad rap and why that needs to change. A layer that adds to the conversation is that three of four of us have taken some or all of our graduate level courses in an online environment, whether by choice or by circumstance. I hope you’ll find this conversation as valuable as I did. Welcome friends! Let’s get this conversation started. Nat, please lead things off for us... About Our Guests: Natalia Lumby teaches in a variety of areas at the School of Graphic Communications Management, including design, premedia and business management. With a background in management science and a keen interest in all things visual, her research seeks to understand how people connect with products. Currently she is focusing in the areas of packaging and design, with a focus on understanding consumer visual preferences in different product categories. Other areas of interest include zero waste packaging as well as the changing dynamics of packaging in online supply chains. Jay Wong is a design-specialist and award-winning educator who teaches at the School of Graphic Communications Management. He has nearly a decade of production coordination and ad design experience for a large Canadian media company. Chris Ambedkar is an award-winning educator, creator, and communicator. His professional work bridges academia and industry. Chris has experience as the Creative Lead for the Ministry of Colleges & Universities in the Ontario Public Service where he leverages visual thinking and communication techniques to shape internal and external communication, including COVID-19 communications. As a lecturer, he challenges his students to build connections between their education, solve real-world problems, and drive positive social change. Chris teaches in the areas of design, graphic communications, digital media. Music (public domain via freemusicarchive.org): Podington Bear - Steppin’ In Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

Imagine otters. Cute, adorable otters. Surprisingly, there is a lot we can learn from otters, especially the ways in which they innovate through play. In his book entitled “Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul”, author, medical doctor and play researcher, Stuart Brown, describes a study with otters at the centre. He shares a story of a biologist who studies river otters and trained some of them to swim through a hoop by offering a food reward for completing the task. Once the otters learned to do it, the animals began introducing their own twists on the task, quite literally. Instead of travelling through the hoop forwards, they would swim backwards through it and waited to see if they got a reward. They also swam half way through and stopped. After each innovative new way to travel through the hoop, they waited to see if they would be rewarded for this version of the task. The otters were testing the system and learning the rules of the game. Otters are naturally playful creatures and they’re attracted to new and interesting things. In his book, Brown explains it this way: “By having fun and mixing it up, the otters were learning far more about the way their world works than if they had simply performed the initial task flawlessly.” And: “For [humans] play lies at the core of creativity and innovation. Of all animal species, humans are the biggest players of all. We are built to play and built through play.” This resonates deeply with me and helps to validate the weird and sometimes wacky aspects of my classroom. Yes, there are times when I’m teaching students procedural or more static how-to’s, such as how to perform a specific task in software or I’m teaching them the mechanics of how a printing press works. But I believe that there are so many opportunities during our virtual classrooms to invite students to let down their guards, remove the need for performing any kind of task “flawlessly” and have fun in the process. And I believe it starts with me tearing down the “serious” walls that stand between myself and students in order to expedite the building of trust, especially in an online classroom. And as the instructor, my actions speak louder than words and I’m paving the way for students to follow. I see it as my role to lead students through meaningful and educationally-enriching experiences through play, experimentation, light-heartedness, goofiness… whatever you want to call it, I call it having “serious fun”. A quote from illustrator, designer and educator, Lauren Hom, inspired this conversation about how I inject ‘serious fun’ into my work. In a presentation at the Adobe Max conference entitled ‘How to Build a Serious Career Creating Silly Work’ she said: “Take yourself seriously but don’t take your ideas too seriously.” Agreed, Lauren. This quote speaks to my soul. Let’s play a little game, shall we? As part of many of my courses, I do a fun warm up with students at the beginning of each class. I call them “creativity boosters”. It acts as an ice breaker and helps get their brains in gear for class and it generally ties into the lesson or has a purpose beyond the obvious. This one comes from the world of improv. It’s called ‘Yes! Let’s!’ I will say something like “Let’s go skiing”. You will respond with: “Yes, Let’s!” [Mime skiing] Just before we begin, it’s important to note that in the art of improv, a ‘no’ is a dead end. Nothing kills a scene faster. This energizing, low-stakes invitation to unequivocally commit to wholeheartedly jump into something, even if you’re unsure, is a great creative and life skill to embrace. I invite you to stop whatever you’re doing and play along, no matter how silly you may feel doing so, whether alone or with others. So... Let’s go skiing Let’s be a dog Let’s type on a computer Let’s drink a hot coffee Let’s make a pizza Lesson: Sometimes it’s best not to overthink it. Just go for it. Silence your inner critic/judge/editor so that you can be free to create. Strategies to Embrace Serious Fun in the Virtual Classroom To provide some context before I tell you about specific strategies I’ve used to cultivate serious fun in my virtual classroom, I renewed my teaching philosophy vows this past academic year. I feel like I’ve injected my fair share of kooky (academically-valuable) experiences into my classroom, but virtual teaching has helped me rethink and re-imagine my teaching philosophy.... Offering Students Choice - Choice as to how, where and when they engage with content and assessments, based on internally and externally-motivated factors. Actively Facilitating Connection - Connecting students to content, to classmates, to myself as the instructor and to the industry outside of the classroom. Empathy & Student Support Takes Precedence - Prioritizing student well-being, and acting in a supportive role to all students, especially those who have the best intentions but due to circumstances outside of their control, aren’t able to engage fully in the course. Introducing, Informing, Inspiring, Igniting - And it has to do with not trying to squeeze absolutely every fact and figure about a topic into my classes (guilty!), but instead introducing, informing, inspiring and igniting an interest that wasn’t there before having taken the course. Authenticity - Being authentic in a way that feels good for me, modelling to students what authenticity looks like - taking myself (and my career seriously), while simultaneously being open to trying new things, being playful, experimenting with methods, content delivery and celebrating with students when things work and when things fail. Showing them that it’s okay to use that magic f word - FAIL. The term ‘authenticity’ gets thrown around a lot. What does it mean? There are a couple of definitions of authenticity but two resonated with me: not false or imitation : REAL, ACTUAL true to one's own personality, spirit, or character In a 2018 Forbes article entitled “Bring Your Whole Self to Work”, author Mike Robbins says this: “I define authenticity as honesty, without self-righteousness, and with vulnerability. I call this the authenticity equation (Honesty – Self-Righteousness + Vulnerability = Authenticity). Authenticity is the foundation of bringing our whole selves to work. When we have the courage to be ourselves and be authentic, it both liberates us and gives other people permission to do the same. We can’t bring our whole selves to work without being authentic.” The Power of Play Play is much more of a state of mind than it is any one specific activity. Through this lens, ANYTHING can be made playful. All of these strategies are designed to help me share my enthusiasm for a topic. If I’m not enthusiastic about the content, how can I expect students to get on board? Here are some of the ways I’ve incorporated serious play into my virtual classroom: Strategy 1: Starting with a Bang Often, classes start with music When I team taught a course, one of my colleagues would DJ the beginning of every class and the students LOVED it Creativity booster - high energy, thought provoking, highly visual, drawing, etc. Strategy 2: GIFs Interwoven throughout like you’ve seen today Clever, visual, trendy, say a lot with a little Strategy 3: Pop Culture Videos Pop culture videos (ex: clips from The Office) Helps connect curriculum to the world at-large; still relevant if you don’t watch the show but a really great way to connect if you do watch the show Strategy 4: Gamestorming My colleague and co-instructor, Chris Ambedkar, is the gamestorming master Gamification of all different kinds of content Strategy 5: The Chat Adding funny things to chat getting into the conversation with students when co-presenting Adding to the lively chatter - witty, surprising way to connect to the group Increases the fun factor and buy-in to the class Strategy 6: Weekly Update Videos Weekly update videos from me at the beginning of the week in lieu of traditional written announcements (sometimes my dog would be on camera with me) Helps to humanize me as an instructor and actively work to remove the power imbalances between students and instructors through this casual interaction Strategy 7: Broadcasting from the Bathroom All rooms at the inn were full! Being honest with students about broadcasting from the bathroom Injecting an appropriate level of humour Continues to humanize me as an imperfect person It’s been incredibly rewarding to develop new and meaningful ways to engage an online audience. There are a lot of good reasons to have serious fun (including capturing and holding students’ attention; helping to make complex or abstract concepts ‘stickier’ and more memorable; humanizing myself as an instructor, working to actively break down traditional hierarchical barriers in the student-instructor relationship; and so on). Ultimately, when there are lots of serious things happening in the world, a little light-heartedness goes a long way. The classroom is a safe space that doesn’t anyways need to be very serious to be effective. In fact, I hope that today I’ve convinced you that the opposite can be true. Music (public domain via freesound.org): Podington Bear - Raccoon Family Robinson Podington Bear - Get Happy Now Owl - Water - Rain, ripples and brooks Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Diana Varma)

