Amy Eli Huxtable is an art therapist at the University of Kansas Health System, Marillac Campus. Huxtable has over ten years of experience working with children and adolescents in a variety of educational, recreational, and therapeutic settings. Huxtable is also a freelance graphic designer and the author and illustrator of A Graphic Guide to Art Therapy.

I dabbled with a variety of traditional art materials while working on this piece for the “Be a Giraffe” campaign.  After trying watercolor, oil pastel, and colored pencils, I found myself getting drawn to my background in graphic design. In my design work, I attempt to keep imagery as simple as possible while communicating a message. 

It was easy enough to conjure an initial idea, given the prompt of the contest. A giraffe with a message of sticking one’s neck out in the name of rightdoing. I started with the obvious image of a giraffe sticking its neck out, and then I realized that I wanted to portray a sense of hope. While the other giraffes are stuck in the toxic patterns of an unethical workplace, the whistleblower giraffe is ready to break free, toward the light. While there is only one whistleblower giraffe, all the giraffes have long necks and therefore have the ability to stick their necks out. The inclusion of more than one giraffe shows that anyone can stand up to injustices; it just takes recognition and a little bit of bravery.