This site is for all who are interested in a new way of working. Actually, it is a very old way of working, going back 20,000 to 40,000 years; namely attempting to understand the world through telling stories and drawing pictures.
With a job description like "graphic facilitator", I am often asked to explain what I do at family gatherings. Consequently, I default to describing my vocation as "doodling for dollars".
This, rightly so, appalls my business partner, who is also my spouse. However, my description can't be more accurate!
Here. Take my 11th grade English Lit textbook. Crack it open to any page; there, you'll find some twisted, surreal drawing in the margin.
Look closely, and embedded somewhere between the references to Bruce Springsteen lyrics and the constant whining about unrequited love, you will find evidence of a 16-year-old scribe who is wrestling with complex ideas through the only medium with which he was comfortable: doodling.
Jump from 1985 to 1999. That same guy is now standing in a conference room housed inside a secured vault in a fifth story basement beneath the Pentagon, waiting with four-stars, three-stars and two-stars for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to walk in.
That boy, now a man, is holding markers in his hand and is preparing... you guessed it.. to doodle. Odd, no? My principal in high school never predicted that one! What was his advice? That I should study Accounting in case the "whole Art thing doesn't pan out."
I suspect that most folks who sling markers for a living staggered into the profession through serendipity and happenstance as well.
The GF World
I have to admit that I have been a bit intimidated by the notion of taking on this project. Am I a bit harried these days (as my daughter, my job and my ability to procrastinate take a great amount of time); and, there are just so many people out in the world doing incredible work in the field of graphic facilitation--a phrase attributed to David Sibbett of The Grove in San Fran.
I just feel humbled when I think of my other friends and talented graphic facilitators around the globe who shake images from their pens like diamonds from the queen's pockets.
Let's see.
Andrew Park works in London; Brandy Agerbeck lives in Chicago; Matt Sullivan and Sue Shea are in NYC; Christopher Fuller emigrated to LA; Bryan Coffman and Jay Smethurst in Orlando; and there have to be hundreds of talented individuals associated in networks associated with the Visual Practioners, The Grove, the Cap Gemini Accelerated Solutions Environment, MG Taylor, the Society for Organizational Learning, schools, universities, architecture firms, and on and on.
There are folks doing this stuff in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Finland&emdash--even in Cleveland!
Wow. Draw that on a big old map and you have a fairly impressive world-wide social network of practitioners!
So, I can't stop thinking that there needs to be a place to begin sharing all that collective wisdom. If someone else has started such a forum, please let me know so my marriage doesn't suffer from too much late night blogging action!
See, these graphic facilitators spend their time listening to the most fascinating discussions on how the world works; their artwork helps groups of people decide what to do next.
I hope that this wee weblog can grow to be a knowledge-enriched treasure trove for all those who want to contribute. It will shift and change according to the feedback we receive.
Our Goal
I hope to raise the profile of this field within the larger business and educational communities, as a tool for doing real work. Mostly, I hope that this will stimulate a conversation about how to best use the practice of graphic facilitation to help groups with:
[1] Critical thinking: ("Hey! What's going on here!?")
[2] Problem solving: ("We got to fix this situation!")
[3] Strategic planning: ("And, here is what we need to do!")
Oh yes, and...
[4] Having fun at work: ("Are you telling me that you get paid to do that!?!?!")
I invite anyone who is interested to play along. Thanks.
Peter Durand, Creative Director
Alphachimp Studio Inc.
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