T2 2021: Week 5 — “Finding the Parallels.”
It’s funny how certain words or phrases can instantly change how you perceive something. I was struggling earlier this week to find relevant information directly related to my research question. I suppose I just want thinking broadly enough. One criticism I’ve always (though fairly) levied against myself was that I don’t think “laterally.” I’m too much of a straight thinker. At times, that can be a good thing. When it comes to research however? Definitely not as much.
Lateral thinking and research go hand in hand, in my opinion. Divergent approaches will always produce the most varied results. It’s something I’ve been trying to be more aware of as time has gone on. I’m getting better, but it takes time. As I spoke with Michelle about the difficulty in finding data pertinent to my narrowed topic, she openly suggested that I “search for the parallels.”
That one statement made something click. All of a sudden, I realized that I’m not just searching for pin-point data, but instead, any data that has potential relevance. It doesn't have to be word-for-word or topic-for-topic what I’m researching. As long as there is a parallel, the information is relevant.
Thank you, Michelle.
Masters Project Supervisor Meeting
Honing in on Disney, while not necessarily a wrong choice, will limit certain aspects about my investigation. That’s what Michelle told me, and she’s absolutely right. We talked about the process of interviewing people. As a means of gathering helpful and relevant insights, it’s absolutely imperative. The problem I run into when keeping “Disney” in my research question is that it will limit the people who I can talk to. There are only so many people at Disney who might be willing to talk with a total stranger over the internet.
Leading Entertainment > Disney
My options will be far greater if I open up the criteria a little bit. There’s a lot more artists out there than simply one company. Disney is still a focus, it’s just not the only focus now. I totally get why everyone keeps telling me that the research question will always be evolving. In my case, it certainly is.
Now that I’m looking for parallels, finding info should be a lot easier. I’ve already uncovered a few tidbits of helpful information that should make this stage of the project a little easier.
I’m also thinking that perhaps the Double Diamond isn’t the way to go? Maybe a Design Thinking methodology might be better suited to the task at hand? I’m not certain yet. I believe it probably fits the project a little better, but maybe I can do both, as Naomi suggested? I’m sure that as I keep working on it, it’ll become clearer.
Animation Mentor Class 06 — Feature Animation Acting & Polish
The project is coming along well. It’s still a mountain of an assignment, but I’m chipping away at it slowly. I’ve moved the scene into Spline and have added some facial expressions. The timing is really off, however. Everything feels incredibly slow and boring. I haven’t touched offsetting any keys yet so maybe the overlap will look better with this new workflow when I get to it?
Next week will be further polishing of shot 7’s blocking, further facial pushing and a preliminary clean up of my timing. It’s going to be busy.
The other students assignments look great too! Kaine’s is just incredible. His attention to detail is really spectacular. I have no doubt that he’ll have an easy time getting into the industry with his reel. I just better hope he’s not trying out for Disney!
Speaking of which, I still haven’t heard anything back yet. Eh, could be good? Could be bad. It’s nearly the end of August and the position is supposed to start in September. I have a feeling that the people they’ve chosen are going to be contacted very soon, if not already.
I’m not feeling too good about it, to be honest. I mean, I’m happy with my work and I think my reel is good. It’s just not *Disney* good. Now, I could be wrong.
Oh god I hope I’m wrong…
But, I think I have to be real with myself. I’m not going to get it. It’s still just a pipe dream. I’m debating whether I should reach out to the company through LinkedIn or Facebook and ask if they’ve made any decisions. In the era of COVID, really anything can happen.
Maybe next week you’ll be seeing me say…
“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!”
Wouldn’t that be something?
7539QCA — Design Research Methods
Our Assessment 1 presentation is due this Friday. Truth be told, I’m a little nervous. I still feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, and that everything I have been doing has been wasting time not being productive. I realize this is probably just my own insecurities speaking, but it’s hard not to feel intimidated.
I’ve started the initial stages of constructing my presentation. I’m using Canva.
Yes, I know, hold your Boo’s. As a Design student, the irony isn’t lost on me that I’m using a service like Canva. Some see it as cheating in a way. Kind of like if a web design student used Wix or Sharespace instead of coding the site themselves and building it from scratch.
I get it. However, I don’t subscribe to that belief. I feel services like Canva have a space and I don’t think it should be taboo for a design student to use it. One of the major benefits of Canva is its speed and convenience. Not having to worry about troubleshooting InDesign right now is making my life a whole lot easier. If using Canva means my life is just a tiny bit less stressful, you can bet I’m going to take advantage of what it has to offer. Heck, I may even learn some proper layout techniques in the process.
Ideally, I’d like to have at least a little bit more of this done for Tuesday when I see Michelle. Having her opinion on this would really make a huge difference. Still a lot more work to do and articles to read.
I’m starting to think my methodologies are going to be Surveys, User Focus Groups and Double Diamond/Design Thinking. We’ll see, still got time to figure all that out.
Naomi went around the class taking a look at everyone’s progress. She gave me some helpful opinions on the progress of my project and helped give me insights onto how I could further develop the research.
Next up, presentations. Let’s hope this goes well.
Conclusion
I feel as if things are taking shape and I’m starting to feel the tiniest bit more confident about this whole thing. But, that may be temporary and I may go back to feeling stressed. This journey is a roller coaster ride. There are ups and there are downs. They come and go, but eventually, the ride comes to an end. We’re not there yet, so riding the highs and lows, I will continue to do.
Until next week!