We’ve made it to the final episode in this three-part miniseries all about magazines. We’ve therefore also made it to the final module of our course, all about magazine production. If you’ve listened to nearly any other episode of this podcast, it will come as no surprise to you that I am a fan of print. A BIG fan. I was first introduced to the world of printing 17 years ago and it has played an integral role in my life ever since. The printed medium is a powerful medium, one that helps text and images escape The Screen and exist in reality through ink on paper. Print gives editorial content a lifespan longer than the scroll of a webpage and provides it with a more permanent home on someone’s bookshelf, coffee table or beside their bed. The tactility of a beautiful stack of paper containing text and images cannot be outdone by a backlit screen with the same cold, hard swipe after swipe after swipe. Print exists as the gentle turn of a page with a definitive start and end, versus a vertical, never-ending pool of online content, so deep that even the strongest sometimes feel like they’re drowning in a bottomless sea of information. In days swallowed up by the monotony of our devices, print offers a refuge, a quiet escape, removed from the noisy digital landscape. Anyhoo, I could wax poetic about print all day but the reality is there are many magazine readers who prefer to consume magazine content in a printed format. Joining us in today’s episode is Darren Halliday. Darren is an experienced sales leader and senior manager working for the largest printer in Canada – TC Transcontinental Printing. Overseeing sales in excess of $140,000,000 annually, Darren works directly with both national brands, as well as niche magazine customers from coast to coast. With over 14 years experience in the printing industry, Darren has worked directly with national publishers such as Rogers Media, Reader Digest, & TVA Publishing to name a few. Residing on the shores of Georgian Bay in Owen Sound Ontario, Darren spends his time working at RBW – the largest of TC’s production facilities in the country. My co-host, first year student Apurba Roy, will be helping me ask Darren some important questions about magazines in print. Welcome Darren and let’s get this conversation started! About Our Guest: Darren Halliday is an experienced sales leader and senior manager working for the largest printer in Canada – TC Transcontinental Printing. Overseeing sales in excess of $140,000,000 annually, Darren works directly with both national brands, as well as niche magazine customers from coast to coast. With over 14 years experience in the printing industry, Darren has worked directly with national publishers such as Rogers Media, Reader Digest, & TVA Publishing to name a few. Residing on the shores of Georgian Bay in Owen Sound Ontario, Darren spends his time working at RBW – the largest of TC’s production facilities in the country. Music (public domain via freesound.org): Podington Bear - Blossoming Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Apurba Roy) A Special Thank You: To Candy Thomas for her research and journalism work in preparation for this episode :)

In the previous episode, we met Lillian Chan who shared her creative work for children and adults alike, her non-linear creative process and the deep appreciation she feels when she experiences moments of solitude to create. She also discussed how great it feels to have complete creative control over a project and today’s guest agrees. Allow me to officially introduce you to today’s guest: Sarah Wright. Sarah Wright (she/her) is a photographer, copywriter, and website designer based in Toronto, Canada. Sarah doesn't sweat the small stuff, unless it's a photo shoot and then you'll find her carefully rotating the wine glass millimetre by millimetre. After living abroad for most of her young adult life, Sarah moved to Toronto to complete a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations and Communications. And like all the great communicators of her time, she decided to go to Coachella instead of completing an unpaid internship at a fancy PR agency. It was one of those unexpected turns that is how she accidentally ended up in an office adjacent to a Food and Wine magazine and talked her way into an editorial position. Since then, Sarah has been the voice of several brands, the Editor-in-Chief of two print publications, and consistently the most fun person at the party. Sarah still doesn't know how she feels about speaking in the third person, but she is never afraid to try anything at least twice. In our conversation, Sarah and I discuss the name of her