Markets, Innovation & Design - Spring 2020

Habits Reflection

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This semester, I had not expected MIDE 300 to be as different and insightful as it was. I was expecting a traditional class where you memorize business concepts and are told to apply them to fake scenarios, but was pleasantly surprised with a class unlike one I have ever taken before. The way we learned different ways to think through cool, hands-on projects was something I found really enjoyable. I am disappointed we did not get to experience the entirety of the class as it was meant to be, including the website design portion, but I still feel as though the core habits we were taught will stick with me in the future.

I feel like one of the most notable things I learned in this class is that I am not good at embracing ambiguity. This became readily apparent when we would have assignments, such as the room creation assignment, where the guidelines and rules of the assignment where open to interpretation and vague. I realized that I struggled to decide how to approach the assignment because of the lack of rules. One of the things that I found helped this was the constraint maps we made. These helped narrow down the parameters of the projects and made it easier to start them, hurrying up the process.

One thing I noticed that I excelled at was creative confidence. I don’t often plan out what I am going to do, just jump in and wing it. This allows me to commit to an idea quickly and see the idea through until completion, because I didn’t spend a lot of time questioning my plan. I found this to be both a good and bad thing. It meant that I had more faith in my end products because I didn’t question them and compare them to alternatives, but it also meant that I may have missed a better idea by not considering many different ideas.

After going through this course, the one thing I want to work on most is the child’s eye perspective. I noticed I am not as observant as I want to be and I think practicing a child’s eye perspective could help with that. Overall, I think the habits I learned in this course and going to help me in my future to complete assignments as both an artist and student. Hopefully I can learn some more good habits and drop the bad habits I have as this quarantine continues.

Project Update

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After using my prototype for a couple weeks, I found a few ways to update it and make it better. One of the things I mentioned in our previous zoom meeting was that I wanted to get an easel to make painting easier. I ended up ordering one and when it came I integrated it into my workspace set-up and tried it out. I tried it out by working on a project for my current painting class and found this it significantly improved the way I worked. Also, now that I have a real easel to work with, I don’t have to be as careful or worry about ruining the table I was working on by staining it with paint. Since I am in a painting class currently, and lost access to the schools art studio, my prototype was a necessary thing for me to make and it has definently helped me complete my schoolwork faster and create higher quality assaignments. My prototype has helped me stay productive durig quarantine, and I believe this has improved my mood and provided me with a creative outlet to entertain myself with while stuck at home.

Test and Iterate

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Over the past week, I have tried to utilize my design for a makeshift art studio as much as possible. Though I knew that my setup would never be as good as the university’s art studios, my setup allowed me to be able to finish my assignment for my painting class, and then complete two more small, paintings. There were some minor tweaks that had to be made to the design. I had to change out the wax paper that was substituting for my pallet a few times ore than expected due to it causing the paint to dry faster, and the stool I was using proved to be too tall for the smaller paintings I was doing, but overall, it worked surprisingly well. Though I was struggling with a way to find inspiration and motivation to actually paint, I found that going outside for walks helped me get inspired. For motivation, I created an Instagram in order to have a place to display my art and I found that once I made this, I wanted to keep posting which motivated me to paint more.

I think the next step in creating this space is to get an actual easel to work with. This would not only make the space more functional and easier to use, but also add to the wow factor by making it a more professional setup. In order to take this project to the next step I have been looking at different types of easel I could get and am probably going to get a standing easel so that I don’t have to continue using a tabletop.

Creating this painting setup changed my quarantine experience by providing me with a way to continue engaging with an activity I love. Creating it also provided me with a challenge that I could focus on to take my mind off what is currently happening with the world. By finding a way to continue creating art, something I love doing, during this stressful time, I feel that I was also creating a way to cope with the times. Painting is a creative outlet for me and, since this quarantine is leaving me with a lot of free time, using this time to create has helped time pass and gotten rid of the boredom I have been feeling.

