Why should you take Seeing Sideways??

When my academic advisor suggested I take Seeing Sideways, my first question was “What the heck is Seeing Sideways??” Although my advisor wasn’t sure how to describe the class, I knew I would learn a lot from another class with Beth Lykins.

Now that I’ve completed the course, I can tell you the class is for anyone that is interested in learning how to (or remembering how to) think outside the box. While the concept may seem slight, that is not at all how I would describe what I’ve gained from the class.

From grade school through college, we are told exactly what the guidelines are for our assignments and exactly how to complete them. Over the years it is easy to forget how to be creative or think outside the box. Seeing Sideways is a great way to, once again, find the creativity within you.

My one piece of advice I have for prospective students is do not take this class because you believe it is a blow off class, you will learn so much more if you take each assignment seriously and strive to become a better. I wish I understood this better at the beginning of the semester because I feel like I did not step outside of the box enough to grow as a designer. I remember one assignment where everyone in the class described an object they saw at the School of Informatics building. Then, each student was to pick one of the other student’s descriptions and bring it to life using our imagination. I struggled with this assignment because I had a difficult time creating something interesting from an ordinary description.

If you are one of the students planning on enrolling in Seeing Sideways, I would really recommend using every assignment as an opportunity to strive to become a better Designer/Artist/New Media Student.

Seeing Sideways gave me such an incredible opportunity to relearn how to think outside of the box and to become more aware of my design process.

Final Project: A Thousand Words

For my research project I chose the topic Typography. According to the dictionary, Typography is the art of arranging type. I read a lot about the history and how it has evolved from punches and dies in ancient times to what it is now in the Digital Age. However, reading about the arrangement of type, typefaces, leading and line length is not nearly as interesting as seeing it. For my project I illustrated the keywords that define typography. Here's a sneak peek :)

Citations:
Kyrnin, Jennifer. "What Is Typography? - Typography Basics." Web Design - HTML XML - Web Development - Web Site Design. About.com Guide. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://webdesign.about.com/od/fonts/qt/typography-basics.htm>.
"typography." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 29 Apr. 2011. <Dictionary.comhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/typography>.
A Thousand Words. Savage Garden. Affirmation, 1997.

Class Reaction: 4/11

This week's class was very touching. My classmates shared their thoughts on why they were here. Many of the projects were interesting, but one especially stood out to me.

The girl that expressed her discouragement and confusion about not knowing why she was here was something I feel many of us could relate to. She said she feels like she lost a lot of inspiration and connection to her creativity. She isn't sure New Media is the best major for her, but she feels it is too late to change since she is paying for school her self. 

Personally, I was at that same stage 2.5 years ago. I was at IU in Bloomington majoring in Management in the school SPEA. I dreaded every class and struggled to become interested in the topics we were discussing. Thankfully, my parents were very understanding when I came to them and expressed my frustration and sadness. I told them this track wasn't for me and I want to explore what else is out there. 

I received a flyer in the mail from IUPUI about an event they were holding to give prospective students an introduction to what they have to offer. This is where I learned about the New Media program in the School of Informatics. I knew this is where I was meant to be. I love being able to express myself and be creative while working with technology. 

I hope the girl in our class understands that she is not alone. Hopefully some personal reflection will help guide her the way it helped me.

Plate of Ideas

When I feel like my ideas are going stale or I can't get my creativity flowing, I like to take a bubble bath. It feels so good to be by myself in a quiet room, and let the inspiration come to me.

For this week's assignment, we were to do something based on our own personal wellspring of creativity. I created a place to document my ideas when I'm sitting in my bubble bath.

I designed a plate that has two layers of chalkboard paint in the center. Previously, when ideas came to me when I was relaxing in the bath tub, I would either have to write on a piece of paper and try not to get it wet or I would have to remember each thought. Now, when I feel inspired by an idea, I can write it down on the chalkboard.

The plate is framed with colorful marbles that are flat on one side. I hot glue-gunned each piece to make it more visually appealing. I also thought the variety of pretty colors might inspire more ideas.

