My Work
I hit the ground running. This is the first time in ages that I had absolutely no apprehension of what to do. I knew this was my chance to make stuff, for myself. The question of "what to make" was presented by my group mentors: Lulu Sandhaus and Rick Valicenti. We were presented with abstract questions, ,something like riddles, to solve. I never asked the eternally annoying student question of "what is it you want?" The thought never crossed my mind or my lips. When presented with a design problem I took it and ran. It was like being passed a baton in a relay race. This I found great satisfaction in doing. The finish line was established but how to get there was left for each participant to figure out. As I reflect on this, you would not find Lulu or Rick running, maybe a brisk walk. They are healthy but not current athletes. LOL.
In my reality, I constantly am answering questions of students. It is always a mind-bender trying to answer them without giving them the "answer" to what they are asking. At "di" I was able to take my knowledge of being the instructor and take on the role of being the student. I often have the discussion with my lady friend about being the best. She laughs and associates it to masculinity but I feel it is my nature to find a challenge and tackle it with every ounce of my being. I wanted to be the best student there. I wanted to be the one who raises the bar for everyone without being "a jerk" as my friend/colleague Andrea Marks called me. It was brilliant. It was toward the end of the week and we were comfortable with talking to each other. She let me have it. My honesty seems to get the best of me, most of the time. I absolutely appreciated her comment. It was a moment when I was removed from myself, looking in from the outside and therefore actually able to see who I was. Andrea presented me with an accurate reflection of myself. That is the kind of honesty only peers can share with each other. You cannot improve without the people you respect criticizing constructively the work you are creating. Thanks, Andi.
The work I created came from all kind of places. Some was from my previous vocabulary of design. Other pieces were informed by presentations and conversations I had with other participants during the symposium. The key thing to remember is that the work below is what I did within the week. It has inspired an entire summer of productivity.
Design Inquiry got the ball rolling to remove my funk and place me back on track with one hell of a push forward. Thank you everyone.