business (Yes and Studio) that also encapsulates her creative philosophy, the power of constraint in breeding creativity and her proclamation of the deep love she feels for Post-it Notes. Key Ideas Discussed: Photographer, copy writer, web designer Working in hospitality, travelled lots and found herself working in a space beside a company she'd ideally like to worth She was always in hospitality and she would use that money to fund her creative endeavours There's a lot of seductiveness in running your business as a creative but there are lots of 'hidden costs' Spreadsheets aren't sexy for the creative brain, but she's trying to navigate this world of 'hidden costs of being creative' Name of 'Yes And' studio originates from classical improv technique - creating something from nothing; joyful Each of these streams requires a different headspace and a different energy - photography, copywriting, web design - she's 'allergic to sameness' Originally much more editorial focused and she was in a snow mobile accident and had a bad concussion that made writing more difficult, which was something that had always come easily to her; she couldn't focus on the details but she still had stories she wanted to tell; high level concepts There's a lot of fear in creativity about scarcity and the fear that you'll never have a creative idea again but her concussion taught her creativity never really goes away but it changes shapes and forms Slowing down and knowing where the breaks are good for creativity She loves Post-It Notes She can 'turn her personality down but not off' so it seeps through into her work She loves creating a reality where it's her rules and a lot of sense of humour comes from asking people to suspend their belief and come on a journey with her Creating something out of nothing (coping mechanism for technical knowledge, budget, formal training) Constraint allows her to create more Being able to salvage a situation - sometimes there is no path, but you just need make a path out There's no challenge sometimes with lots of budget Photographers also now have to be videographers - there's lots of behind the scenes footage on IG now, which makes it more accessible, but also a lot of it is highly staged/curated Sarah's behind the scenes is much more about how to deal with her emotions as she works through an idea She knows she's on the right path with a project if it either makes her laugh or she has to phone a friend about it When she does her own weird thing, people resonate with it Micromanagement is one of the worst things for creatives Inspiration is timely and situational - taking inspiration and motivation from others who are doing less than her A lot of her work comes from taking something familiar and taking a left turn with it There's sometimes a fear of sharing work because of fear that someone else will steal it, but if you do something really unique or reimagine something familiar and do it differently, it's difficult to copy that Remixing is natural - photographers are often very precious with this What's the narrative behind the work? What's the story? Why are we drinking? What are the little details that she can add to make this more interesting? Caffeine, collaboration and more space is in the future - helping people connect with their weird and wild selves; scaling business - sculpture or large scale work Among many insights gained, Sarah Wright reminds us about her desire to balance different parts of her creative practice. In the next episode we meet Sarah Dennis, a paper cut artist who shares fellow Sarah’s feelings about balancing different creative callings. Stay tuned… About Our Guest: Sarah Wright (she/her) is a photographer, copywriter, and website designer based in Toronto, Canada. Sarah doesn't sweat the small stuff, unless it's a photo shoot and then you'll find her carefully rotating the wine glass millimetre by millimetre. After living abroad for most of her young adult life, Sarah moved to Toronto to complete a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations and Communications. And like all the great communicators of her time, she decided to go to Coachella instead of completing an unpaid internship at a fancy PR agency. It was one of those unexpected turns that is how she accidentally ended up in an office adjacent to a Food and Wine magazine and talked her way into an editorial position. Since then, Sarah has been the voice of several brands, the Editor-in-Chief of two print publications, and consistently the most fun person at the party. Sarah still doesn't know how she feels about speaking in the third person, but she is never afraid to try anything at least twice. www.yes-and.studio https://www.instagram.com/yaaaaastudio/ Music (public domain via Free Music Archive): Chad Crouch - Rainbow Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo byAlex on Unsplash

