But before we go…
These past two quarters have been full of struggles and triumphs, but overall have taught me to determine my own mindset.
Beginning with the puzzles, I was encouraged and excited to test my creative abilities. The puzzles forced us to rethink basic spatial circumstances that would be beneficial or problematic, and simplify them to a diagrammatic comprehension level. Once we were able to understand these relationships, create game rules, then test our creations with high school students. Being able to watch my partner and I’s successes and failures unfold was extremely interesting and thoughtful.
Once we began the main design project, I was very taken back with the vast scale and amount of complexity to the program. This was the first major struggle of the quarter and was the determinate for my driving thesis for the project. Once I decided to focus on auditory levels of spaces, I was able to dive deep and become passionate about the project. I enjoyed every new opinion or feed back I received about the project, and was able to continuously develop the project. What made me the most excited about the project was seeing how different people took the ideas and driving question and ran with it. There were really limitless possibilities and no “correct” solution, which always kept it interesting.
After taking a nice break, we were able to explore Chicago. After knowing the program we were working to a higher level, we were able to experience the spaces we were trying to make. Being able to critique each project we went to for their positive and negative effects on creating a collaborative environments. Being able to experience these types of spaces and very unique programs made this trip was definitely the highest point of the quarter (I guess the deep-dish pizza helped a little too).
Then, diving into the second quarter took me by surprise. Working with a partner is a learning curve in itself, especially when you both are very dedicated and invested on ideas from the project previously. Making compromises was very difficult, and I started to lose a lot of the passion I had from the project previously. That being said, collaborative efforts allowed my partner and I to have a project completely unlike anything we had developed previously. We were able to have a stronger project in the end because there is always someone questioning your intentions. Constantly being brought back to the main thesis allowed our project to be more collaborative. Although the quarter was physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding, it pushed the project to a conceptual level I would not have been able to accomplish individually.
To close, I guess there is one thing we are brought back to…