Emma Richard - Graphic Recordings of "Heartwork" Day

Greetings!

My name is Emma Richard, and I am so excited to be joining Heartwork and So Much More as your graphic recorder. My role as a graphic recorder is to be a witness, a listener, and to create artistic representations of the conversations and happenings at various events. On May 9th, I will be joining you to listen to the sessions, watch the chat box, and draw visual summaries of what’s going on in real time.

Like a lot of us adults, I first connected with the arts as a kid. I danced, drew, painted, sang, and didn’t worry one bit about who it might be seen by or whether it was any good. But also like many of us, I lost touch with my seven year-old artist. I studied to be an engineer, and after realizing that was not the career for me, the arts slowly reeled me back in. It’s perhaps worth noting: the way I understand the arts is not some sort of exclusive practice that is accessible to a select, gifted, tortured few. To me, the arts are guttural, human, instinctual, and boundless. In that, they have so much to show us about ourselves and each other. Additionally, that makes children some of the best artists I know.

My graphic recording and illustration practice began formally in 2018. Since then, I’ve been connecting my analytic engineer with my seven year-old artist to listen, intuit, and make sense of people’s ideas, and translate them into visual pieces. At the heart of my work, I aim to create visuals that, yes, look appealing, but that also lead to better communication and deeper understanding of the matters at hand, both within individuals and across larger groups.

Over the past four years, I have had the privilege of working with folks in the early childhood education sector on numerous occasions. I have been blown away time and time again by the intention, reflection, labour, and care that goes into working in this field. I am honoured to be joining you for this event on May 9th. I am so looking forward to capturing your stories, reflecting back your expertise and wisdom, and offering a vibrant and visual record of this event and the wonderful community composing it.