In the second episode of this magazine miniseries we’re talking all about design. Designing for magazines is exciting, creative, technically complex and awesome. Students in my class have had a crash course on learning Adobe InDesign; specifically InDesign’s long document features. They've created master pages, inserted special characters like page numbers, as well as created and assigned paragraph and character styles throughout. They’ve created an automated table of contents and have used grids and guides in their layouts to establish consistency, continuity and creativity within their publications. All is to say we’ve covered a lot of ground in the last couple of weeks. Joining us today to add her insights to the magazine design conversation is Janine Vangool of Uppercase Magazine. "Janine is the publisher, editor, designer (and customer service, too!) of this one-woman operation." Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and celebrating its 12th anniversary and 50th issue this month "UPPERCASE publishes a quarterly magazine as well as books for the creative and curious. We're inspired by design, craft, illustration and vintage." Some of the most recent issues include: #48 Stationery and Papergoods, #49 Surface Pattern Design Guide and #50 Art + Science. Also, I have a cross-Atlantic co-host for this episode! Apurba Roy, an undergraduate student in my magazine production and publishing class, will be joining us from India today, helping to ask questions and lead the conversation with Janine. While virtual education has its limitations and its challenges, interconnected international opportunities like this are one of the huge benefits of virtual education. Welcome Apurba! On with the conversation - welcome Janine! About Our Guest: Janine Vangool is the Calgary-based publisher, editor, designer (and customer service, too!) of Uppercase Magazine, a quarterly magazine as well as books for the creative and curious. Music (public domain via freesound.org): Komiku - Soundtrack Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Apurba Roy) A Special Thank You: To Candy Thomas for her research and journalism work in preparation for this episode :)

Over the next three episodes in this Magazine Miniseries, we will hear from amazing people doing amazing work in the field of magazine production and publishing. I’m currently teaching a Magazine Production and Publishing course, where my 13 years of writing for a magazine paired with my world of teaching Adobe Creative Cloud software, and my previous industry work in book printing (which is not unlike magazine printing) collide in one place.. As part of the course I invited three guests from industry to speak with students about the three main module topics contained within the course. The first module focuses on the business of magazines. The second module is all about magazine design. And the third module is about magazine production; both print production and digital publishing. When I invited our guests to chat with students I thought it was also a perfect opportunity to capture these conversations in an audio format; for this content to benefit a wider audience beyond the 40 or so students in class. I asked each of the guests if they would be OK with me packaging the audio content into a podcast episode. I was thrilled when each one of them said yes. Wayward Arts Magazine In this first episode of the miniseries, we sat down with Jay Page and Steve Frattaroli from Flash Reproductions to chat about a creative publication that’s unlike any other in Canada: Wayward Arts magazine. Wayward Arts magazine is the brain-child of Flash Reproductions owner, Rich Pauptit. Flash Reproductions is an innovative printing company located in Toronto, Canada. They work closely with a number of creative agencies to produce work others wouldn’t dare take on. In fact, their motto is: "That's impossible, it'll never work. Let's do it!". Their can-do, environmentally-minded, adventurous attitude has resulted in lots of award-winning work. They can make just about any printed project happen with the wide range of equipment, skills and expertise housed within their facility. Wayward Arts magazine was created by Flash Reproductions in 2007. Rich created the original iteration of the magazine to be experimental. He saw lots of work from the design community that wasn’t being shared anywhere, including side projects and “things that lived only on hard drives never to be seen”. In essence, the magazine was designed to be exactly what its name describes; a collection of wayward art. Giving art that has no home a place to live. What they’re able to do with Wayward Arts is reproduce work from hundreds of graphic designers and distribute it to thousands of graphic designers. Designers inspiring designers. In 2012, the magazine evolved to include a common theme or connected idea that provided cohesion and allowed it to read more like a magazine. They invited agencies to curate an entire issue. This resulted in a highly sought after, beautifully experimental, vanity passion project, whereby no one person or organization could claim the project as their own. It’s a truly collaborative process between three parties: Agency (who donates their time and skills to have full control of the content of an issue) Printer (Flash Reproductions donates their equipment and expertise to make the publication come to life in a physical form) Paper supplier (who donates the material on which the job is printed and the postage, thereby alleviating huge costs of material and shipping) By removing a number of prohibitive design, production and distribution constraints typically found in the world of magazines, all parties are able to make the publication of