iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

As a geography grad student, this article was one of the things that shifted my cartography perspective. Maps represent spaces of differing realities. I stumbled across the article. I wish it was a foundational text for all geographers. #cartography

Screenshot of journal article title “Geography of Women’s Fear.”

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#creativecarto I’ll be boarding a plane at the start of today’s return. But I’ll be joining in as soon as I land! 🗺️✈️

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Reposted by Sarah Bell

Vanessa KW (she/they) 📍 DC @run-for-funner.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

💥 We are BACK!!! 💥 Come join the official #CreativeCarto relaun this Sunday at 5pm EST, now with me plus 3 other hosts: @alyolli.bsky.social , @sarahbell.bsky.social , and @vickyjohnsondahl.bsky.social 💓💓 creativecarto.github.io #cartography #cartographer #gis #geospatial

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#CreativeCarto is back! Join us this Sunday for the virtual community mapping event. Link below.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I JUST DID MY FIRST PUSHUPS SINCE MY SHOULDER INJURY AND SURGERY! As someone who used to crank them out 10 months ago, this feels like a small miracle after such a long time away. Celebrating the tiny victories 🩷

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Joe: *staring off into space* Me: What are you thinking about? Joe: Sine waves.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

This is eerily accurate. Approx 50/50 Minneapolis and Seattle. Born and raised in Minnesota until I was 16. Then meandered to the great state of Washington. mydialect.us/quiz-standar...

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Orcas in the Bellingham Bay again. This time with two babies!

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

My dog Jasper died almost two years ago and whenever I find one of his hairs around the house I still get misty. Jasper was the best. 🐾

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I'm a text-vertical-align-top, text-wrapping kind of woman.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I just ran for the first time since surgery! 🎉

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Flight of the Navigator deserves more love.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Update: Sister is self evacuating from the fires due to extremely poor AQI. 1700 at the sensor down the road from her. The smoke is choking them out. So she’s coming here! Yay for me. Sad about the reasons.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I’m kind of begging one of my sisters to evacuate because the fire is close. Firefighters came by their neighborhood and told everyone that evacuation could happen soon, but not now. So I asked her when will she evacuate and her response is classic Krissy.

Me: How will you know when to evacuate?

her: When I get hot.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Both my sisters in different parts of eastern Washington sent apocalyptic photos of the fires in their neck of the woods. Worst fire season I can recall and I am a former wildland firefighter. In fact, yesterday one of these fires burned down the fire camp where I lived in the summers. Devastating.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Pod of transient orcas in Bellingham Bay for a long while now. Hours. They are hanging out where my husband spotted a seal earlier today.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I JUST DROVE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SHOULDER SURGERY. Please clap.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I am honored to be delivering 2 keynotes & a couple cartography talks this fall. It means no NACIS for me, SO I’d like to connect w/ NACIS community folks 1-on-1 or even in small groups to alleviate the FOMO. In person or Zoom. Comment or message if you’re interested in nerdy carto talks. 1/

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

This overwrought Tom Cruise part is super weird. #WorldCup

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

If you have the option, I recommend timing your orthopedic surgery so that you can convalesce during the World Cup. That part has been great! 🇳🇴 ⚽️

Healthy meal and television showing soccer

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Reposted by Sarah Bell

Rachel @rsteve388.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

#GISChat Good evening Y'all, So today I created a dice game for cartographers. let me explain: The idea for this dice game came to me when I watched the following youtube video by David Epstein titld: Why the Fastest Way to Improve is to Subtract. Where he talks about how to use constraints. 1/x

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I’m really enjoying the art deco inspired font of the Uruguay uniforms. 🇺🇾 ⚽️

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Find a partner willing to learn how to do a high ponytail when you get shoulder surgery. 💪❤️

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Bellingham-based poet @sati-m.bsky.social’s book Ways of Being is a mesmerizing work weaving landscape and life. I highly recommend it. #PNWauthor

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Reposted by Sarah Bell

Jake Steinberg @jakesteinberg.com · 02/06/2026

I'm thrilled to announce that I will soon be an author! My book, The Twin Cities in 50 Maps, is a cartographic portrait of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The book includes 50 painstakingly designed maps and deeply researched essays that trace the Cities' urbanity, history, ecology, and culture.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Lovely morning walk. Birds and deer galore. Spring is the best.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I think we mappers need a name for this phenomenon. I’m proposing “The Tin Slag Effect” or “Prominence quirk.”

