Through all the writing we have done this past semester, the reflective essay is the type I have found I am best at. I find that through describing my work to others I also gain a true understanding of what my work is really about, while simultaneously discovering the lessons to be learned from each project. Someone once said, “The reason why we fall is so that we may learn to pick ourselves back up again.” It is often through the practice of reflective writing that I am able to think critically about my work and process, in order to improve it for the next project. As a pragmatist on the Change Scale Indicator, one of my key characteristics is that I often don’t make the same mistake twice. It is true; I often strive to see what I could do better, and improve each time I work. Which is why I found the Narrative writing assignments so intriguing. I could often see how they helped me to analyze and improve my work so that it could better suit the client, but for some reason I had a hard time transitioning from simple descriptive language to telling the space as a story. It was through my struggles with writing this semester that I learned just how much I still had to learn about the subject.
Looking back at my designer bio. From the beginning of the semester, I listed writing as one of my strengths. Needless to say those feelings of pride were swiftly shattered when I got back my second WI assignment. As the semester continued I discovered more and more that Patrick made me feel as if I knew absolutely nothing about writing. Though a complement to his teaching abilities, these feelings of knowing nothing inspired me to work harder in order to understand how good writing is created. I often sought his guidance on both in class and out of class writings, all along the way my knowledge increasing on how to think critically about how I write. Even when I wasn’t sure how to put an idea into words, Patrick always knew exactly what I was trying to say every time I came to his office (this is not always an easy thing to do considering I am dyslexic).
Over the past three months I have come to understand writing as an integral and essential part of the design process, not only from the standpoint of project improvement, but from the understanding that as designers we will not always have the opportunity to present our ideas personally so learning how to project them through writing is also an essential skill we must develop. The process of writing in design has definitely been something I have learned a great deal about this semester. It has become an integral part of how I look at my own work, and a skill I plan to continue to improve upon throughout the rest of my career.
As I continue to reflect upon my time spent in studio this semester I have come to find that I have taken significant steps towards discovering who I am as a designer. Through working in teams I have learned different things about myself as the numbers increased. As an individual I learned that I have good time management skills, and that I no longer have the patience for hand drafting. It is safe to say my skills as a draftsman have made a permanent shift to the digital realm. In groups of three I developed my skills as a group leader, as well as beginning my understanding of how to work with people who work differently from myself. It was also during this time that, through working together, I was able my model making skills. As a group of twelve I learned that twelve people is too many. Two heads may be better than one, but twelve heads are not better than six. In actuality, the lesson I learned from working in groups of twelve is what type of people I work best with. I find that I am an open minded person when it comes to new ways of doing things, but trying to work with others that do not share my sentiments make things a bit more difficult.
Overall, I have to say I learned the most being in groups of six. I was able to discover my passion in watercolor, which was a media I had temporarily abandoned for marker and colored pencil. It was through this rekindling of my skills as a painter that I was able to understand and successfully use all three methods of hand media together. It was also during this time I really learned the tricks of the trade in terms of model making by working with Sharon. Additionally, I learned that I hold very high expectations for myself, and I cannot always expect the same from my group members.
Taking into account the semester as a whole, I have compiled a list of lessons I have learned. They are as follows:
· I am a visual learner, I learn best from a picture
· Humility is the best policy
· To be a good designer you must always see everything as a (salient) opportunity
· With great power comes great responsibility
· Sustainability is of substantial importance
· We design for people not just for pretty
In thinking of the many lessons I have learned this semester, I would like to speak bout a few additional goals I have accomplished this semester. At the beginning of the year I compiled a list of goals I wanted to achieve this year. As I mentioned previously I have taken great steps this semester towards discovering who I am as a designer, and I have furthered my skills in hand media. Through the practice of diagramming I can now add another tool to my belt in terms of furthering my abilities to communicate my ideas, also from my original list. The only goal left unaccomplished was my wish to develop new skills in computer work. I was really hoping to learn how to use Podium this year.
Although I am leaving this semester with goals unaccomplished, skills still to be mastered, and ideas still unfinished, I am happy to say that I can still walk away from this semester feeling more than satisfied. Besides, when is anything really “finished” in design anyway?
I have learned more, seen more, and done more this semester than I ever imagined I would. Writing has been the key that has opened the doors to the many opportunities to gain a new understanding of design and being a designer.
No comments:
Post a Comment