Then one day...

Escape

2010-04-07T15:11:00.002+10:00

Man I am so stuck at the moment, all my optimism has died and I am seriously considering leaving the design world which I have yet entered behind. I feel the desire to burn all my money on a long and big trip overseas to Africa or Asia and soon. So many fights about jobs and money its really depressing. Met up with a few others who have finished ID and are in a similar position one is planning on leaving their soul crushing job that is only needed for the money and the other is lucky to have a good family that can help out, and have a few networks.

I am thinking of leaving design and doing a trade, can't stand office work and I like the outdoors. Not sure still thinking this all over... So bored getting desperate and have no faith in design. I am not the type of person who can constantly just search for work.

Would be awesome just blowing all my savings and quitting my job to travel, even do some volunteer work, meet new people live life feel like I have something worth getting out of bed for, leaving all the fights behind. Though will run out of money and therefore will return to the same predicament. I would just move out of home though urn to little in my current job, I keep on looking at other jobs and remember why I went to uni in the first place.

Occasionally when I am at a lowest point I consider the mail order bride... At least I would get to go to another country... generally they support you too. Ahh the responsibility to clothe and feed oneself and generally be happy. I would take any job at this point to open up my options interstate even.

Yes I am having one of those bleak fun days... Though I am going to look at some sort of overseas trip something to look forward to if even only for a month away... Looking into other careers to, not cut out for design world as I need to live to create at the same time.

More Critical Thinking in Design

2009-09-06T18:40:00.000+10:00

More Critical Thinking in Design

Like it or not, critical thinking is extremely important; it helps us learn and grow, encourages us to look in the mirror and when necessary, go on a diet. Critical thinking is the catalyst for change.

To underscore my point, that critical thinking is utterly lacking, let me provide an example. We are just emerging from a period in which the prevailing sentiment in design was 'innovation', an era characterized by big fish, big dollars and the growth of design.

Understandably that article focused on the macro reasons behind innovation's shortcomings; and so, after seven or so years of the innovation era in design we remain, to the best of my knowledge, without a benchmark, to truly measure innovation's value to business, culture or society. Design grew, but did it better the world, or just line its pockets? If innovation was all around, why didn't it move the needle? Was a product produced in 2007 so different from a product produced in 2000?

Where to now?

2009-09-03T00:34:00.002+10:00

Well it seems I can finally count down the weeks left to graduate, and only have to days left to apply so I'll be out of here soon enough...

It will all be said and done by November only two months away and that's it I'll be off into the real world as a Professional designer. I don't now what next will bring me yet, though I plan to return back to studies, within design of course if I am not heading down a track I like as I can see myself easily getting lost and leaving design behind unintentionally of course. As of next year I am not invited to stay at my parents house, once moved out I can never return so I'll be paying rent and supporting myself.

I could never afford this while at uni as working part time would only cover my monthly rent and bills and there would not be anything to spend on uni and if there was a rainy day no saving to go into. Also I have to buy a whole lot of silly things when I do move out, I am thinking of a share house in order to stay on track and not end up getting to lonely.

I am not sure about work yet, as I would love to be in design even if only part time but I know that I can't be fussy and should take anything that comes up. I have already updated my resume to apply for retail jobs at Christmas time as a plan C thing as really once I am on my own I will have to pay my way. I know that often people stay with their parents to save to go overseas for a short period of time but I know that any saving I will be doing will be on top of rent, as traveling is something I aim to do I will just have to work hard and be wise.

It is a little scary to think that it now, I'll be paying my way no more safety net and if I don't come through with the money I'll end up homeless, but also an exciting point where you feel in control and oddly normal.

Hopefully next year will have good thing for me and I can get to where I want to be if not I have a few other plans laid out. Its all happening now, I just need my final project and drinking fountain design to end out working well and I'll be set.

I am back :)

2009-08-25T14:54:00.003+10:00

Well its being awhile, but as I now have another blog for uni work there hasn't been all that much to put up in here. Though I do have a few links to share that I think are interesting and helpful.

