Stick figures tell the story
YOU may ask how a family of stick figures get a VIP invitation to this week’s GovTech 2017 conference at the ICC in Durban.
To answer that question, you need to meet their owner and innovator, learning facilitator Lita Currie, who did research in Durban for her qualification as a life coach.
Her quirky, interpretive artwork was a talking point at the event.
With an array of colourful inks, brushes and pens, Currie’s hand moved across a paper “canvas”, putting meaning to what was being said at the podium.
Candles, cakes, rockets, wizards, mice, sound bites, stick figures running, walking, jumping – they were all part of her evolving artwork that put fun into the event. It had delegates fascinated. Remarked one: “Love it. You’ve got all the main points on one piece of paper. So much easier to understand.”
Currie said: “I love drawing and design, but I am certainly no Picasso. As a trained adult learner facilitator, I’ve always been interested in exploring more innovative ways to communicate. That’s how my family of stick figures was born. When it came to emphasising important points, they seemed to make more sense and got the message across in a way that had instant appeal.” She puts this down to the belief that the brain retains and remembers images better than the spoken word.
Graphic interpretations like Currie’s are a mixture of colourful shorthand and pertinent messaging that make each one unique.
Currie has a corporate background. She worked for SAB Miller for several years and has done graphic presentations for companies such as Absa and IBM.
The stick figures “are the ones telling the story. I look upon them as my friends and colleagues. I never know exactly what is going to emerge, so I have to let them have free rein”.
Once completed, the graphic interpretation is put on a PDF platform and sent to clients as akeepsake.
“One company turned my drawings into wallpaper and decorated their office. I thought that was a really good idea,” she said. – Staff Reporter