Working in large format (e.g., on a large white board or piece of paper) is a very different feeling from working in a notebook or even on flipchart paper. I find that it elicits more creativity, more expansive thinking, and frees the “thinkers” (either the artist or the client group, in a graphic facilitation session) from the limits of needing to think in a linear pattern. However it wasn’t until I stood in front of my whiteboard today at the start of a new piece of work that it really hit me about why working big works so well.
When our writing/drawing surface is bigger than our arms reach, we’re presented with a huge amount of potential. Yes it can be quite daunting to feel like you have to fill up that piece of paper or board, but at the same time that bit of discomfort can push us outside our comfort zone. Going outside the comfort zone is where you can discover all kinds of new ideas and fresh, fertile imaginative power. By moving the limits of your working surface outside of your arms’ reach, that loosening of the boundaries also works on your mind.
If you’ve been reading this blog and wondering if you could try some of the stuff I do, I urge you to give it a shot. Get yourself some pieces of flipchart paper and tape them together, or head on down to Island Blueprint (if you’re in Victoria) and request a roll of 42″-wide 20lb bond paper. 50 yards will cost you $20. Use masking tape to put it up on whatever available flat surface you have, get some non-bleeding markers (Mr. Sketch are easy, fun and cheap) and just start DOODLING BIG. Start with big circles and broad lines. It doesn’t have to mean anything. You can turn the paper over and use the other side if you feel guilty about killing trees. Just start pushing your own perceptions of your limits and see what comes out.
Tags: Exploration, Graphic Facilitation, growth, visual thinking
