What Community Does: In Memory of Michal Trochimczyk

It is with a heart heavy with sadness the IFVP Newsletter team reports one of the members of the visual practitioner community has passed away. Michał Trochimczyk, co-founder of  ExplainVisually.co in Poland, and fiancé to his co-founder and IFVP member Klaudia Tolman, passed away while practicing one of his passions, hang gliding. 

by Alison Kent

Once Klaudia posted this news on Facebook, it spread like wildfire through our communities. It traveled throughout the social media sphere and anyone who had ever crossed paths with Michal or Klaudia were mourning this terrible tragedy. So many messages of love and sadness were posted from every corner of the internet. We all reached out to send our love and support to Klaudia- people from ALL over the globe reached out to Klaudia to let her know she was not alone, that we all felt a small piece of her grief.

by Bea Broskova

Last Friday morning, a group of about 50 people in the Visual Practice field received a Facebook message from IFVP member Willemijn Lambert‎ in the Netherlands. She wanted to coordinate a "show of IFVP love” with everyone drawing a picture to send to Klaudia the next day, the day of Michal’s funeral services. The idea was to post on her Facebook page with visual messages of love every hour on the hour. As the day marched on, more and more people were added to this message. Saturday, images kept going up and a lot of hearts were flying around on Klaudia’s Facebook page.

by Brandy Agerbeck

This is what community does, it responds to the needs of its members. Klaudia reached out to share a sad, tragic and horrible loss in her life. She reached out to find authentic connection to support her through the grief and loss. What the Visual Practitioner Community did was answer her call for support with love. 

by Elena Urizar

Klaudia, the Visual Practitioner community mourns with you, family, and friends. We hold you gently in our hearts, and while there is nothing we can do or say to help you through your grief, we are standing besides you to share in your grieving. Your loss is our loss, as friends, as colleagues, as peers, as Visual Practitioners. Ask and we will rise to the occasion to help you in any way you need. Just ask. The IFVP newsletter team all agrees, you are loved by all of us.

by Guido Neuland

Rest in Power, Michal. You have left a hole in our lives. May you guide our pens and keep them steady, keep our ears, mind and spirit open to understand, and inspire us to look for new ways to grow our profession. We’ll look for your drawings in the stars. <3

By Heather Leavitt-Martinez