Woman's roles: I suppose as any woman you feel that you should be treated the same and have the same opportunities though its not always the case. Everyone knows woman are just as good as guys. Though sometimes it can make things easier as if I am not a successful designer, then within my family I know it wont be as bad as if I was a guy as its not expected that I need to be successful so there is less pressure.

A plea for more critical design thinking: Could be that the design industry isn't large enough to warrant professional critics, or that the market isn't great enough to consume these critiques, or perhaps that designers are uncomfortable criticizing their colleagues' work? Or maybe it's just that as an industry we are content, or that the intended audience has yet to develop a criterion for evaluation? For whatever reason, my observation still stands: critical thinking in design, whether from historians, educators, authors or journalists, is largely absent.

How to avoid mental masturbation: this link is from another student and I know I fall into this far too often during projects.

1) A designer obsessing over a design concept trying to get it to work and as a result ends up blowing the schedule and budget.

2) Endlessly trying to justify the merits of your design and why it is the best thing to every happen to mankind.

3) Trying to convince even yourself that your design is a good one.

4) Sitting around and discussing the merits of a design, and supporting it by referencing great works of other designers, and/or successful design theories.

5) All the while feeling good and secure and enjoying your new found mental superiority and a sense of achievement.

I think you get the picture? Honestly, this is one of the root causes of very inefficient and ineffective designers.

So how do we get out of this?

1) Write your own design brief.
I have already written about how great a design guide the brief can be for a designer here. Do have a look?

2) Work in a team.
Creative energy and conversation, helps spur a design onwards. Alternative insight helps closes the design options quickly as well.

3) Set tight schedules to avoid Parkinsons Law.
The famous adage that describes how “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. This is very true with designers, especially during the concept phase. We have a bad habit of sketching ideas over and over again. Check out my “10 Tips for Guaranteed Concept Development Success” for more information for efficient sketching tips.

4) Get feedback and listen to advice.
If A does not like B and vice versa, it is subjective on who the the bad one is. However if A does not like B, and C does not like B, and also D does not like B, then we know the problem lies with B. This same goes for a design. Trust me if most people don’t seem to like it, it is probably not very good. What every it is, get it critiqued anyway. At the very least you will get a different perspective on your work. Oh, do listen to the advice, even if you don’t like what you hear.

5) Support your design through research.
There should be a reason why your design looks/works/feels as such. If there is no reason why, then you better figure why. Use everything you lean in consumer behavior research to help you determine the right path for your design.

6) Get real quick to verify your idea.
Designers suffering from “Mental Masturbation” tend to be all talk and no action. Often times the only way to verify a design is to get real quick. Jump into 3D to resolve a quick detail, or even better, get into the workshop and build a model. It does not have to be a good looking one, but at least a sketch model to get your proportions right. Check out >Think>Draw>Make> to see how this can help you along your way.

7) Big picture thinking but details orientated.
Finally, take 2 steps back, and take a look at the bigger picture objectives. This takes us into a loop, and back to point 1. Having a big picture awareness helps you be aware of what your design needs to do and when.

Design objects thesis blog:

Last Saturday I was in the city doing a study group for my Chinese class, as its heaps more advanced than Chinese 1, I have learnt twice as many characters as Chinese 1 and we aren't even halfway through, we have no time to learn these in class so we with some others in class we meet up before all big tests to study.

While catching the train in it takes an extra half an hour as they are upgrading a crossing on my line so there are buses instead. This means that you end up waiting 5 minutes to fill the buses, and 10 minutes from the bus arriving to fill the train and keep on the timetable.

On the way home I had the delight of watching someone cook their dinner in the distance, as the train had stopped in the middle of the tracks, as it often does. Although I couldn't see the activity as it was far away you can see the actions as you know them so well like going to the fridge taking things out going to the sink and washing back to the bench.

