When a drawing becomes an accidental mission statement
Here's the thing about drawing
When I draw something fun, I immediately want to share it.
Not because I'm creating masterpieces, but because a drawing is a connection between the seeing or thinking going on in my head and something visible in the world. It's a process of thinking that someone else can join.
More often than not, the first person I share my drawings with is my husband (Hi Carl!).
Then I might take a photo and text it to a few friends (Hi Renee! Hi Marta!).
But if I'm really keen on what I've made, I like to make copies to share.
When I finished my Valuing Fun comic, I knew I would share it.
But I didn't expect it to become a core part of DTM Studio.
In the past year, I've printed more than 150 copies of this comic!
A quickly-created nine-panel comic became an illustration of how I work and (I hope) what it’s like to work with me.
I started with a handful of letter-sized prints that I handed out to friends around Toronto.
One of these big boys lives on my friend Steph's fridge (and has allegedly prompted many conversations with her bnb guests about fun and work).
But how do you make an idea comic really move?
Make it mini!
Or at least mini-ish.
The night before a networking event in October (shout out to Robb), I realized I didn't have a business card.
Academia trained me to be allergic to business cards. But spelling out T-A-S-C-H-E-R-E-A-U-space-M-A-M-E-R-S is not the most effective strategy for telling the nice lady standing next to you how to find you on LinkedIn.
In lieu of a business card, I printed this illustrated comic-turned-mission-statement in postcard format. Nothing says "this is how I work, are you in?" like shaking someone's hand and asking them if they'd like a comic you made.
I brought a stack of these postcards with me on holiday and many of them are tucked into the bookshelves and offices of friends.
It was a nice way to introduce old pals into the new work I'm doing.
And, as a gang of grizzled millennials, the explicit question of values, work, and where fun fits in was excellent conversation fodder.
Having a pocket-sized comic at the ready has helped me get over my business card aversion and now bring a stack of these wherever I go.
Live illustrating at a networking reception?
Trying to explain my work to a bunch of strangers?
NO PROBLEM!
Here's a comic!
I tuck them into thank you cards for clients. I'm pretty sure the cards gets recycled.
But the comic?
I've heard tell that they sometimes end up in office chill-out stations, next to the zen garden.
(Something business cards only dream of!)
The thing about drawing is that it's good for sharing.
A concise, focused illustration invites you to clarify your message.
It takes some doing, but the result is something that will travel in ways you can't anticipate (like my friend Grace sharing my comic with her pal).
Drawing will take you places.
I didn't set out to create a mission statement, but this compact one-page comic has worked this way for me.
What are you drawing?
If you're working through a problem or are trying to sort out what you think about something, pick up a pencil.
Take a deep breath and 15 minutes.
See what questions you can clarify, ideas you can play with, and maybe problems you can solve!
P.S. If you'd like an illustration or infographic to share at your next conference or event, let's chat. I'd love to make you something that your colleagues will hang on their fridge and text to their friends.
