Have you ever heard of sketchnoting? No? Then you should definitely read our interview with Danka Kidonová, who does sketchnoting in her spare time.
15. August 2024
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Reading time: 4 min.
CANCOM Slovakia: Danka, try to introduce yourself briefly.
Danka: So, I’m going to start a little bit boring, but I’ve been working at CANCOM since April 2023 as a Service Delivery Specialist and I’m in charge of the administration of things related to the warehouse operations, so it’s mainly about the communication between the warehouse, the warehouse manager and the logistics.
Oh, and in my spare time I do sketchnoting. I’ve been doing it for a long time, but I set up a business a few months ago and I want to get more into it, and I’d like to do it on a professional level. So far I’ve been doing it for free and now the time has come where I’m going to try and monetize it.
CANCOM Slovakia: What did you study?
Danka: Well, by education I am a teacher, as I studied German language and geography at UPJŠ.
CANCOM Slovakia: Since this interview is mainly about sketchnoting, try to explain it somehow. What is it actually? How did you get into it?
How did I get into it, that’s a difficult question, because it had some kind of development and process, and that first impulse started probably in high school, because I had to learn a lot in a short time, so I was looking for different ways to learn properly and effectively.
First, I started drawing mind maps, but that didn’t suit me very well and that’s when I got hold of the book The sketchnoting Handbook by Mike Rohda. I took a quick glance at the book and told myself that I was doing something similar, so I bought it. Anyway, my preparation for graduation was in the form of sketchnoting and it stuck with me.
CANCOM Slovakia: What is the basic idea of sketchnoting?
Let me put it this way. I needed notes that I could learn from, and I was looking for a way to enjoy my time in the endless lectures.
It is said that you are supposed to write down what resonates in you somehow and when you gradually put it all together you also think about it and learn, well that’s the difference, because when you take classical notes and write down every word, you just write and don’t really think about it.
CANCOM Slovakia: So, is it a combination of text and images or is there something more?
Danka: It is a way of taking notes and processing information, and the result is a visual-textual record called a sketchnote. In addition, there you use different typography of writing, icons, symbols, illustrations and so on.
CANCOM Slovakia: I googled a little bit about you, and I found out that you have a webpage called Angry Bob. How did that come about? Is Bob a repressed memory or an alter ego?
Danka: So Angry Bob originated in high school and came to adulthood in university. I was drawing different characters in my notebook in the margins, and that’s where Bob first appeared.
CANCOM Slovakia: OK, but why is Bob angry?
Danka: I don’t know. I really don’t know. Maybe because I didn’t feel like sitting in school…I really don’t know.
CANCOM Slovakia: Okay, now more of a practical question, since you say on your website that you’ve collaborated with Davaj Makaj but also with Dejepis Inak. What would you tell us about these collaborations?
Danka: My only paid collaboration was with Davaj Makaj, but it’s over now. I don’t know if we can talk about my other activities as collaborations.
CANCOM Slovakia: What was your motivation that made you decide to go all in?
Well, working with Davaj Makaj showed me that people are willing to pay for it and that it makes sense. I also realized that I have a skill that not everyone has, so something needs to be done about it. Plus, I was still attracted to the idea of running my own business.
I was at a one meeting a couple of months ago and the thought came up there: How long are we going to wait until? Until life kicks us in the …. ?! Well, that thought motivated me nicely, so I’m going to go for it. Like I didn’t run straight to the trade office to set up a business, but I started to actively think about it.
CANCOM Slovakia: Have you never wanted to make comics?
Danka: Hmmmm…not really, as it’s very time-consuming, so probably not. Comics are something completely different from sketchnotes and illustrating is something else. Like there’s something in common, but it’s a different kind of work. Sketchnoting is not art, as sketchnoting is meant to capture the essence of a lecture, not to artistically depict a lecture.
Overall, sketchnoting is hard work, and the last time I went to an 8-hour workshop over the weekend, well, I came home completely finished. I produced about 12 pages and felt like I’d been in a coal mine.
If you’re interested in sketchnoting, be sure to check out Danka’s website or follow her on Instagram (@the_angrybob).
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