Friday, April 29, 2011

Reflection

Looking over the semester, I can see that my design style and technique has grown exponentially. Achievement has been made on most of the goals I set for myself, though some are more obvious than others. I certainly worked on myself, figuring out the best place for me. I realized that utilizing my time with interior design work (furniture placement, textile choices, etc.) helped me out drastically. It aided my mind to stay on task and allowed me to fully enjoy the work I accomplished in the end.

I began strong and steadfast with time management but unfortunately, that took a detour. My class load started cutting into everything else in my life and before I knew it, my time was slipping away from me. Next semester, I realize that I need enthusiasm whilst in the middle instead of only at the beginning. The going was good but that momentum has to continue in order for me to excel and enjoy my work.

Working -well- with others was the biggest, most important lesson I learned. Situations were not always easy or happy-go-lucky, but they were vital in the growing process. The opportunity to work with eleven other people has never been made available to me before. Although times were rough at points (deciding on design ideas, distributing jobs evenly, that last week), it needed to be done; a definite help for the future. Individual work happened to be the easiest for me by far. I only answered to myself and I knew the quality of work that met with my standards. Writing out the layout of my space was a monstrous task to undertake. It would have been easier to write after the project was ‘over’. It was difficult transitioning from individual to a group. Checking in, delegating tasks, and making decisions were strenuous, but after a while became easier. The group of six showed me that group work could actually be fun. I feel into a groove with those people and we worked really well together. That brings me to the last group. That was so interesting. There was an immense amount of work to complete, but with a plethora of people to exert their time, it did not seem like a lot at all.

Writing was obviously an integral part of this class. I feel that I was forced into some of the assignments, not truly squeezing out what I could have while working on them. I do think it is easier to talk about someone else’s work opposed to my own, maybe because I have put so much into every aspect instead of seeing it the surface for the first time. Regardless, writing is crucial in allowing ideas to flow and to communicate with others. Because of this reason, I continue to work determinedly on it and hopefully, no, scratch that; I will get better.

I have seen that I can work faster and more efficiently on aspects I fully enjoy such as designing the interior of a space. I have been able to do this well digitally, the skill that I will continue to hone.