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“This has gone from something almost dreamlike to a statement of who I am and who I want to be.”

A different approach to discovering new perspectives through coaching.

Illustrated Coaching is a unique combination of transformational business coaching and visual storytelling.

“This has gone from something almost dreamlike to a statement of who I am and who I want to be.”

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What is Illustrated Coaching?

With Illustrated Coaching, the key themes arising from the coaching conversation – the metaphors and symbols, the dream images and ideas – are captured pictorially.  

These images bypass rational thinking, making the unseen seen, creating fresh insight into behaviour patterns and beliefs.

They encourage richer self-reflection, enhance clarity of purpose and reveal hidden potential.

How It Works

Like all good coaching relationships, the process starts by exploring themes of particular interest and importance to you, the client.

These themes are expressed as images – as stories, symbols and metaphors – which I capture in sketch form.

The images in turn trigger fresh reflections, insights and intuitive leaps.

Over time, the sketches are refined into vivid representations of your thought process.

In this example, the client – facing an important career transition – explored a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the options, decisions and uncertainty facing him.

He described images of branching paths, of his uncertainty over which path to choose, and of his desire for a “dashboard compass to show me where I need to go.”

In this example, the client – facing an important career transition – explored a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the options, decisions and uncertainty facing him.

Compass sketch

He described images of branching paths, of his uncertainty over which path to choose, and of his desire for a “dashboard compass to show me where I need to go.”

The content and composition evolved fluidly with the client’s own thinking.

New visual ideas were continually shared. New connections and insights are made.

As the image was developed, the dashboard compass became a globe, or crystal ball.

The hand holding the globe was echoed by the hand of another figure inside the globe holding its own globe in an endlessly repeating process.

Meanwhile, the branching pathways became the interlinked lines of a mandala, a sacred space for focusing attention.

As the image was developed, the dashboard became a globe, or crystal ball.

The Compass

The hand holding the globe was echoed by the hand of another figure inside the globe holding its own globe in an endlessly repeating process.

Meanwhile, the branching pathways became the interlinked lines of a mandala, a sacred space for focusing attention.

Once the themes and visual imagery feel right, work starts on the final digital picture.

In this case, the setting has acquired the feel of a medieval alchemist’s laboratory.

The figure seated in the globe now wears robes of a magician or philosopher while the mandala device has become a manuscript.

Sitting on the map is an astrolabe, an astronomical measuring device.

“The power of the illustration to stimulate immersive thought cannot be overstated. Sharing my thoughts and interpretation of the illustration in follow-on discussions enhanced the coaching experience immensely.”

Once the themes and visual imagery feel right, work starts on the final digital picture.

In this case, the setting has acquired the feel of a medieval alchemist’s laboratory.

The final image created from the themes explored through the Illustrated Coaching process

The figure seated in the globe now wears robes of a magician or philosopher while the mandala device has become a manuscript.

Sitting on the map is an astrolabe, an astronomical measuring device.

“The power of the illustration to stimulate immersive thought cannot be overstated. Sharing my thoughts and interpretation of the illustration in follow-on discussions enhanced the coaching experience immensely.”

Illustrated Coaching in action

Here are some examples of the final images created from the themes discussed in Illustrated Coaching client sessions.

The videos show the process the sketches go through as they are revised through feedback from the client.

“This is a wonderful piece of work. Every single tiny element is part of my story and has meaning. The complexity is there; however it also seems to have come together in a way that offers simplicity and understanding.

“I cannot say how much I have enjoyed this process – it has been fun, insightful, helpful and developmental. This picture will have pride of place as a constant reminder of my journey and also my path ahead.”

​Tracy Sinclair MCC, Coach, Supervisor and Mentor and Past Chair of ICF

The Prism
Safety
Dream Catcher
Dungeon

“This is a wonderful piece of work. Every single tiny element is part of my story and has meaning. The complexity is there; however it also seems to have come together in a way that offers simplicity and understanding.

“I cannot say how much I have enjoyed this process – it has been fun, insightful, helpful and developmental. This picture will have pride of place as a constant reminder of my journey and also my path ahead.”

​Tracy Sinclair MCC, Coach, Supervisor and Mentor and Past Chair of ICF

The Barrow

“This process is inspiringly creative. Through Meirion’s illustrations, I was encouraged to explore both conscious and unconscious aspects of past, present and future milestones in my life. Telling my story through such a creative medium has opened up my self-awareness and innate creativity of thought and doing.”