The overall experience of creating this was very interesting. The entire time I did not really realize that a plan was forming in my mind. Back when I was making a constraint map, I never would have imagined that it would end with me creating a mini paint studio. By using the design process, I feel like I didn’t even realize I was designing something until I was almost done. I hope I can use this process to find other ways to make my quarantine experience more fun and productive.

Prototype

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For my prototype, I decided to try and set up a makeshift art studio so that I can continue to paint even in quarantine. Since I am in a painting class this semester, I had I piece I had to finish and I had started it using oil paint so I had to work that into my studio setup. Due to the nature of oil paint I needed an area that had a close window and good ventilation. Luckily I was able to clear out an area of my room near my window to set up. In order to protect the table I was using I made sure to wrap it with a plastic bag, and I took one of our stools that was about the same height as the table to use. I set up my painting using a makeshift easel I made out of a metal photo holder and a piece of poster board. To test out my prototype, I worked on the painting for about and hour and I realized I needed a more stable light source so I took my dorm lamp and put it on the window sill, so that it could be angled towards the painting. I also set up a side table to hold my pallet and water cups. In the end, my prototype worked pretty well for being cobbled together and I hope that it allows me to work on painting more during this quarantine.

3 Concepts

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Staying connected with friends is really important to me during this quarantine, which is why it was the first concept I want to sketch. Socializing fulfills the need for love on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for me, so I wanted to ensure that I had many ways to stay connected. I started my sketch by making a list of ways that I could stay connected, then drew some of the apps, like Instagram and Snapchat, that I could use to keep in touch with people. I then drew my phone because it is a reliable way to talk to my friends and family, which makes it vital to this concept. Zoom especially is a new, innovative way to stay in touch that I had not had experience with before this situation, so I was sue to include it in the sketch.

The second concept that I wanted to try and design a plan for was walking my dog everyday. I knew what I needed so I started with a list of those items at the bottom of the page, as a set of parameters to work with. Then I wanted to focus on the proficiency layer of the pyramid of needs, to try and create a route for me and my dog to walk that had been better than past routes we had done. I decided to make it 1.5 miles, as I didn’t want to go to far since my dog is lazy. I went on google maps and sketched out a triangle of roads that start and end at my house and are vaguely around 1.5 mile long. I finished the sketch by drawing me and my dog walking in order to visualize the concept. This concept is important to me because it fulfills the need for physical activity that I am struggling to get while quarantined in my house and it lets me spend time with my dog, which is one of my favorite things to do.

When I was trying to come up with a place I could paint within the coming weeks, I tried to focus on functionality, which is obviously the most basic thing needed when designing. I was trying to recreate the painting tableau I had had at school in the art barn, but I was lacking some resources, like a large easel or a wall I could nail a still life to. This meant that the set up would not be better than the one I had at school, but I tried to come up with creative and innovative ways to make it. I plan on covering the base table in plastic garbage bags, which would make it resistant to oil paint and to cover the side table I have with wax paper, which would create a makeshift paint easel that emulates the glass one I had at school. I made a list of things needed on the side of the drawing, which included things like good ventilation, due to the oil paint, and a nearby window for natural light. I am trying to fulfill Maslow’s need for self-actualization in the coming weeks by doing art so it is important that my painting set up is made carefully and thoughtfully, or else it will be hard to work with it.

Brainstorm

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While I feel like a lot of my brainstorm was obvious stuff, I think I came up with some good stuff. I thought it would be hard to come up with 50 ideas, but once I started, the ideas just started flowing out. I tried to single out ideas that would allow me to be more creative and get outside in safe ways. I also wanted to focus on staying connected to others and live a healthier lifestyle. I really want to do the ideas I came up with surrounded my art, like sketching everyday and painting once a week at least. I think this exercise also helped me realize that I want to work out more, which is something I can do with all this free time.

