We’re going to try something a little different today on the podcast. I was introduced to the work of Abby Van Muijen (they/them) by one of my social work students who found a feeling wheel Abby had created in searching for inspiring and powerful content for the local social work newsletter and I was instantly smitten.
Abby’s work is extraordinary. It is beautiful on an aesthetic level, but is so much more than that. Abby grapples with complex, social justice concepts and creates moving visual representations that draw the viewer in and invites them to think critically about the material presented.
Like me, Abby was raised in a middle class world, a space where avoiding these difficult issues is easy to do. But Abby made a different choice. From the moment they crossed through Caldecott Tunnel on the way to attend the University of California at Berkeley, their world expanded.
As a college instructor, I’m always looking for creative ways to activate the critical thinking of my students, inviting them to view the world around them from different perspectives. Abby’s work does that. I invite you to look at their website. Spend some time with the different graphic recordings. Think of them as invitations to approach with curiosity. Download the feeling wheel or some of the worksheets. Try them out. Ask yourself, how am I doing today? What am I feeling? Where am I feeling it? What is my body telling me? What do I need? I think, like me, you’ll be fascinated.
Abby VanMuijen is a graphic recorder, artist, illustrator and creative consultant currently practicing in Berkeley, CA. Abby specializes in illustrating complex, systems-level content and strives to make work that is hand-made, rooted in deep study and in service of social justice movements.
Website: www.avanmuijen.com
Instagram: @avanmuijen
You can listen to Abby’s episode here.
