Walk the land. Come to know one small patch of earth intimately. Stand on that ground until it becomes dear to you and then open your arms to the whole wide world.
– Ann Pelo, The Goodness of Rain

Today we celebrate the playful and profound work of Scott Bilstad, Creative Director of Exchange for 23 years. Scott is moving on from Exchange Press this July. From all of us at Exchange, a bow and deepest gratitude to our leader, colleague, thinking partner and friend.

While his design work and thinking have left their mark on almost every aspect of Exchange and inspire more teachings than could ever fit here, he shared a story at our last meeting that we thought you might enjoy:

When my two kids were young, we had a year-long pass to the zoo. This was great because the zoo no longer needed to be an all-day affair to get our money’s worth. We could pop in anytime we were driving by just to see the penguins. Fun! After some time, I noticed that the zoo was losing its interest. “I already saw the bear, he’s probably sleeping,” I would hear. I starting bringing a little notebook in my coat so that I could write or draw things. I liked trying to draw the animals myself as a way to keep up my drawing skills. I thought I should bring sketchbooks for my children to draw in, too. Neither of them were all that interested in drawing, like I was, but they would do it. And this would open the door into observing! Usually drawing with children is a practice of imagination. Drawing from memory. Here’s a house, here’s a dinosaur, that’s me on the moon. But I was trying to instill observational drawing. What does an elephant really look like? What do the wrinkles on his leg actually look like? “Wait, his tail curves like this… Look at that bird’s beak! It is bigger than his body… That snake is red, but he has small stripes, like this…” Of course, it didn’t work every time, but sometimes you could see them… Observing! Gears are turning, a light turns on, thinking is happening. There is the excitement of pointing things out, and I love to witness it. A magical thing happens when you see a child observing.

Drawing of a gorilla with a baby by Scott’s daughter

Scott, thank you for sharing your talent, your skill, and your humanity with all of us and with the communities we serve – Exchange, Dimensions, World Forum, and beyond. We offer you our deepest gratitude and admiration.