Does graphic recording or facilitation really work? Our Intern, Terence, shares the research-backed psychology of visual practices. Get ready!
Our Intern sheds light on the difference between the Graphic Recording and Graphic Facilitation, and why you should seriously consider that for your next meeting.
So you’ve always wondered what graphic recording really is, and why you should bother? We asked our Intern, Terence, to participate (as a participant) at a recent session we worked on. Here’s his experience of graphic recording and its value. [Hint: It’s not about beautiful drawings!]
I have been graphic recording (“drawing out”) ideas fast and furiously for the past three years. But when I started taking Fine Art classes, it felt like the exact antithesis of what I did — hardly fish to water.
Four months, four diptychs later, it’s a wrap!
Relished the opportunity to work on this series of candid conversations with CHAT. CHAT (Community Health Assessment Team)’s mission is to empower young adults to take charge of their mental health.
Along the way, I’ve been inspired by the testimonies of those in recovery. Also had fun experimenting with mixed media and approaches to drawing together ideas.
With multi-session work, it always seems easier to just adopt a “template” approach for “consistency.”
However, I’ve also found that continuity and developing certain themes/ approaches OVER TIME are just as — if not more — valuable. It’s being in the moment, with coherence in each diptych, yet movement across.
For me, it’s also been very introspective and reflective. One being, it is never too late to start taking charge of yourself. As a parallel, I picked up fine art skills over these months, and saw shifts in how I worked visually.
Learn more about CHAT and find out how you can be empowered to take charge of your mental health here: https://www.chat.mentalhealth.sg/
Or, pop by their inviting space at:
*Scape, 2 Orchard Link
#05-05 Singapore 237978
12 – 9pm, Tuesday – Saturday
(closed on public holidays)
We put our first Intern to test drive Asia’s first visual facilitation playbook. What will he draw out? [Disclaimer: Boss promises to have no influence on his review!]
Here’s Terence’s experience in his own words (and picture!)
A visiting Art professor from the US said, “You Singaporeans don’t know how blessed you are to have the ArtScience Museum.” She visited recently and was blown away by the exhibits.
Maybe we’re kind of comfortable with what we have and where we are in, that it takes the child-like curiosity of foreign visitors to tell us that we’ve got it not just good, but great.
It’s not often that a graphic recorder gets an (almost) blank canvas to work on. The biennial Arts Education Conference in Singapore has been one such dream event where I left bubbling with inspiration (and some ear worms from the music made)! Read More
Recently I got to visit the new #AllPossiblePathsASM exhibition, which celebrates Richard Feynman’s Curious Life.
One thing Feynman was known for were his Feynman Diagrams. These are simple drawings made up of straight and wriggly lines that visualise complex particle physics.
Just a couple of lines. Really simple rules. It will probably take you a minute or two to learn to draw one, even if you do not know physics.
We often like to think of drawing out ideas on the fly as challenging, but really, it is only as difficult as understanding the conversation.
And once we have understood, we can help others make sense by making seen.
What we cannot draw out, we do not understand. Never mind the artistry, which is a topic for another day. 😉
“Can I draw something here?”
What would your response be when a participant walks up to your chart with an ask like that?
Recently I was back at my alma mater to capture conversations on creating inclusive spaces. It was the Asian Undergraduate Summit 2018. Over one hundred undergraduates from nine different universities across Asia had come together to create inclusive spaces for conversation.
It got me thinking about how I was drawing together the conversations.
Every graphic recorder knows that moment of epiphany. It’s when you realised that you’ve helped draw together not just plans, but people. However, you don’t just get to this outcome without giving thought to the process of graphic recording.
Take this project for example.
Serendipity. Recently, I spotted one of our largest murals remixed by the Client to fit onto one canteen wall. Of course, I had to take a photograph and share that! 🙂
Although the original (measuring 18m x 2m) had to be dismantled at the end of the two-day event where it was created, it was heartening to see that the conversations continued.
What are some ways you as the Client can make the most out of your graphic recordings? And what would you, as a Visual Practitioner, need to do to enable that?
Spot the difference?
#throwback #tooltip: Don’t be afraid to add visual elements when post-processing your charts!
You might just discover new colours, while your client might find fresh insights!
Practice making the boldest lines you can with this exercise! Position the tip of your marker for maximum contact with paper, and get dotting away 🙂
Strangely therapeuric too, we say!
Little things matter when you work on BIG charts with large groups.
Use a dome nib or wedge nib marker to create lines of different boldness — thick, thin, and in between!
“Exposure” is a dirty word in the gig economy. There are clients (some genuinely naive) who believe exposure to be current currency. And, there are aspiring graphic recorders who buy into the myth that “exposure” will create an endless stream of paid work possibly originating from said clients who requested that you work for free. Complicating matters, some clients will lead you on to create proposals and do the(ir) necessary research before springing their counter-proposal for pro bono, when you have become invested in their project already. But among the chaff, sometimes there is wheat — pro bono work that feeds and nourishes you.
How do you sniff out pro bono projects worth you taking on as a graphic recorder or facilitator?
We’re really excited that our visual strategy playbook (first for us and Asia!), LET’S DRAW, DRAW OUT, AND DRAW TOGETHER! is now available at major bookstores in Singapore. Read More
