LECTURE REFLECTION & RESEARCH
What would you like to be doing that you are not doing in your work?
I find myself often coming across things I would like to do or include in my work but don’t always just “start doing.” This might be because the right opportunity has not come yet, or I simply do not have the time to start working on it if nothing will come out of it. What I do find though, as Tom Finn mentioned, is that whatever it is I wanted to work on, a project will pop up one day & I will get the opportunity to do so. So overall, I do always end up doing what I want to do, but I feel like to be able to do that my whole career, I will need to work harder on developing myself as a renowned graphic designer.
When it comes to the weekly contents, I try to reflect on the lectures, check out the extra resources & really get a grip around the whole idea of what it expected of my final outcome. There are things I wish I did more: such as go more in depth on researching, try out even more new things & ideas, but it always comes down to me not ending up having enough time to fully deliver what it is I want to deliver, though I am trying my best.
How important are side projects and are you currently working on any?
I really related to Sim Winston mentioning he practically built a career on doing side projects. This is pretty much what I am doing @ the moment: I try to juggle the job that pays my bills, this course, & then some graphics work to make some extra money on the side (which is what I dream of doing full time, I’m really working on developing my brand “waterpup” & working freelance. Unfortunately, it is a very unstable situation, & without quite a known reputation it is impossible to charge a lot, & finding customers is the biggest hassle).
“A side project is you from the beginning to the end, with no compromise of no client interjection, it’s exactly what you want it to be.” – Sara Boris
Sara made such a good point when talking about the importance of side projects & the opportunities they can give to a designer. This is pretty much how I got into making album artworks, photography, film making & others, it all started from a random idea & a random project I wanted to work on for no apparent reason except that it was a goal I had set for myself. Overall, I believe side projects are a very important element in helping a designer discover what else they are able to do.
WORKSHOP CHALLENGE
Skills I’m satisfied with
Handing in things on a due date, perfecting a project, patience, the will to find solutions, coming up with creative concepts, having coherence in why I made what I made.
Skills I want to develop further
Developing even ideas further, communicating ideas to others successfully, organising research to not be overwhelmed, not being able to visualise projects until organising research, to be able to get inspired when not given any direction, overthinking ideas & outcomes, not getting overwhelmed by the amount of opportunities I have in terms of having so many options.
A process model that works for me
I’ve been struggling with this brief, a lot. I have spent HOURS & DAYS looking @ my screen & researching Pinterest & writing worthless notes & going over bad ideas & e-mailing tutors & looking as past examples for this brief & talking to peers about stupid ideas. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Then, 1 day before the due date, I decided to take a break,. I went on Tumblr (yes I’m one of those people), & while scrolling down my blog, I found some Bingos that people had made on there (pictured bellow). The concept of those DIY bingos is to take a screenshot, & cross out the ones that you relate to: everyone can do it! Interactive! The goal, just like classic bingo, is to get 5 blocks in a row (liner or diagonal) except you have to cross off the blocks you relate to instead of a number you are given. Then it’s just a matter of how many bingos you can get (if any). It’s a pretty interactive idea.
& there it was, I wanted to make a bingo. I want it to convey what I do/feel/ etc when I have to do a brief that I 1) cannot visualise, 2) get overwhelmed by when doing research, & 3) have no idea where to take. All of this is basically what happened to me this week.
I collected, phrases, actions, thoughts & just generally what I have experienced during my time trying to come up with this brief. This bingo also expresses the processes I go through when handling most briefs, & links directly with my “skills” & “gaps” section. Please note these sentences are not arranged in any particular order, just like my though process, they are all mixed up & random.
Phrases:
- “is the ceiling giving you ideas?” “
- have you found an idea yet?”
- “what’s this project about?”
Actions:
- *forgets how to hold pencil*
- *gets headache*
- *opens all software in hopes the 34 blank pages give me guidance*
- *stares @ ceiling*
- *command + Q (without saving)*
- *overthinks*
- *works on something else to not waste THAT much time*
- *forgets simple photoshop skills*
- *gets revolutionary idea out of nowhere*
- <- false alert
- *deletes 3 hours worth of work*
- *spends 2 hours arranging layers*
- *stares @ screen & zones out*
- *wastes way too much paper*
- *ugly doodles*
- *gets overwhelmed*
Thoughts:
- maybe i should read the brief a 3285th time?
- maybe if i take my mind off it for 3 hours an idea will come
- what am i doing again?
- pinterest.com
- tumblr.com
FINAL OUTCOME
REFLECTION
I believe this process model works for me at the moment as it very clearly highlights all the struggles I go through when attempting to find ideas, and fully understand a brief. The idea for this layout is to mix up all the thoughts, actions & sentences heard whilst on the journey to trying to find a solution to a brief, or more so, the things that happen while going through the process… The purpose of this design is to be interactive: for everyone to be able to screenshot it, & cross out the blocks they relate to. How many bingos did you get?
Mandy Galli 