Then we all got to watch some girl beating up a guy on the platform, and pulling his hair out, and punching him into the ground then leaving him. So a fun eventful time home.

On the train

2009-04-15T12:57:00.001+10:00

On my way into the city on Friday to meet up for a group assignment for my Chinese elective I had a very interesting trip in. Firstly there was this young looking kid smoking, its one of those moments where you go oh he is smoking as he thinks he is cool, as he is sitting down next me he offers me one which I decline. Then our conversation continues as he tells me about some stupid kid he knows who smashed up the men’s toilets on the platform and that’s why they are out of order with an asbestos sign warning people to keep away.

Across from my train station being end of the line is a factory with fork lifts constantly moving things around what looks to be like lots of cables and stuff. He then continued a story about how his friend and him stole a fork lift each at about 2am, form there took off the tires placed them on the train tracks and drove them into Flinders street taking about 5 hours to get there as them move at such a slow speed. He continued his story about how his friend almost tipped his fork lift over and how they where chased once they arrived at flinders street and that the cleaners where surprised to see them, then how he stole some fuel of the cleaners and then kept his trip going until both him and his friend where chased along the tracks by people in cars trying to stop them, so his friend hope out and slashed their tires with a knife.

Finally the train I have been waiting for has arrived onto the platform, there are less carriages then normal as it’s a public holiday, so it end up just being this boy and his bike and me alone in the carriage. He continues with another question, had I every been in trouble with the law and how he ended up spending two years in juvenile detention and that is where he learnt to roll is cigarettes.

His story was he stole a car along with some of his mates and drove it around for 5 day to NSW and ended up doing a few drive off at petrol stations to keep going. He said that the cops chased him at times and as he was heavily intoxicated so it was hard to get away. Then he said he ditched the car outside a cop station, and discovered that his stolen car had guns in the boot so he took a hand gun. While he was randomly shooting things he shot a man in his leg.

He said he was arrested along with his friend when he pulled the gun on an out on an police man who was not in uniform, and was told to put his weapon down, he proceeded to say that no he wont as he knows he will win as all the police had was a mace.

The he said that when he was in juvei his tobacco and papers arrived to him in clear glad bags as they where all searched to make sure they didn’t contain other drugs. I asked him where he went to school now and he said in Croyden. He then said some racist comments about an African immigrant/refugee that hoped on the train and stopped the conversation as more people hoped on the carriage. So it was an interesting conversation to have on the train, I don’t think I believe much of it as it sounds like he was saying stuff to sound impressive. Then again last month there was a creepy guy who claimed he murdered his wife with a meet cleaver.

Work in Progress

2008-04-15T23:17:00.002+10:00

More to come as the brief isn't still quite clear about my direction, I have some mind maps that has sorted this out though. Forth year is turning out to be a nightmare lots of work to be done thats for sure, but I guess when you invest so much of your time, energy and thinking into one project whats not to be scared of as all in all a final year project shouldn't just reflect ones own ability but also ones on mind and thinking. I guess with my project I know have a strong risk factor in it but thats what I think I enjoy not knowing where I'll end up, knowing its going to be a long journey and knowing that at the end of the day it could all be worth nothing, but it could also be worth something to someone.

Communication of sustainability

2008-04-15T23:14:00.004+10:00

Introduction:

Design to me has never solely been about just an object, as with everything we create people and communities are at the heart of the project. Creating more meaningful objects or experiences is necessary, we should interact and grow with our surroundings and create more of a sensorial experience. Social issues have and will always create barriers to overcome and work through. A particular interest of mine is environmental and social sustainability and the issues surrounding it. People always have a different approach to it but many still see it as an extra cost on top of what we should be doing instead of something which should automatically be considered.

Project Background:

Definition of Sustainability: (adjective) 1.able to be maintained. 2. Maintaining ecological balance, exploiting natural resources without destroying the ecological balance of an area. My Definition: Sustainability to me is about lifestyle and attitudes. Being aware of consumption and aiming to consume less it’s not about remaining stationary and sustaining what we already have but a reduction on our resource consumption and reducing our ecological footprint.

