Submitting collage drawing selections as part of Assignment 2 to my tutor generated mixed feelings. On one hand, the discoveries of processes, methods, and mindsets have been incredible and personally rewarding. On the other hand, there’s always the nagging feeling of whether I did my best.
Fortunately, receiving Neil’s written assessment over the weekend reaffirmed my confidence. The one most important feedback he gave over Assignment 1 was that I shouldn’t be afraid to break the rules and push ideas to see where they go; to not fear the unknown so that discoveries can be made. Therefore, it feels great to see this first paragraph of his Overall Comments section:
Mira, once again I love your enthusiasm and I can see how much you have gained from this assignment. The work is bold and full of life and you have clearly made several useful discoveries. I also like the fact that you are discussing context and themes which are important to you i.e. the role of women.
I was also encouraged to submit my assignment for assessment at the end of the course, and he feels I have the potential to pass. Well, I’ll just make sure to continue striving to do my best!
Moreover, I was happy to read this part:
Your use of colour is interesting here and it is something that I would like you to think about as you progress – consider how you can create different moods through the use of different colour palettes.
As I grow older, I find myself being fascinated with colors more and more. Perhaps it’s the great influences of my designer friends and travels, but certainly playing with colors are slowly beginning to become natural in my own process of creative thinking. I will see what I have in my arsenals to take these mood creations forward to Part 3: Materials!
There are also several more critical points I’d like to focus on this reflection. They are all valid points and worth discussing:
1. Exercise 2.2 Block Silhouette was too controlled
I can see why Neil felt that. I was really tentative coming to Exercise 2.2, and I had to do some detours – an unplanned photo montage, bag and shoes cover fabric collages – to get myself up.
I was in my head a lot, and it showed. That being said, the progression from the Block Silhouette going all the way to Stripes and Spots, and Assignment 2 submission was tremendous. If I had to do it all over again, I’d restrain myself from checking other students’ OCA blog entries before I myself has finished the exercise(s). That way, I’d be stimulated to take down my ideas down on papers and let the process lead the way. Thankfully, that happened very smoothly once Exercise 2.2 was out of the way.
2. The blog is full of information, but possibly too much
Guilty as charged. My natural way of writing comes from years of being a fashion blogger who likes to what I feel with context. That being said, this learning log needs to be more about my learning process, not how I feel. Being humorous and cheeky are cool, but I need to be more concise and focused. Focusing more on the WHY I chose to do what I did, WHAT I learned, and HOW it will influence me going forward. Sounds like a winning recipe to me, let’s do it!
3. Encouraged to start a sketchbook as a tool to log my researches for future references
I usually keep multiple notebooks to jot down notes and ideas, but this is an opportunity to approach it differently. Neil suggested that so I can “record the many layers of information which you are processing… I think you have a wealth of information that needs to be put down so that you can refer back to it later – a sketchbook is ideal for this and can become a library of ideas.”
I will definitely review and contemplate on his OCA blog entry about sketchbook and see if I can jumpstart this Part 4 process while working on Part 3.
That being said, I’m currently setting a stricter time limits for myself for the upcoming few months due to busy schedule. In other words, my time management skills will be really tested here.
It doesn’t matter. Onward we go!
Thanks for reading,
Mira
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