While I am often booked to draw live caricatures at events, the initial conversations are always about how many caricatures I can churn out in, say, three hours. People rarely consider the real benefits of a live caricaturist at a wedding or corporate gathering.
There’s a reason I am usually represented by entertainment agents and not an art gallery.
Drawing live is never really about the art nor the number of caricatures I draw – it’s about the value I bring to the event. There is a kind of “magic” in seeing a portrait being created in less than ten minutes. I might only be drawing one person at a time, but I’m entertaining a crowd of onlookers while I do it, while they idly crack jokes with each other or ask questions. The real value is in these interactions.
Recently, I was drawing a pair of work colleagues at a technology conference. I began chatting, introducing myself to the pair, a man and a woman. Within 30 seconds I found out they did for work and that she was looking forward to a skiing holiday.
“I didn’t know you liked skiing,” he said to his workmate. I asked how long they had worked together. “Two years,” she replied.
I was shocked that two people could share a workspace and, in the space of 24 months, completely fail to actually communicate on any real level. Conversely, I was able to discern a lot about this person in less than a minute. Importantly, the caricature was merely a catalyst that allowed these people to drop the work jargon for a few minutes. Hopefully that quick caricature led to a slightly deeper working relationship.
Art is a disruptor when our financial and business sectors become so dominant that we risk knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing.
It is a reminder that value isn’t just about numbers. It’s about what we assign value to, and there’s so much more to life than bank transactions. Instead of becoming mere number-obsessed cogs in an economy, artists remind people what is really important… being human.
The Art of Being Human
- Beyond the Sketch: The true value of a live caricaturist lies in the interaction and entertainment of the crowd, not just the final product.
- Breaking the Ice: Art acts as a "disruptor," allowing colleagues and strangers to drop professional jargon and connect on a personal level.
- The 30-Second Rule: How a quick portrait session can reveal more about a person than two years of sharing an office space.
- Core Philosophy: In a number-obsessed economy, artists serve as a vital reminder to value humanity over transactions.