Communication is a vital day to day occurrence, using a vast skill set including listening, intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, speaking, questioning, analysing and evaluating. But what exactly is communication? “Communication is defined as a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding.”

Environmental Sustainability has become too much of a medium to open up the doors and cloud peoples judgement by playing on peoples fears and anxieties. People don’t know how to the issue of sustainability as governments and other organisations take the opportunity to redefine its meaning each time. Confusion and ambiguity surround this topic and every one fears they are being told lies.

As greenwashing entered the product market place everything and anything could now be called a green product including paper towels (recycled paper) this has lead to consumers then either turning a blind eye to the issue or wanting true environmentally friendly products. To label a product green has little reference to sustainability after the market place turned it into a gimmick, these products are labelled as eco design, environmental design or even the new phrase of blue design.

Sustainable products shouldn’t just be about using recyclable materials but assisting in a lifestyle choice where the aim is to reduce all resources consumed, and preserving land for natural ecosystems. With our global population continually on the rise and a reserved amount of resources available we have to be globally aware of what is consumed. In Australia we are facing an affordable housing crisis, expanding out suburbia only puts further strains on systems in place.

As with the water issue affecting Melbourne and having reached peak oil our current lifestyles have to dramatically change to accommodate new lifestyles. As more lighting, and electrical appliances are consumed worldwide the energy consumption increases. This then impacts on the land we are all continually fighting for as more power stations are built.

Other issues arising from products are the landfill problem due to consumerism. This is all to do with material choice, consumer’s reaction at end of life of a product, and societies following fashion trends, with the continual remake, redesign of products. Should materials chosen for new products be eco friendly, recyclable, recycled, used or waste materials in response to this issue?

With the continual discussion on Environmental issues, higher levels of anxiety form. As humans we find it hard to quickly adapt to rapid change unless there is no other choice, we like to keep things the same surround ourselves with the familiar and work with things already known.

Approach:

Research into Sustainability and Design find examples of reactions to the issues. Example artworks created around green washing. The Bruce High Quality Foundation's installation Beyond Pastoral (Shroud of Turin) a scale model of the BP petrol station located opposite the gallery, underneath which thousands of lemons and limes were arranged in the form of the BP logo.

Looking like dejavu

2008-04-08T09:26:00.004+10:00

I don't know what to do for design studio anymore, I have developed such a small skill set where nothing ever quite looks like professional design when I finish looks more like some 2nd years work. I can't seem to focus and find an idea that I truly like so I am going around in circles of what I do and don't like. Its all like the EV scooter again and I hate it not sure if I should just skip studio as I have nothing to show as I have been sick, and also my lack of direction has meat nothing has yet been finished just a lot of half starts. I don't feel like a designer at all anymore, I did in China i truly felt like I had something to offer now I don't. Its all just a load of crap in my head crap already been thought of and done. I am coming up with crap that I hate and have no where else to go.

More thinking

2008-04-07T16:31:00.000+10:00

It weird thinking about how the China experience for me is slowly delivering what I wanted, I am finding it easier to let the control go of where I want to end up exactly. Most people around take the sensible and logical approach for a final year project to hone in on technical and tangible skills, and end up with a manufactured piece to show to consultancies to showcase they can take a concept from start to the end. Sometimes it seems such a logical and rational approach that is something that I too should desire and pursuer that too.

Though I know feel it in my heart I want to do something different, I need to chase after something else. I think that visualizing for me the amount of furniture and objects that are already out there the likelihood of it being unique and totally different id minimal, ideas overlap and things branch into almost being identical. I know that with a year to work on the project it will be special anyway, but it won’t hold the risks or the challenges that for my last year at uni I want to tackle.