Dr Gwilym Wyn Roberts
Social Scientist, Educationalist and Coach”

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of Illustrated Coaching?

For some, it’s an opportunity to uncover patterns of thinking and to approach professional and personal challenges with a fresh, creative perspective. For others it’s a fun and intuitive way of finding meaning in the random, like looking at ink blots or tea leaves.

Using a visual language instead of a verbal one disrupts habitual beliefs and ways of thinking. We literally see things differently, understand things from a different perspective and notice different options.

How should I prepare for a session?

Spend some time thinking about the issues or themes you’d like to explore. What you see when you think of the topic? What is happening? Does it take the form of a static object or is there movement and action? Have you recently dreamt about it? Do you use certain recurring metaphors? How do you feel when these images appear and what actions spring to mind as a result?

Or simply think about images that attract you – representational or abstract – free of meaning or interpretation.

How will a session work in practice?

At our first session we will explore these themes and associated images as the building blocks of the Illustrated Coaching process. They will then be loosely incorporated into the first draft of a digital illustration.

The draft will be shared and the process continued in a spirit of genuine shared creativity. As the illustration evolves, its meaning and significance will come into focus. Unexpected connections will emerge, ‘aha’ moments of self-discovery.

What if I have no visual imagination - or I don't like the picture?

We all have powerful visual imaginations. Sometimes we just don’t realise it. Illustrated coaching builds our awareness of the constellation of imagery we all carry in our heads.

If the picture fails to capture what you see, you are billed only for the face-to-face coaching sessions that have already occurred and not for the time incurred in creating the drawing.

Why is the drawing done digitally?

Using digital drawing and painting tools is ideal for creative collaboration. These tools provide the flexibility to make rapid and substantial changes to the pictures. And it allows for much easier sharing of high-resolution imagery.

Is AI used to produce the images?

No. Illustrated Coaching is a process of close co-creativity between coach and client. The
imagery created is a direct and unique response to the client’s own process of self-discovery – emerging as an integral part of the coaching process rather than being generated mechanically by AI. For some clients, the final picture is a less important part of the process than the opportunity
of exploring their psychological landscapes visually.

How much will it cost?

There is a flat charge for the face-to-face coaching sessions (usually three or four sessions) in which the client’s themes are discussed and explored, together with a separate cost for the creation of the picture, set according to the size, compositional complexity and medium used (a
black and white line drawing can be created more quickly, for example, than a digital painting).

How long does a picture take to create?

On average it takes around two months to get from the initial session to a completed picture but the timing varies hugely from client to client. Some images spring quickly and fully formed from a client’s imaginative landscape, others emerge more slowly and iteratively as the client explores and discovers new, deeper and sometimes revelatory insights about themselves

Who owns the copyright for the image?

The copyright is retained by Illustrated Coaching as is the right to use images, or sections of them, non-attributably for promotional purposes (as on this website).

A drawing is never re-purposed for another client. The coaching client has the right to make unlimited physical or digital reproductions for their own purposes as long as Illustrated Coaching’s copyright is acknowledged and the items are not resold.

Meet the coach

Meirion Jones is an experienced business coach, corporate trainer and illustrator. He trained as an illustrator before moving into marketing consultancy, followed by a series of senior in-house strategy and planning roles.

As a coach, Meirion now delivers high-impact experiential training programmes to large commercial organisations, focusing on leadership, creativity and teamworking.

Illustrated Coaching combines Merion’s passion for creative self-expression with transformational coaching and personal development.

To get started with Illustrated Coaching, or if you’d like to find out more, get in touch via the contact form below.

Meirion Jones - Illustrated Coaching

“Meirion Jones is an exceptional artist and an exceptional coach. The marriage of the two is remarkable and rare. He works with sensitivity and skill quite literally to ‘draw out’ aspects of ourselves to whom we feel especially drawn at this stage of the journey, to discover what may have been hidden, to speak what was unspoken, to grow, to change and to heal.”

Andrew Machon Phd MA MCC
Coach, Supervisor and Author

Get Started with Illustrated Coaching

If you’d like to discuss booking a coaching session, or if you’d like to explore how the Illustrated Coaching approach can benefit you and your team, fill in the contact form below or email merionjones@illustratedcoaching.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Meirion Jones.

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