Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019 | Page 75

“If I’m coming in, and I’ve scripted
everything out and have a bunch of ex-
ercises that don’t take full advantage of
their creativity because I’m afraid that
I’m going to make them super-uncom-
fortable, they’re going to get less out of
the workshop,” Vazquez says.
Asked about his improv approach,
Vazquez explains, “I usually ask groups
to do some simple camp games — try
to clap once at the same time as the
person right next to you — now they’re
‘it’ and pass to the person right next to
them by trying to clap at the same time
… all the way around the circle.”
He also does paired exercises that
focus on affirming and building on what
the last person said. For example, “After
whatever your partner says, you’ll say
the words ‘Yes, and,’ then something
that makes grammatical sense. You’re
agreeing and adding something to what
they did,” Vazquez says.
Missy Anapolsky, founder of the
Sacramento-based communications
agency Circle Design and an adjunct
professor at Sacramento City College,
has been a proponent of design thinking
for years and has taught numerous work-
shops. She helped spearhead the cre-
ation of the SCC Makerspace a few years
ago as an interdisciplinary hub that uses
design thinking to solve problems and
innovate.
“The core of this process is you
keep the end users front and center
all the time,” she says. After that, the
ideas are bound to start f lying, as long
as there isn’t a critic who puts a halt on
creative expression.
During one project at the Maker-
space, for instance, Anapolsky says
students came up with 360 ideas for
the problem they were assigned to
solve. “We were encouraging,” she
says. “Nothing is wrong at this point.
You don’t want to stif le anyone at this
point because you want them to think
outside the box.”
Then comes the hard part — win-
nowing the ideas and arriving at a solu-
tion. When that happens, it’s time to
build a prototype and seek feedback.
“I do think everybody can benefit
from design thinking,” Anapolsky says.
“With many of my clients (through
Circle Design), we talk about going
through the process and problem solv-
ing. In a corporate environment, things
have changed, and people recognize
the value of the creative process and
the process of problem solving.” n
Blair Anthony Robertson is a freelance
writer who previously worked at The
Sacramento Bee in multiple roles over
18 years.
M. Neils Engineering, Inc.
EXCITING NEWS FOR M. NEILS ENGINEERING, INC.
PICTURED ABOVE [L-R]: JESSE BASTIAN, VICE PRESIDENT | JUAN JOSÉ VILLATORO, VICE PRESIDENT | STUART
LINDSAY, PRESIDENT | MICHAEL NEILS, PRESIDENT EMERITUS | NICHOLE PARSONS, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
W
e are pleased to announce the
promotion of Stuart Lindsay
from Chief Operating Officer to
President. Juan José Villatoro and Jesse Bastian
are Vice Presidents, and Nichole Parsons is
Chief Financial Officer. Michael Neils will
continue to advise the management team as
President Emeritus.
M. Neils Engineering, Inc. is celebrating
nearly 30 years of service as a Sacramento-
based electrical engineering and lighting
“
I’m excited
about the new
management
team, and
looking forward
to continuing
to serve the
Sacramento
community.
— MICHAEL NEILS
”
President Emeritus
design firm. The firm collaborates with
clients in healthcare, public works, education,
commercial, and industrial markets.
We plan and design your high performance
electrical environment.
100 Howe Avenue, Suite 235N
Sacramento, CA 95825
[phone]
M.
Neils
Engineering,
Inc.
Electrical Engineers | Lighting Designers
mneilsengineering.com
November 2019 | comstocksmag.com
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