I reailse now that my strengths lie elsewhere as the time it takes me to do things like CAD and maybe even research takes way too long, which is something I want to start to focus on, effective presentation and shorter simpler ways to express myself. I have decided to try and create my own path and way through design. I may not end up where I want to be but if I follow my own interests that keep me inspired, otherwise its going to be along year and I am just going to end up with something else I don’t like.

So I’ll type up a new brief for me with something that I have always loved and loved to do even before starting uni, its different than ever one else project and it also involves the risk of simply being unachievable, or too much work and effort for the wider community to take on to. I have decided to take this gamble now.

Finding inspiration

2008-04-06T22:09:00.002+10:00

I am very lost at the moment; I am finding my heart is not in studio any more I am not sure if I can complete the brief I have constructed for myself. I am finding inspiration comes from different places. Malte’s studio had two guest lectures who each contrasted nicely with one being more technical and the other being more creative and artistic but both researching in an amazing way. I can’t seem to bring myself to focus, I am thinking of restructuring my brief to something completely different to what I have done before and what I already know. I am not sure if it’s the right thing to do to gamble on this year, as every one says its this final year that will bring us to our first real design jobs.

I could end up this year with little to show that works, I will have to really on my gut instinct to make choices. I always seem to love and be inspired by things that are to idealistic but I think while I am still young now is my chance to dream.

I’ll post up my old brief later and sleep on the idea of reinventing my final year project. I have talked to Katie who I was surprised to see back at RMIT but now working there, she said that’s the only thing keeping her going to the end was there was still interest in her project until the end, and if its not there for me now it just get harder. That was Wednesday, it’s just eating me up I wish I could be like everyone else in my studio and sit down and say you know what I am designing an awesome chair, work station based around figures, graffiti. I feel as though I am over studio already, I guess I really need to sit down and see what I really am inspired by, as I am almost out of ideas it’s a lot harder than I thought.

Last of photos

2008-02-21T18:26:00.004+11:00

The chair

2008-02-21T17:59:00.004+11:00

Drinking Fountain for Foshan

2008-02-19T12:15:00.002+11:00

The start of something new

2008-02-19T12:01:00.002+11:00

Well I still haven't decided on what to study for studio next year though have written up two very bad proposal ideas. Not the ideas really just the writing bit. I am annoyed at RMIT as I have no idea what is going on... I like letters thanks a hard copy, I have no confirmation of enrollment details and I get an email saying I need to enroll into an elective I though I already did so now I have know idea what I am enrolled in at all.

Well I guess I'll find out soon. Feels weird to be going back as I still feel a little aimless to be starting final year, but hopefully unlike semester one last year I can stop procrastinating and just create some work that is relevant. I figured out that most that folio stuff is quite useless in a studio like ev, where the outcome is CAD as the people using it often become irrelevant and just are turned into figures. Though there was a lot of talk about the culture surrounding them marks really came from technical specifications and the overall design fitting into a theme of scooters like city, sporty etc. Which as the project was short made more sense, I guess I just chose the wrong path to travel down.

Officially the worst semester so far... Really Frustrated

2007-07-16T12:19:00.000+10:00

Well as we all got our results last week my frustration and annoyance at myself has grown so much. I have got my lowest mark since starting this course which is annoying as it was something I chose to do and ended up hating so much. You may have seen the outcome in the display cabinet a Shit ‘Green Bag Apron’ It was the hugest wast of time in my life as I ended up doing the project four shitty times. I look back now and should have just failed it as that’s to what I learnt anyway I hate businesses and probably should have know I wouldn’t be able to an elective in it anyway. It was a waste of time that could have been better spent on studio.
I seriously learnt that I am crap at
• Designing a postcard with interesting imagery
• Marketing
• Printing
• Products out of recycled items
• And most importantly Business plans

I have never hated, despised and resented anything in the course as much as that and I chose to do that nightmare! (I thought CAiD was bad) Huge waste of time, I don’t think I would be this angry if I at least had an outcome that I could show off, and that studio ended up bad too as I ran out of time there was so much I had forgotten on the scooter too. I still have to get my results for my other elective and studio with Simon.

