VISION NOTES STORYTELLING
with DR. DAVID WILLIAMS
WRITING, VISUAL, AUDIO
Helping you tell your story
Tell Your Story. With feeling.
I help real people and brands get clear about who they are, what they stand for, and how to say it—on the page and on the screen. Whether you're building a business, introducing yourself online, or explaining an idea, I bring in my experience as a professional storyteller and visual communicator to make your message resonate.
VISON NOTES STORYTELLING, FREELANCE WRITING AND GRAPHICS by Emmy-winning Writer David Williams
The Story You Were Meant to Tell
Writing for founders, changemakers, and professionals who need their message to land.
You’ve done something real. Built a company. Changed lives. Survived something hard. Created a body of work.
But when it comes to putting that story into words—on a page, in a bio, or in a brand—it gets slippery. Too close. Too tangled. Too hard to explain without sounding like everyone else.
That’s where we come in.
What We Offer
A one-on-one writing collaboration that brings clarity, emotion, and structure to your story—whether it’s for a website, an About page, a personal essay, a mission letter, or a major speech.
We’ll uncover not just what happened, but what it means. And write it with the rhythm and voice that makes it yours.
This Is for You If...
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You’re a founder, artist, author, or executive with a big story—and no time or clarity to write it
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You’re applying for a grant, fellowship, podcast, TEDx, or speaking opportunity
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You need help writing your About page, creative bio, or brand story
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You want a collaborator who understands both literary craft and human psychology
What You Get
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60-minute story discovery session via Zoom
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Custom-written copy (500–1000 words)
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1 revision included
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Delivery in Google Docs + polished PDF
Why Me?
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Researcher and Writer on the Brain and Evolutionary Psychology
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PhD in Writing and lifelong storyteller
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Published author (Knopf, Lexington Press)
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Emmy-winning songwriter
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Ghostwriter and editor for creatives, educators, and thought leaders
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Special focus on neuroscience, narrative identity, and legacy writing
Investment
💵 $500 flat rate
Let’s Begin
📩 Book a free 15-minute consult: david@graphicrecordingvn.com
📄 See writing samples:
Let’s tell the story that helps people understand who you are—and why you matter.
✍️ MORE SPECIFIC SERVICES
🔸 Dating & Personal Bios Be yourself—but sharper, warmer, and more memorable. $185 – Includes one revision.
🔸 Short Bio (150–250 words)Perfect for About pages, speaker intros, or creative profiles. $185
🔸 Taglines & Brand PitchesThe one sentence you wish you’d thought of. $75
🔸 Brand Story (1 page)Clarify your voice, message, and mission. $300
🔸 Landing Page CopyWords that invite, connect, and convert. $325
🔸 Substack or Newsletter BioStart your platform with copy that sounds like you. $200
✍️ HAND-DRAWN ART & GRAPHICS
🔸 Graphic Recording, Whiteboarding, Visual Storytelling, live or over Zoom $1500 day
🔸 GIFs animated art/cartooning $300 each, but depends on how complicated
About David Williams
Emmy-Winning Writer · Songwriter · Visual Storyteller
David Williams is an Emmy-winning writer, musician, and visual artist with decades of
experience helping individuals and organizations bring their stories to life.
Whether you're looking for powerful website copy, compelling articles, polished
resumes, or persuasive grant narratives,
David brings a rare mix of precision, empathy, and creativity to every project.
A published author with Random House and an award-winning children's songwriter, David has also worked as a university professor, writing coach, and contributor to
national publications. His deep background in neuroscience, storytelling, and
education makes him uniquely skilled at crafting writing that moves both minds and
hearts.
But words aren't his only tools. As a longtime cartoonist and live graphic recorder, David transforms complex ideas into engaging, visual narratives for businesses, conferences, and non-profits. His music, spanning Americana, blues, and gypsy jazz, has reached audiences worldwide—most notably through a children’s song that became a viral hit in South Africa’s anti-poaching movement.
Whether you're an entrepreneur, student, nonprofit, or creative professional, David can help you express your message clearly and memorably—on the page, in sound, or through image.
Experiences
🧠 Education
🏆 Awards
📚 Books
✏️ Cartooning &
Animated Videos
🎵 Music
PhD in Writing and Literature
Former Head of Fiction Writing, Metropolitan State University
University teaching positions at University of Colorado, University of Illinois, Knox College (Writer-in-Residence), and others
Certifications in AI, UX Writing, and Neuroscience (Google, Vanderbilt, Duke, LinkedIn
Emmy Award–Winning Songwriter for PBS
American Library Association Award for Excellence in Children’s Music
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Illinois Arts Council Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution
Featured Artist in Smithsonian-curated gallery exhibitions
For Adults
The Trickster Brain: Neuroscience, Evolution, and Narrative (Lexington Press)
The Trickster Inside (ZenTrickster Press)
For Children
Walking to the Creek (Alfred A. Knopf)
Grandma Essie’s Covered Wagon (Alfred A. Knopf)
Professional cartoonist for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Carlton Cards, SoulTrader London, The Denver Rocky Mountain News, and other publications
Live Graphic Recorder for conferences, nonprofits, and corporations—translating complex ideas into real-time visual stories
Founder of Vision-Note Graphic Recording
Longtime visual arts educator for Illinois Arts Council's Artist-in-the-Schools program
Emmy-winning children's songwriter featured on PBS, with over 100 million YouTube views
Writer of The Rhino Song, a viral anthem used by South Africa’s Anti-Poaching Movement
Composer of environmental education songs for WildBear Nature Center and other nature-focused organizations
“Route 66” selected as the official song for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Route 66 by the State of Illinois (2025)
Multi-instrumentalist in Americana, blues, gypsy jazz, and more
Creator of numerous solo albums and adult songs — explore the catalog here: https://danjo53.wixsite.com/realdavidwilliams
Stories
David Williams
Hey there—David Williams here.
I’ve been in the storytelling business all my life. But stories aren’t just fun little fables. They’re ancient survival tools. Our brains evolved as a kind of navigation system—go here, avoid that trail, don’t drink from that stream. Why? Because that path leads to a lion’s den, and that water hides a snake.
Language and story grew out of the hoots, calls, and whistles our animal cousins still use—many of which are surprisingly sophisticated and specific. Over time, those sounds of mating, and. calls of danger, evolved into something more: spoken language, and with it, the oral stories that carried our history, our wisdom, and our sense of place.
Some stories became myths, telling us who we are in the universe, why we’re here, and what matters. Suddenly, life wasn’t just about surviving—for now we were part of a bigger cosmos, and everything in it had some symbolic meaning as well as the literal.
Stories also shape our identities. They tell us who we are—or at least, who we believe we are. They carry the fiction of the self: a character on a journey toward something that matters. And even when things get hard, stories give us strength to go on. They bring the gods closer. Through story, we can speak our needs, tell the truth of our lives, and ask for stories in return—stories of redemption, meaning, and hope.
And then there’s song.
Song is likely even older than story. But when words and music came together, a massive new power was born—the power to move people, to bring them together, to inspire action. Sometimes that led to war. Sometimes to healing. Sometimes to art and wonder and the exploration of entirely new worlds.
New stories are always being born—but they rise from the roots of the old. I’ve spent my life walking between these worlds: writing, singing, drawing, and listening.
Every story needs to be heard. And my job is to help you do that—to assist you in casting your feelings and ideas, your wants and desires, out into the world, so your voice can tell the stories that make up you.
Click on animals for more songs from PBS
Some books by David Williams