their collective dreams. Let’s hear more from Jay and Steve from Flash Reproductions. Issues of Wayward Arts Magazine discussed in the podcast episode in the order that they were discussed. All photos courtesy of Flash Reproductions. Counter Culture Series - Issue 6: Jim Ryce Community Series - Issue 7: Wax Partnership Community Series - Issue 3: St. Bernadine Community Series - Issue 10: Paprika Counter Culture Series - Issue 7: Orange Tango Obsession Series - Issue 6: The Workhorse Counter Culture Series - Issue 3: Concrete About Our Guests: Steve Frattaroli and Jay Page are Account Managers at Flash Reproductions. They are responsible for inspiring clients, troubleshooting, and executing a wide variety of projects. Flash is widely regarded as one of the best print shops in the country, with a reputation for doing things others can't, our motto says it all "That's impossible, it'll never work. Let's do it!". Music (public domain via freesound.org): Chad Crouch - Buoancy Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva (remixed by Apurba Roy)

Today is a special day. It’s not every day that you have the chance to sit down and chat with one of your professional idols. “Ellen Lupton is a writer, curator, educator, and designer. Lupton is the Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in Baltimore. She serves as a senior curator at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.” She has authored more than 30 books in the last 30 years on the topics of graphic design, design culture and typography. I have personally included her textbooks as required readings in courses for graphic communications management students. Ellen is a powerful voice in design and typography, who has shaped, and continues to shape, the narrative of the design industry. I recently saw Ellen give a keynote address at a conference put on by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD). It was there that Ellen and two of her co-authors, Kaleena Sales and Leslie Xia, shared their forthcoming book that is so relevant and so needed in our industry (and in the world!) right now. The book is called Extra Bold: a feminist, inclusive, anti-racist, nonbinary field guide for graphic designers. I nodded along intently with the hour-long talk. I immediately pre-ordered the book that was set to release the following week. I also pre-ordered a copy for a colleague and friend, Chris Ambedkar, who sits on our school’s equity, diversity and inclusion committee, actively working to break down barriers and provide opportunities for greater inclusion throughout the school. I was also feeling brave. I sent an email to Ellen asking her to come on this little podcast called Talk Paper Scissors and chat about her most recent book. When I received an email in my inbox from Ellen that same day agreeing to chat, I nearly jumped for joy. And the first person I thought of was my friend Chris. Chris and I make a great team for a lot of reasons but one of those reasons has to do with the fact that we think about things from very different perspectives. If I overlook something, he’s right there to fill in the gap. If there’s something that he doesn’t quite see, I’m right there to pick up where he left off. I wanted Chris to be a part of this special chance to chat with someone doing such great work in this area for our industry. So I am pleased to say that Chris is co-hosting this episode with me. Hey Chris, why don’t you introduce yourself? Diana! Thank you so much for having me today! For the listeners that don’t know me, my name is Chris Ambedkar and I’m a lecturer at Ryerson University with Diana. I’ve been teaching for 5 years now and I teach courses in creativity, graphic design and digital media. And yes, Diana and I have taught together and developed courses together quite a bunch. It has been such a positive influence on me! We definitely work well together and what I love about Diana so much is that she recognizes her privilege as a white design educator, she’s done a lot of work to learn and understand anti-racist and discriminatory pedagogy, and she’s always looking to amplify BIPOC and other marginalized voices in the classroom. It’s just so refreshing to work with someone who knows and gets why this is so important! Just like our lovely guest today, Ellen! As an intersectional minority myself, I appreciate allies like this in the industry so much! Thank you, Chris, for the exceptionally kind words. I really and truly love Ellen’s new book, with whom she shares co-authorship with a number of diverse voices. Before we get into the interview with Ellen and she shares her incredible insights about this world of feminist, inclusive, anti-racist, nonbinary graphic design, I want to share my favourite parts of this book and I’m going to invite Chris to do the same. I have two favourites and both will show off my inner type and printing geek. The first is around typographic binaries. In the book, Ellen describes the work of Judith Butler whose groundbreaking 1990 book, Gender Trouble, explores the concepts of “male” and “female”, which she argues are socially-constructed categories. Judith’s work rejects rigid definitions of gender and the oppressive binaries fixed gender identity upholds. Furthermore, she argues that everyone’s gender evolves overtime, which