I think my semesters just get so much worse as I go along at RMIT I dread starting my final year there as I can’t see me getting a good outcome. I always seem to pick things that I have no idea about and it all goes terribly wrong. I don’t seriously think I am intelligent enough or have any good ideas to become a good designer. Maybe I should take a year off next year so glad I have China this semester I am beginning to really despise what I do.

EV studio self reflection and SWOT

2007-07-16T12:06:00.000+10:00

Self Reflection- Just thought I'd put this up here so I have something to look back onto later.

I can’t quite remember what I put down on what I wanted to learn at the start of the semester but I know it had sketching, and CAiD on it as these are areas that I lacked skills in or felt I needed guidance. Having never quite done a product based studio I though it was a good time to see what is involved and challenge myself to come out with a new or improved skill set. I never picked this studio thinking it would be easy for me, and new that I would have to change and improve the way I do things like drawing in perspective.

Teaming up with Raph we seemed to have taken a different approach to develop our scooter brief and have gone down a different path to others within the studio. Though is neither a good or bad thing as it was where our own interests guided us at the start though we all come out with a scooter at the end Raph and I have a lot more research and fell we have gone into more depth than other students. We both felt that research is important to get a good grounding and the scooter culture is strongly intertwined with its history. Raph and I never wanted to loose sight of the user (a Melbourne person who likes scooters) so it was important to cover who is this Melbourne person and what is this scooter person. It is not just a vehicle to get from A to B but a lifestyle and culture with meetings, forums and events. With this in mind we wanted to build onto what is there and not erase or start new but build on what is given.

SWOT

Strengths: My ability to do research by myself is something that I have been working on since the start of second year and I find it important to read as many things relate and are based upon sound research. I try not to think of something as an object that’s sits by itself in isolation as it is based in peoples lives and they way they use it.

I developed an excellent way to present my research in a visual way so information can be quickly gathered in a visual way with the scooter timeline. This allows me to show how much research I did and that it isn’t just forgotten about.

My understanding of solidworks increased which means I can use it as a more effective tool and my designs are not limited to what I can do in solidworks. This has always been something which I struggled with and one of the main reasons I chose to do the studio in the first place.

Weaknesses: The timeline Raph and I created left us with a demanding two weeks once Simon had left to go overseas, this meant meeting up in the city everyday and also left to some disappointment as if we had more time we could have worked and experiment on the renderings like every one else. As I was sick in the semester and couldn’t work for about two weeks I had never worked to a shortened timeline before. This means I Raph and I should have gotten together a few weeks earlier to focus on the scooter and get it into CAD a lot earlier.

My level of presentation was quite low as I never had the confidence to present my work, which meant I never put a lot of time into any of the presentations at the start. Though this improved greatly with Raph’s and Simon’s help letting us think what we would like to see. I am looking forward to the final presentation in front of the panel to talk about our process in a confident way as often the work is there but I just don’t know how to present it.

I have failed in past studios which lead to a great embracement where so many flaws and lack of research begin to show that my design quickly became discredited and left me looking like I had a weak final outcome. Though I realize that a lot more was there within my design I had lost so much faith within my own work it I couldn’t communicate any of the benefits in a strong way.

My level of faith and confidence in my own work has also brought me down a lot this semester where I am left procrastinating about my lack of skills and frustrated at my lack of ability to do things. This has left me discrediting my work so much Raph and I ended up chasing circles as to what our final design would be as we could only find negatives to work with instead of seeing positives that we can work with develop and change. We both had a strong idea of what it wasn’t and that it had to be able to use by both males and females.

My limited Material knowledge along with my drawing skills made it a lot more challenging to develop a scooter that can easily be manufactured, or thought how to break the scooter down into more parts. It meant it was a lot harder to visualise this as a product, where we where creating a surface and frame to hold the components in. Understanding the limitation of the EV scooter and that materials needed to be lighter or more power was needed so the vehicle could move was challenging as this is my first project working on a vehicle.

