Explore and Create Stories #3: Kim Tairi
Kim is a dabbler in all things creative. She inspires me with her endeavours, approaches, and the wonderful projects she engages with. If you check out her Instagram feed you will find a visual explosion of pop culture, wonderful tattoos as pieces of art in their own right, wicked outfits with palettes of colour to dream over, and crochet just to start with. You also form a great sense of how much Kim enjoys adventures with her loved ones and travel. Kim is a librarian and creative problem solver. Her smile and groove is just contagious. I so enjoy engaging with Kim, and through her interview you can gain an awesome insight into how she draws and captures her ideas and thinking through Sketchnoting.
What’s inspiring you at the moment?
As a child I used to draw all the time. Then for one reason or another, I stopped in high school. However, back in 2013 I was inspired to start again. I started to notice at library conferences, people were creating, amazing visual notes as they listened to papers. They were really engaging with the presentations. Synthesising what was being said. I was particularly struck by the work of Kimberly Williams, a librarian based at UTS in Sydney. Her creativity and ability to encapsulate ideas visually - just blew me away. Ms Williams does most of her work on tablets with a stylus. I have dabbled but I prefer to use a notebook and pen.
What led you to your latest project or focus?
Sketchnoting isn’t about drawing ability. It certainly helps but you can develop your own style, technique and skills with time and practice. You will find that you start to build a visual dictionary, as part of your style development. The purpose of sketchnoting is to capture and communicate ideas. Like many I find visual notes better for remembering things and they provide me with a much richer record of what I’ve seen or heard, than my previously hastily scrawled, often indecipherable lists.
I do refer back to my sketchnotes and if they are sharable, I do so, through social media, usually Twitter. I also use them in presentations. Here is one from 2015 http://www.slideshare.net/haikugirl/slideshelf" . As you can see I have used sketchnotes through-out the deck.
I recommend Mike Rohde’s book The Sketchnote Handbook: the illustrated guide to visual note taking and Lynne Cazaly’s Visual Mojo: How to capture thinking, convey information and collaborate using visuals as good resources for those who are interested in sketchnoting. I find the technique useful in all kinds of settings. It is also an excuse to indulge in my stationery obsession. I LOVE stationery and art supplies. Pens – I want all the pens.
To finish, my top five reasons to sketchnote are:
1. To communicate and share ideas – yours and those of others
2. To acknowledge (give a shout out) to the great people sharing their ideas in the education and the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) sector
3. To integrate art and creativity into your professional life/activities
4. To capture ideas and thoughts for future reference
5. To inspire others and give back to the communities of practice you belong to!
What’s some advice you would offer to someone who is struggling to find their creative spark?
For me finding ways to be creative in my day job, is a priority. I am fortunate that as a librarian and a maker, this is possible. I believe it enables me to be better at my job, stay engaged but it also brings me joy. Sketchnoting a meeting can elevate it from the mundane to something a lot more interesting. I’d encourage you to try it at your next meeting or conference. You could even sketchnote a podcast or an article you are reading. I am sure like me you will find it enriches your practice.
