Immy reveals how drawing can help with problem-solving and communication.
My Nan always used to say, “If you can draw and sew, you can make money and have a career.” In my case, this really did work. But, if you’re not a Graphic Designer, there are other ways that drawing can help you. Here are three things to remember before getting started:
- You don’t need to be Van Gogh – your drawings don’t need to be perfect, it’s an opportunity for you to be creative
- Everyone can draw – it just takes time and practice
- Enjoy yourself!
Not only does drawing give you the chance to be creative, but it can also help improve your memory. Drawing can help your brain encode information. Instead of just writing scrolling pages of notes, you can use fun illustrations and visual symbols within your notes, to help you better remember the information.
Drawing can also help develop problem-solving skills. I find that drawing out a problem I’m facing can help to break it down. As a visual learner, I like to create a step-by-step drawing of my problem, which leads me to come up with solutions I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. It’s a great use of visualisation, as visualising yourself solving a problem can help you to see yourself at the end goal, rather than making pages of notes or trying to solve it in your head. I know others do this in their own way, often as mind maps.
I love how drawings can also aid communication. This has been seen all the way back to the cave men, who would paint scenes onto rocks. Our modern-day version of this is communicating through emojis. How often do you use little symbols or emojis in your messages instead of typing out words? Or when you’re playing a game of Pictionary, you’re using drawings (and often recognisable symbols) to convey an answer to your teammates.
As a Graphic Designer, I’m always creating eye-catching collateral, where I often turn words or text into images. These depictions become memorable and are likely to jog someone’s memory about the content of a session or a conversation they’ve had. I still use keywords, but combined with a lovely illustration, they help to deliver a message in a more significant way.
Why not try and fit drawing into your daily life? In your notes from your next meeting or for your next presentation, include a few small drawings as prompts and reminders of what you need to action or say. Or, instead of writing out your shopping list, why not try drawing each of the items you need to buy – I bet if you misplaced this list, you’d be able to remember each of the items better if you’ve drawn them. I love drawing little symbols that mean certain things, so I can use them repetitively. This way, I know when I see a specific symbol that I need to do/action different things. The more practice you have, the better you’ll get and eventually it’ll stick. Your drawings may not be perfect straight away, but you’ll soon find a style that works for you.
How could you use drawing to help you?