{"id":5578,"date":"2025-05-03T10:12:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T10:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/?p=5578"},"modified":"2025-04-28T10:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:19:17","slug":"fan-4life-friend-4life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/?p=5578","title":{"rendered":"Fan #4life, friend #4life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This blog post is a professional fan letter, a heartfelt hat tip to <a href=\"https:\/\/bryanmmathers.com\/about\/\">Bryan Mathers<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/visualthinkery.com\/\">Visual Thinkery<\/a> fame. Over the past ten years his creative genius has provided me with so much inspiration that when I started looking for projects I could refer back to by searching my blog and my archive for work we have done together, there were too many examples to count. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From playful remixes and conference campaigns to organisational strategies and international frameworks, I have been lucky to work with Bryan. We first met around a ministerial meeting table in Westminster when I was a brand new CEO, a rookie at influencing policy and finding my voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see from the photo that headlines this blog post, I still have my rookie sticker and badge. Reminding me regularly that being new at something, learning something new, is a powerful position to be in. It&#8217;s a privilege and the same can be said for many of the initiatives I have worked on with Bryan over the years and fortunately I continue to do so across Open Education and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter is-style-rectangular\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4557\" data-id=\"4557\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FE-Superheroes-1024x576.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FE-Superheroes-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FE-Superheroes-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FE-Superheroes-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FE-Superheroes-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/FE-Superheroes.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-4233\" data-id=\"4233\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/30-Years-Growing-Strong-transparent-1-1024x1024.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/30-Years-Growing-Strong-transparent-1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/30-Years-Growing-Strong-transparent-1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/30-Years-Growing-Strong-transparent-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/30-Years-Growing-Strong-transparent-1-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/30-Years-Growing-Strong-transparent-1.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"751\" alt=\"Remix 'n' Match by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA.\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-2775\" data-id=\"2775\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Remix-n-Match-1024x751.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Remix-n-Match-1024x751.png 1024w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Remix-n-Match-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Remix-n-Match-768x563.png 768w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Remix-n-Match-1140x836.png 1140w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Remix-n-Match.png 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"892\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-2215\" data-id=\"2215\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Nice-to-CC-you-1-1024x892.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Nice-to-CC-you-1-1024x892.png 1024w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Nice-to-CC-you-1-300x261.png 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Nice-to-CC-you-1-768x669.png 768w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Nice-to-CC-you-1.png 1550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1826\" data-id=\"1826\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Keynote-SEDA-Conference-2018-Maren-Deepwell-1.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Keynote-SEDA-Conference-2018-Maren-Deepwell-1.jpg 960w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Keynote-SEDA-Conference-2018-Maren-Deepwell-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Keynote-SEDA-Conference-2018-Maren-Deepwell-1-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-763\" data-id=\"763\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unnamed-1024x768.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unnamed-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unnamed-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unnamed-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/unnamed.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years Bryan and I have become friends and I was grateful to meet up with him recently and swap ideas for new ventures that we are each working on. It reminded me how often over we&#8217;ve met up for conversations like this over the years, at conferences and in parks, after a busy session of Visual Thinkery or a quiet pint celebrating the end of an event. Bryan never gives me advice, but he so often says the right thing, and helps me see things differently. He&#8217;s been a source of encouragement and support as well as someone who has excellent judgement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bryan describes listening as his superpower, and I would add kindness and patience to the list of these. Creative genius and artistic skill may be what makes everything he creates pop and sparkle, but it&#8217;s the deep humanity that creates the connections that have us send his conference stickers across oceans via post, and treasure zines and t-shirts for years afterwards. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/EyI0AT3XAAEO41L.jpeg\" alt=\"OERxDomains21 T-Shirt drying in the wind\" class=\"wp-image-2982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/EyI0AT3XAAEO41L.jpeg 680w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/EyI0AT3XAAEO41L-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/EyI0AT3XAAEO41L-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/EyI0AT3XAAEO41L-75x75.jpeg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have a Bryan drawer in my desk, where I keep all the treasures I have collected over the years, and every time I open it there is a little spark of connection, inspiration and joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So here&#8217;s to you, Bryan! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll be a fan #4life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:share:7321145017492770816?collapsed=1\" height=\"647\" width=\"504\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" title=\"Embedded post\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This blog post is a professional fan letter, a heartfelt hat tip to Bryan Mathers of Visual Thinkery fame. Over the past ten years his creative genius has provided me with so much inspiration that when I started looking for projects I could refer back to by searching my blog and my archive for work we have done together, there were too many examples to count. From playful remixes and conference campaigns to organisational strategies&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/?p=5578\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Fan #4life, friend #4life<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_2829-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wa4N-1rY","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5578"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5590,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5578\/revisions\/5590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marendeepwell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}