Concept Board

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While thinking of what to include on my concept board, I tried to focus on what I had been procrastinating on doing these past weeks. I feel like this time in quarantine can provide an opportunity for me to take time to de-stress and get rejuvenated. I want to focus on getting enough sleep every night, something I do not do when I’m at school, so that I can feel well rested and raise my motivation level. Since I have free time now, I also want to focus more on my own hobbies and do more home workouts to maybe improve on myself.

Something I really want to use this time to work on is my art. At school, the only art I work on is the pieces for whatever studio class I am in. Now, because of the time off, I have a chance to explore whatever type of art I want to and get creative with it. I feel like, due to social distancing, I have fallen into a schedule of only doing whatever school work I have and then wasting the rest of my time on my phone and I want to stop doing that and use my time better.

Constraint Map

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I found this activity helped me organize my thoughts about the Coronavirus, and also helped me realize what I did not know about the current situation. I have been trying to limit my contact with the news due to the fact that I find it overly depressing and not helpful, but, by doing this, I had been becoming uninformed. I tried to break my constraint map into the 5 main categories of how things are being affected, but I did find it hard when trying to prioritize what the most important things were since almost everything has been affected by COVID-19 at this point. Obviously, the sections that were more personal to me, such as Education and Social Interaction, were automatically prioritizing themselves in my mind, but I also wanted to include more big picture things, like how the Government was handling the situation, since this affects everyone. I felt it was very necessary to include Mental Health because, with everyone currently so invested in their physical health, they might not focus on their mentality which could be detrimental in a time like this. I highlighted “Lack of Social Interaction” on the map because I think this situation may help people realize how important social interaction is to their mental well-being, and, in doing so, bring more awareness to mental health as a whole.

Some other areas I highlighted include “Many kids rely on school lunch for food”, and “Food/ Retail workers are at risk”. Though it is a terrible situation, hopefully this quarantine brings attention to how heavily low-income families rely on school to feed their children, and forces more support systems into place for these families. Also, this situation has proven just who some of the most important workers are in a crisis, which are food and retail workers. These workers have had to stay at work due to people needing food and are often the most forgotten about workers or the most looked-down upon in society. This situation is proving that these workers, outside of heath services workers, are the most integral to our society and hopefully will earn these jobs the respect they deserve.

I feel like a lot of the information I have heard about Corona has been through social media, which has been both a good thing and a bad thing. Many people are staying connected through social media, helping them handle social distancing better. Others are using social media to post about how they are handling the current situation, giving people advice about how they can improve their living styles. These are all good things, but there have also been people making to situation seem much less serious that it is on social media and others who are spreading panic by way of false information and misleading statistics which could lead to people making drastic and poor decisions. This situation has really just brought to light the good and bad aspects of social media and it has definitely taught me that I need to limit me social media time or else it affects my emotions and mentality.

I am hoping that by mapping out my constraints and using the realizations that came out of this activity, I can stay positive and find ways to cope with the current situation. It will obviously be a hard time for everyone, but I think this activity helped me understand what I can and can’t control and hopefully that will help me make my living situation better while also allowing me to stay safe.

Inspiration Week 4

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This week I really struggled with what I should do for inspiration. I felt as though I had already done all the things that come easily to me, so I decided to read some other peoples’ old inspiration posts for ideas. I noticed that many people use exercise as a form of inspiration, so I decided to try that. I went to the gym and decided to ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes while listening to music, and then do some abdominal work outs. This was my high school workout when I was injured so I knew I could do it easily.

While I know a lot of people feel inspired while working out, I just did not. I think I was so focused on the workout itself that I didn’t have time to think of anything else. I felt bad about this because this was the first week that my inspiration practice hadn’t really helped me become inspired at all. I hope that the next time I do my inspiration practice, I choose something that actually helps me become inspired.

