Rich’s Ride As Artwork?

Earlier this week I got to do one of my favorite things. The staff at Lesher Middle School invited me to talk to their kids about hope and dreams.

This event included a unique element. Graphic recorder Karina Mullen from ConverSketch was also invited to interpret my message.

Karina had what seemed to me to be an incredibly difficult task. She stood at one side of the stage with a large, blank sheet of paper. Knowing nothing in advance about my story, she created an artistic interpretation, in real time, of what she heard. (Click on the image to see a bigger version.)

I think it’s an amazing skill, to plan on the fly, figure out the storyline, determine what’s important, and record it all in a way that’ll remind the kids of what they heard. The original artwork will be displayed in the school lobby, hopefully serving to prolong the impact of an important message as students see images and remember the words that inspired them.

I was fascinated by the story behind ConverSketch. Karina abandoned her college art major for more “practical” pursuits. In graduate school she saw the value of visual representations of complex ideas and discussions in seminars, planning sessions, and presentations. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

So she serves all kinds of organizations by listening to conversations, translating them into visual language, and recording the images. I’ll bet her art often sparks further discussion—that certainly happened at our house.

As she told her story, I realized she was following a dream. She found a way to use her gift and passion for art, along with her other training, to provide a beneficial service to others. She clearly enjoys not  just the work but the opportunity to help others see their ideas, find clarity, and use her work as a springboard for deeper analysis.

Graphic Recorder isn’t exactly your typical career path. I didn’t even know such people existed, but I’m glad they do. Meeting and working with Karina was truly an honor. Her artwork will always be a treasured part of our story. We’ll have a lot of fun finding creative ways to share her gift.

Karina stepped out of her comfort zone and took a risk by starting her own business in a unique niche.

That takes courage. It’s what this thing called RICH’S RIDE is all about.

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I encourage you to stop over at today’s edition of Bouncing Back to find out about an important opportunity to raise awareness about the horrors of human trafficking.