Want to make one?

You will need: Large plate with thick rim, chalkboard spray paint, colorful marbles, and a hot glue gun.

1. Cover the rim of the plate with tape to avoid spraying with the chalkboard paint.
2. Spray paint the center of the plate with chalkboard paint. Let the paint dry. Repeat this step 1-2 more times to create a thicker board.
3. Plug in the hot glue gun.
4. Lay out the marbles in whatever design you like the best.
5. Hot glue each piece and place the marble on the rim of the plate.
6. Continue glueing each marble until the entire rim of the plate is covered.
7. Let dry and you're ready to go!

Favorite Fear Experiment

While many of my classmates projects were interesting, one truly spoke to me. Brian's presentation of his fear of losing everything he knows to be true was so incredibly honest and real I had chills as I listened to him speak.

His presentation was by far one of the most brave displays of truthfulness I have ever witnessed.

This project touched me more than anyone else's, because while I am often shy in class about sharing my projects, I cannot even imagine sharing my most personal thoughts on my personal life to some people that feel like strangers to me. I truly admire his openness, candor, and sincerity.

My project was true in that taking tests is one of my most debilitating fears, but I was not concerned about being judged by the content. Brian was courageous enough to express his deepest fear in such an honest way, despite the possibility of someone judging him. I hope he knows his presentation only reflects admirable attributes I would be blessed to have more of.

Experiment Tested!

Last class I shared my fear of taking tests with my classmates. Before I conducted the experiment I explained to the class the way I feel when I take tests and why it is a fear of mine. This is what I said to the class.

"Since I was an elementary school student I can recall feelings of horrible test anxiety. To this day, the night before a test I am can’t sleep because of all of the concerns about the test consume my thoughts. Then when I sit down to take the test, I can feel the fear overcome me. I feel my heart start to race, my body gets hot, and my mind is so overwhelmed with possible bad outcomes that I find it very difficult to simply focus on a question long enough to finish the sentence. Usually I leave feeling frustrated because I might have done better if I had just relaxed and not let myself feel overwhelmed.

For my Fear Experiment, I will be attempting to get you guys to understand why taking tests is a fear of mine. My hope for the experiment is that you all may be able to immerse yourselves in the experience just for a moment so that it feels real to you. I made up a test of general knowledge questions from the website TEFLGames.com and added some distractions to the page to symbolize my fear and frustration when I take a test. You will have 5 minutes to complete as many questions as you can. To put a little pressure on the outcome of the test, the person that gets the most questions correct will win a $5 gift card to McDonalds."

I was really excited to see the urgency most of the classmates showed when they were answering the questions on my test. I heard several people say "It is so difficult to read through the entire question!" and "This is hard!"  I feel like the urgency and frustration to complete the test in the five minutes I allotted was likely fueled by competitiveness but I think it did a good job giving them an idea of how frantic I feel when I take tests. 

I think next time I would like to try to have a longer test and extend the time to about 15 minutes. I would like to see if the 15 minute time limit and more questions would breed more frustration. The reason I left the experiment to only 5 minutes is because I was concerned it would be too difficult to get people to care long enough for it to still feel relevant and worthy of the time they were putting into it. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the effort my classmates used to try to understand my fear. I felt like the experiment was successful in creating frustration, anxiety, and a sense of urgency. Even if it was just for a gift card to McDonalds...   :)

First Attempt at Fear

This week's class was incredibly interesting!

Walking into class I had no idea what to expect. The tone was soon set when a tarantula in a tupperware was thrown in my direction. While my fear experiment had nothing to do with spiders, they are actually my NUMBER ONE fear!!!! I was crying before I even realized what happened!

Once I was able to calm myself from the flying spider mishap, I knew there was no way it could get worse so I felt ready for anything.

It was interesting to see and try to understand what some of the fears my classmates have. I felt especially moved by Brian's presentation of his greatest fear. It was unbelievably honest and real. That was incredibly brave of him.