Sometimes, I forget that there are people in the world who struggle to visualise things in abstract ways. I know, it’s a stupid thing for an illustrator to say, but I need constant reminding.
I’ve been in many meetings & pitches where I’ve presented someone some sketches, maybe a storyboard. It’s as rough as guts but, in my head, it gets the idea across. The point of the pitch at this stage isn’t the finer details, but maybe the story arc, or the flow of words, maybe some rough layouts. In my head, I can see how these basic sketches will become gorgeous, full colour, emotionally raw images and how those images will complement the words to produce a stunning story. But, many others can’t.
What does it mean to be a visual person?
I’m told this all the time by people with whom I collaborate, “I’m a visual person.” It turns out that when I hear those words I confuse that with “I’m OK to fill in the gaps in partially completed work.” What I’ve come to learn about people who say they are ‘visual people’ is that, often, they’re the opposite of abstract thinkers. What those ‘visual’ people need are concrete, final-art-ish rendering of the vision inside my head. It’s only when I take the time to paint a few images of the ‘final state’ that those visual people ‘get it.’ Once that vision is drawn and made concrete in their minds, then they’re able to think abstractly about the storyboard or the sketches as a way to arrive there.
I often think that I’m wasting time by fully-rendering an idea so that others can ‘get it.’ Or, by rendering something fully, I’m missing out on the wonderful feedback and input from my collaborators that I know will make the idea better. Maybe it’s just a lack of confidence in myself?
In my head, it’s quicker for me to rough something out and talk people through it. But, I think that approach is giving me a false positive because it’s not the art I want to save time with, it’s the conversation. By spending extra time rendering a fully-formed vision for someone, the conversation goes much quicker – the feedback I receive is clearer. Feedback, after all, is the fuel I need to make my idea better, and so the quicker I can arrive there, the better off everyone is.