applies to transgender and cisgender people alike and that our embodiment of masculinity and femininity shift in different settings. Ellen takes it one step further and it applies it in a unique way to the world of typography. Ellen brings forth the notion that binary structures exist within the building blocks of design, including typography. She expresses that “serif” and “sans serif” typefaces exist on a spectrum. Ellen describes the work of typographer John Berry’s taxonomy of letter endings. He suggests that a serif can be many things, “from a spiky spur to a massive, blocky slab” or the fact that a serif might not be a thing at all because even letters that are considered sans serif take on many different forms. For example, “stems and strokes that swell, bend, pucker, or flair resist neat binary categories.” Furthermore, Ellen explores the patriarchal idea of a “type family” and that the predictable and “matchy-matchy” nature of typographic families don’t mimic the reality of human family structures. She highlights type designer Leah Maldonado’s experimental typeface called Glyph World that rejects the traditional uniform members of a type family, instead favouring a much less conforming and individualistic group of letterforms. My other favourite part of the book is a queer history of design. I love that Extra Bold helps start conversations about these important histories that better reflect the diverse makeup of students and educators in the classroom. This book is a place where these histories are documented and legitimized through ink on paper; existing in a physical book that can be read and highlighted and shared and cherished. One story in particular nearly brought me to tears. It’s the story of a woman named Ruth Ellis. Ruth was born in 1899 in Springfield, Illinois and she became the first woman in the state of Michigan to run her own printing company. Ruth was an African American woman who lived openly as a lesbian throughout her life, her father accepting her sexuality without judgement as she brought girlfriends home as a teenager. In adulthood, Ruth and her partner, Ceciline, opened a printing company that also doubled as a vibrant gathering place for Detroit’s African American queer community. Here they help young people in need of food, books or a place to stay. On Ellis’ 100th birthday, she led the annual dyke march in San Francisco. As a business woman, activist and community builder, Ruth carries an incredible legacy and she’s an inspiration to so many. I now know her story. Her story inspires me to play a role in carrying on her legacy. My future lectures about the history of printing will include Ruth’s story and others’ stories that significantly contribute to our industry’s history, as well as our collective history. Chris, what about you? What’s your favourite part? Ah Diana! You stole my favourite part but I agree that it’s incredibly important to bring Queer design history, black design history, indigenous design history into the classroom! So you know that I LOVE a good infographic and this book has TONS of them. They’re so well done. But I think my favourite part isn’t one specific section but the fact that the authors really did a great job by including various voices from marginalized communities throughout the book. As we know, sharing perspectives helps us to increase our understanding so that we can be more empathetic towards others and I appreciate that aspect of the book throughout. It is when we hear what others have gone through where we can really learn and understand how people feel excluded or discriminated against. It’s the amplification of marginalized voices for me! Over the next 20 or so minutes, you’ll hear from Ellen about why this book, and the subject matter contained within, is so needed in the field of design. You’ll also hear why design is the perfect discipline to normalize the visual language of equity, diversity and inclusion. Ellen also provides insights about the way in which design is a tool for change, helping to give visual shape to social movements. And, as one of the greatest typographic minds on the planet, she gives as near a perfect answer as possible to my question about the single typeface she would use for the rest of her life. Ellen Lupton is a writer, curator, educator, and designer. Lupton is the Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in Baltimore. She serves as a senior curator at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. Chris Ambedkar is an award-winning educator, creator, and communicator. His professional work bridges academia and industry. Chris has experience as the creative lead for the Ministry of Colleges & Universities in the Ontario Public Service where he leverages visual thinking and communication techniques to shape internal and external communication, including COVID-19 communications. Specifically, Chris teaches in the areas of design, graphic communications, digital media, and interdisciplinary innovation. Chris hopes to add value to the world through creativity, innovation, education, and research. Music (public domain via freesound.org): Crowander - Who Would Have Thought Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle Boat Origami Photo: Boat Origami Photo by Alex on Unsplash Episode Cover Art: Canva