CHAPTER TWOREFRAMING OUR THINKING
Historically, drawing has been perceived as an inherited talent. We grew up under the impression that in order to draw, we must be able to create an accurate representation of the objects in the environment around us. Being able to take a blank canvas or sheet of paper and draw an accurate representation of a complex image takes a tremendous amount of talent, and those who have figured out how to do it well are true artists. That said, this perception of drawing has hindered our ability as adults to try it for ourselves.
One of the best ways to get started with drawing is to jump in and start. Let's first create a few drawings. Bear with me through this, because it will take a few minutes to get through. Incidentally, this is an exercise introduced by Manuel Lima, which we like to share with attendees of our data visualization workshops, and it is based on the work of Santiago Ortiz and his article “45 Ways To Represent Two Quantities.” Please locate and grab the nearest pen and paper. I want you to think about two numbers in Figure 2.1.
How many ways can you represent these values? Take a few minutes to think about it and jot down a few ideas in your sketchpad. There's no wrong answer to this question. This exercise is meant to inspire divergent thinking. Just as in digital product design and UX, we often explore many concepts ...
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