How I Think Visually: My Sketched Mind in Action. Reflections on Exploring Visual PKM with Jerry.

A visual note system can turn reading into a living network of ideas—especially when illustrations and concepts are built from linked components rather than copied, embedded images. The central insight from the discussion is that changing a single element (like a typo or text layout) can automatically propagate across every place that element appears, and that this “cascade” enables a more connected, associative way to think about books, concepts, and their relationships.

The conversation centers on visual personal knowledge management (PKM) and the workflow behind “Sketch Your Mind,” a framework tied to a workshop and a self-paced course. The approach starts with mapping a book’s primary ideas before deep reading. In session one, participants create an “idea atlas” derived from a method associated with Richard Paul and Linda Elder: capture the table of contents first, then attach secondary and peripheral ideas as the reading deepens. The atlas is treated as a grounding structure—so the book doesn’t float as isolated notes, but becomes anchored to an explicit map of its core claims.

From there, the workshop moves through a sequence of hands-on outputs. Participants build concept maps and idea atlases, then create “concept visuals,” followed by story planning and visual “Zettelkasten” card creation. The cohort culminates in a “book on a page” showcase that consolidates the work into a single visual artifact. In cohort 13, the example reading includes Tiny Experiments, where the atlas begins at the table-of-contents level and evolves after listening to author podcasts or watching author videos.

A key technical and creative point emerges around how illustrations are assembled. The system described uses linked, modular visual components—so an illustration is built from cards, which are built from smaller pieces. That structure matters because it makes edits global. Jerry Mikowski’s feedback highlights a common limitation in many illustration tools: reusing the same image doesn’t guarantee that changes ripple through every dependent illustration. The follow-up demonstrates the advantage directly: correcting a typo or adjusting text formatting in one place updates all drawings where that element appears, including multiple book-on-a-page contexts.

The discussion then connects this illustration “trickle effect” to navigation and association in Obsidian-based workflows. In this setup, images aren’t embedded inside each visual node; they’re linked to shared assets and to other notes. That design creates a “second dimension” of thinking: the same icon can appear across unrelated topics, and tracing its usage can surface unexpected conceptual connections. A standout example links a clock illustration to two different frameworks: the Greek time duality of Kronos (ticking, productivity) versus Kairos/Chyros (unfolding, presence), and James P. Carse’s contrast between finite and infinite games. Spotting the same clock across Tiny Experiments and Carse’s finite/infinite game discussion reframes “time in weeks” as a lived experience—some moments feel long, others short—and ties productivity seriousness to the playful, ongoing nature of infinite games.

Overall, the takeaway is that a linked visual system can make a knowledge base feel “alive”: reading produces visual summaries, summaries connect to other notes through shared components, and the resulting network supports reflection, discovery, and deeper understanding. The framework is positioned as an entry point via Sketch Your Mind, with further practice through the self-paced course and cohort-based hands-on sessions.