Inspiration Week 3

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This week I struggled to come up with something to do to get inspired. I had already done all the easy ideas that had come to my mind, but, I realized that I had to read a novel for one of my other classes, so I thought maybe that would help. The novel was Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. When I was about to start reading it, I realized how nice it was outside and decided to try and read it in one of the chairs in the quad. When reading the novel, since it was a fictional story, I felt like I was able to escape into the world of the book for a little while. I think this helped clear my mind a bit, because afterwards, when I was trying to think of what I should create out of stuff in my room, I found my mind flooded with ideas. The final idea I settled on, creating a big, origami flower, was definitely inspired by the book I read, since the first line of the book is “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”

I feel like I used to read a lot of fiction books in order to escape for a little bit, but lately have found that I never have time to read novels that aren’t required for classes. I hope, in the future, that I am able to set aside some time for this practice again, and start reading more for leisure rather than school. I think this would help me become more inspired, more often.

Inspiration Week 2

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This week, for inspiration, I went to Hufnagle park in downtown Lewisburg to try and escape the stress of classes and clear my mind. I sat in a gazebo and turned off my phone to completely disconnect from technology for about an hour. During this time, I tried to just focus on being in the moment and hear the birds chirping and watching squirrels act wild. During this time, I felt inspired to grab my sketchbook out of my bag and try and draw some of the things I was observing. None of the sketches were that good, but I felt like the action of just completely focusing on what I was seeing helped me take my mind off of the assignments I have due and upcoming exams and presentations that I was stressing about.

I feel like this was a very good way for me, personally, to try and get inspired. When I am trying to draw something from observation, I completely focus on trying to capture the picture, so I do not focus on anything else. This really helped me clear my mind and hopefully open up some room for more ideas and inspirations to come to me.

Inspiration-Week 1

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I often find that when I lack inspiration, exposing myself to new media and scenery can really help. This past weekend, I took a trip up to Penn State University to get a change of location to maybe jump-start my mind and inspire me. On the drive up, I went into my music app and chose an album that a friend of mine had once recommended to me but I had never listened to. By driving along a route that I had not been on before and listening to music that was new to me, I was hoping to introduce some new ideas into my mind and hopefully inspire myself. After both the drive up and back, listening to new albums on both trips, I decided to open up an old, unfinished Illustrator file on my laptop that I had lost interest in a while ago. Feeling stupid, I realized that if I had just used some techniques that I had not been as skilled at before when I had initially started the project, that I would have been able to finish the piece faster and more simply.

I often find, when I am in an art block or unable to do work, that if I move my location and listen to some music, the work becomes much easier to do. I think it can be attributed to the stimulation this introducing to my mind, but cannot be sure. I want to try and use some other methods of inspiring myself though, such as exercise or listening to podcasts instead of music, and see how the effects of these on me differ from my traditional ways of inspiring myself.

Communication and Teamwork

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This semester, I want to try and communicate better with classmates and receive different perspectives on my work so that I can improve the overall quality of my work. In the past, I have had problems with distributing the workload during group projects and seeking peer review on individual projects. I feel that this lack of differing perspectives on my work has lead to it being less open minded and poorer quality. I hope this semester I can participate in better teamwork strategies and receive peer feedback so that my work quality improves and I learn different ways of thinking about assignments.

MIDE 300 HUMANS

Abby Harris (21), Abby Hislop (21), Alana Bortman (21), Alexander Smith (20), Allie Kotowitz (21), Amisha Chhetri (22), Caitlin Tucker (21), Carly Binday (22), Claudia Glasgow (21), Collin Smith (28), Elana Smith (21), Emily Chopoorian (22), Emily Goldman (23), Erin Mooney (21), Faith Reilly (22), Hannah Moriarty (22), Jabril Mohamed (19), Jane Meng (22), Liam Moriarty (22), Lindsey Knutzen (20), Liza Heyl (21), Lucia Singer (20), Madz Cabico (4), Matt Cervon (19), Meg Coyle (18), Natalie Notz (21), Natalie Ring (23), Nikki Bott (23), Olivia DeNicola (21), Prof. Allen (1), Renne Venico (19), Rowan Beiter (23), Tarrin Earle (20), Zack Yoelson-Angeline (14)