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Fellow mapmakers: Is there a word for scenarios when web map labeling engines inadvertently prioritize the most obscure features over the more recognizable prominent ones? “Slag Rock” is an itty bitty boulder, and sort of unofficial. I love that it dominates all other Bellingham landmarks here 🙃

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

The Merlin Bird ID app has replaced Strava as my favorite. And look who’s back in these PNW forests!! The Western Tanager and the Swainson’s Thrush. Officially the best time of year.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

It’s almost time for Ski To Sea here in Bellingham. A race that starts with downhill ski/snowboard at Mount Baker and ends with kayaking in Bellingham Bay. Here’s a map I made of the race - color scheme inspired by sunset over Bellingham Bay. Good luck to all the racers! #Bellingham

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Reposted by Sarah Bell

Molly O'Halloran @molly-ohalloran.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

✨ NYT digital team took one art file and made this feature. I gave them plenty of resolution and they made great use! Get up close with a watercolor and enjoy observing where pigment was applied and how it settled out. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/t...

nytimes.com

How Buddhism Spread: A Map and Timeline

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

The “child” was me. Not sure how I feel about Ring’s new AI video descriptions.

Ring AI alert saying that it detected a child walking on the stairs

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

It's always fun when you get to map your own city. Here's a near-completed Bellingham, Washington map I've been working on lately. Any other Bellinghamsters out there? 🗺️

Map of the city of Bellingham, Washington and its neighborhoods

close-up of map of the city of Bellingham, Washington and its neighborhoods.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I’m not usually one to post about my thoughts on movies. But The Dark Wizard documentary series on HBO is phenomenal.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Happy World Migratory Bird Day (yesterday 🐦). One of the most beautiful songs in the chorus of birds will be arriving soon to the northern forest. The Swainson’s Thrush, my favorite bird song. This map was made a while back w/ Maps for Adobe. Get out there an enjoy the music 🎵

Two side-by-side maps of swainson’s thrush migratory habitat ranges

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Very sad news about the rare finback whale we saw last week. A tragic tale of whales in the region apparently. I feel fortunate to have witnessed this amazing creature. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

seattletimes.com

Stranded fin whale, a rarity in Salish Sea, dies on WA’s Samish Island

The whale was alive when it became stranded on a gravel beach Monday night, but died while responders were on their way to the scene.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

We’ve been seeing a finback whale in the Bay outside our window for the past two days. Incredibly huge animal! These amazing creatures are endangered, so I’m feeling lucky it made an appearance in Bellingham. 🐋

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

My favorite Artemis image so far.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Hey mappers - Here is an opportunity to get an early look at some big changes to Esri's Maps for Adobe mapping plug-in for Illustrator. Check out this link to participate in our Early Adopter Program (Beta): community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-ma...

community.esri.com

ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud 4.0 – Early Adopter Program Interest

Interested in early access to what’s next for ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud? ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud—Esri’s map‑making plugin for Adobe Illustrator—is undergoing exciting changes, ...

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

I'm making a map of Cleveland, Ohio, and I thought I had bad data because of a long wobbly border between Cleveland and Shaker Heights. Turns out, Cleveland just has a very jagged boundary.

screen shot of google earth image showing a small part of Cleveland's very jagged city boundary.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Good morning from Seattle, where the vibe has a dose of joy today 💙💚

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I have a serious shoulder injury & see a renowned specialist tomorrow at 7:30am. Rather than brave Seattle morning rush hour, I drove down tonight and am watching the Super Bowl alone in a hotel. 💙💚 Go HAWKS 💚💙 (And good vibes to the shoulder so I can climb again!)

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Yesss! I changed symbolization from opacity to hue & built a palette that leans into moody sunset tones. Opacity wasn't delivering the drama of solstice extremes. Hue gives the emotional weight it deserves. I’m enjoying how this prototype is coming together. Daylight Hours over span of 1 year.

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

My eagerness for mapmaking surpasses my patience. Here's an early look at my proof-of-concept animation showing daylight hours per each 5-deg latitude band over the span of one year. Built with ArcGIS Pro, python, Maps for Adobe, Illustrator, After Effects, JavaScript/TS. 1/

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Sarah Bell @sarahbell.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Happy Winter Solstice Eve! Cheers to brighter days ahead ❄️ Photo: Liberty Bell Mountain group, North Cascades.

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