KEVIN IS an artist, right?
But how can that be, if he travels all the time? Where's he going? What's he doing? Maybe he's not an artist, he's some kind of secret agent!
That's what I used to think about the work I do. It seemed very mysterious. Never in my life had I imagined standing in a room full of executives, creating illustrations of everything they said. But, I've been doing this work since 1993. Maybe somehow I just ‘slipped by security,’ as one colleague used to say.
Now, after over 10 years of drawing thousands of different illustrations, I and several other artists in San Francisco have a company called Visual Ink. We all keep busy full time, and our arms never seem to get tired.
Having stamina and arm strength is really important to a business artist, because the way we work is on large mural-size pages in the front of the room. We're on our feet all day furiously drawing everything people in the meeting say, sometimes creating as many as 15 large ‘maps.’
This is a fascinating field, and one many people would never guess existed. About 40 years ago, a group of talented and creative facilitators began experimenting with what they could do in strategic design meetings. They brought toys into meetings, made a verb out of ‘dialogue,’ and, I guess, one of them tried bringing in an artist.
Well, it was a hit! And now there are hundreds of artists around the world working in business. The other week, I had the honor of working with one of the original masterminds of this field!
Bob Sadler has worked in communities and companies around the world, facilitating and consulting at the highest levels of business. He insists on bringing an artist with him! It could be his background as a photographer that makes him appreciate the power of visuals so much.
Orange County Unified School District
Most of the work we do is with clients who have us sign all kinds of confidentiality documents. I've really wanted to talk about the work I do on this blog, but nothing I've done this year has been able to be shared with the public.
Until now. The photos and artwork here are from a meeting we just held with the Orange County Unified School District. When a school decides to take its role in educating the next generation seriously, they often call a large meeting of teachers, staff, parents and even students.
When Bob and I work with a group like this, our goal is to help them develop a vision, or picture, of the future, and an action roadmap to get there. The challenge is to do this all in two days, and to keep the room focused on task. Really, this isn't much different than the way we work with businesses; there is often a roomful of people who have no idea who each other is and what each other's jobs are. They have a hard task to accomplish, and a very brief time together to accomplish it.
My role, as the artist, is to capture the output of the meeting in illustrations. This helps achieve the outcomes because it focuses the attention of the room on the task at hand, which they can see emerging as a picture before their eyes. And when I'm not drawing, I'm usually presenting what I've drawn to the people in the meeting, and making any changes they request. That's why I'm on my feet all day.
Good thing I had a helper! The school provided a really dynamite student, Brigette. I love working with students, because it really proves how life is about having confidence in your talent and taking risks. Brigette took a few risks, but did great and had the respect of her teachers, her principal, and the whole school district. Way to go!
Following the meeting, one of the best parts is that the illustrations we begin creating in the room actually become the posters, covers of newsletters, hand-outs, and online-resources that people both remember and also use to talk about their new direction and their new ideas.
You'd think that after 13 years I would have drawn the same picture hundreds of times over. But to my delight and surprise, each group needs something unique. There was no difference with Orange County. The final illustration is inspiring and completely unique thanks to Brigette, and the group's energy and creativity.
Way to really go!
The final map from Orange County (thumbnail)