Dealing With Differences: AKT
Difference is the new normal: how to deal with it.
This image is based on something I have been thinking and teaching about for a number of years: how do we embrace a diverse world with integrity and respect? I gathered a few nuggets of wisdom teaching Religious Education over the years that I think might help encourage a peaceful society in the coming years. My usual process notes are at the end for those who are interested.
A little historical recap
Gone are the days where a belief was geo-located. This is something I know well because I grew up in an immigrant family with no less than four different worldviews. Maybe this is easier to cope with when it’s all you have known - I suspect that many people feel anxiety as they face a changing future of differences.
So how have we responded to this new situation?
It isn’t difficult to see two extremes at play on social media and in recent global politics: the Blockers and the Blenders. They are stereotypes, but I think it helps to map out the territory before we go further.
The Blockers
This response is looking for something nostalgic perhaps(?) - a simpler set of values where everyone knows what is what. There’s something understandable about the desire for stable foundations - nobody really wants to live in a time of uncertainty and unstable change. However - as I have said in the image - there are too many examples in recent history where this approach has led to serious harm as those with the power seek to reinforce their barriers. Is the crushing of the weak really an approach worth justifying? Might isn’t always right.
The Blenders
Liberal minded, this extreme hates the idea of having harsh boundaries and goes in the other direction - embracing difference with generosity and warmth. I can fully understand why this seems like the best response - it feels arrogant to assume that you know better than others. Surely there is something to be learnt from everyone we meet?
While I agree with these points, it is also worth saying that uncritical acceptance is unwise. Professionals who work for the safety in society know full-well that we don’t live in benevolent times. There are toxic influences that ought to be limited. Warmth: great. Uncritical acceptance: foolish.
AKT: Three excellent qualities to keep in tension
These three qualities are a wise mix to develop if we want to encourage a truly tolerant and peaceful society.
Accuracy: I will study you
Kindness: I will care for you
Transparency: I will be honest with you
Dealing with differences: keeping three (excellent) qualities in tension
Accuracy, Kindness and Transparency - difficult to hold these in tension but well worth spending a lifetime developing them for the sake of peace. Get in touch if you have any comments or feedback.
Some process notes
My starting point was this video I made a few years back. I wanted to update and embellish some elements into one image.
Rather than create a tiring scrolling experience here is a slideshow of all my steps:
sketchbook and biro
Affinity Designer for layout
Clip Studio Paint for pencils
Affinity Designer for inking and colouring
StreetMogs!
A few years back one of my best friends became a postman and started a blog about all of the cats he came across. At the end I decided to make a collected portrait gallery of my favourites.
The Big Picture published
Since creating the Big Picture mural I wanted to have something that was more portable and shareable. I had the idea of making a gatefold leaflet with some explanatory notes on the reverse like so:
My original design notes.
10 Publishing have now printed this leaflet. This purpose of this is to have something handy that gives a sense of the overarching Bible storyline.
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October led me back into Instagram
So I felt the need to get back into the daily/regular discipline of drawing things and posting them online after a bit of a break. Maybe it’s related to being in a stressful day job? Maybe something else?
Hopefully it won’t look like this.
Anyways, so I decided to get back into something regular and have found a nice little rhythm developing including some new ideas emerging.
Some of the usual notes on my process:
Scanner Pro - pops up nicely in the top right corner when you go to edit any photos in iOS. I like it’s simple ability to bleach stuff.
I like these results - they are useful for taking things to the next level.
scribbles in my square tiger-purchased blank sketchbook that I also happen to use as my daily teacher planner. I use an orange bic biro. I love the nib on it. Even with a decent iPad Pro knocking about, this is by far the best way to get my thoughts out quickly.
I take a photo with my iPad camera and then I process the imagery in Scanner Pro (unfortunately the track record for Prizmo has recently gone down the toilet so I gave it a shove - Scanner Pro has almost the same functionality).
this gets dragged into Procreate where I have set up some templates for Instagram/Twitter-friendly image creation. Essentially I produce a square image with four smaller squares. This gets posted to Instagram and my twitter feed gets the first image.
I use my own smooth brush with bobbly bits for line work and a non-smoothing brush for grey colouring.
the great thing to come out of this (so far) is that the use of a four panel structure forces me to create three or four distinct ‘beats’ which takes a bit of pressure off. One or two of the posts so far use a single larger box, but that’s because I am just messing about (and seriously who cares).
Palindromes
Playing about usually gets other things going. I was chatting to my son recently about Palindromes and then did a bit of research online. I was amazed how many there are and how complex! I noted a bunch down and have so far illustrated ten with an eye on keeping it up in my spare time. I like how you can take a really weird sentence and create some bizarre mini-narrative out of it. I posted them here.