Opportunities: My skill level of drawing has always been something I have struggled with and have chosen to always draw in a safe way which I understood and new. This semester I tried to break this down and thought it wasn’t easy I did see an improvement in the way I drew things in 3D and the way this communicated my ideas across.

As this was just a starting point to redraw and rethink the way I communicate it may not be the best sketches in perspective but braking away from what I know is hard and I know if I continue to draw this way my skill level will improve and I shouldn’t be afraid of just drawing even if its bad as the more I do the more I will learn. This is the same with Solidworks, I feel I am now at a level where I can use it more by myself so can learn by using it where as before I always felt my skill level compromised my designs to such a level I would loose focus.

Presenting to a panel who know nothing of the journey or process that we have gone on and showing only the final outcomes is going to be a challenge, as Raph and I went down a different path to every one else with the in-depth look into the people of Melbourne the users of the scooter and not just the look of a cool scooter. If we don’t let this show across in a positive way this could be a disadvantage to us. Though I think this is an important skill for presenting anything later on and has been a weakness in past studios.

My skill level for a third year is still very limited though this studio has shown me areas that I can focus on a bit more and ways to improve my skills by visualising things in correct perspective, allowing my mind to see the level of detail things need to be.
Understanding how to simplify down large objects and requirements of what a scooter is made it easier to design around what is needed. Knowing what the scooter needs to run and that these are OEM parts and finding them on the internet along new areas of technology and research made it easier to visualise people using our scooters in a few years time.

Knowing the people who use scooters and why they use them along with the current conditions of drivers meant Raph and I where always thinking of a network of things so our scooter wasn’t just turned into a styling project. Identifying some of the problems faced and the limitations and attitudes of the users showed us there where opportunities to make the scooter safer by following the use of similar slow vehicles like the bike and that the scooter could also use this infrastructure as long as doesn’t compromise users already there.

Threats: One of my biggest threats is my ability to understand that I am learning and even if everything turns out to be a disaster as long as I can see where I went wrong and try to prevent these or minimize these mistakes in the future I have achieved something.
Realising that I am often my greatest critic and that I sometimes lack confidence within myself of what I can achieve and I often felt I was holding Raph back. It made me understand that if I find to many flaws within my own design I am shutting out a lot of ideas and also the time to sit back and simply just realise I am learning and that is what I am here to do. It also sets me into a negative mindset and I over look simple solutions or see that I am improving.

I realise that if I don’t try to find positives and faith within my own work I struggle more to find a reason as to why I am doing this and I also get more frustrated with my work and inturn with myself. This frustration limits my freedom limiting my ideas and creative freedom. I then feel annoyed that I can’t come up with ideas and get frustrated at my skill level and feeling that I will take a long time to achieve anything and that a semester is to short a time for me to develop anything worthwhile for myself.

As a designer when you have to convince others that something can work and that a simple idea can be great, you often need to talk up the idea or prove that you can come up with effective solutions to problems you may face. Otherwise a lot of the control of the design is then given away to others who will manipulate the work in their own way. Finding or discovering that there is something unique and valuable in my ideas is something which is hard for me and if I don’t learn to do this I will always end up designing for someone else and never myself.

fun days

2007-07-11T17:03:00.000+10:00

After a long procrastination it was time to finally to get my shots for China a total of three of them. A process for me which has always been very embarrassing and this time was no different. I have a bit of a needle phobia which always leads to so much anxiety. I had to really focus on sitting there in the room to get them done, at the doctor was preparing my Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid shots I was holding the needle in my hands thinking ahh this is about to go into my arm. After such a big build up of anxiety I went into a weird kind of shock turning very white and all the blood in my body felt it was pounding so I had to lie down on the paper placed over the lying down chair. The doctor grabbed my ankles and held my legs up until I was less pale. It was quite embarrassing. Though as I am quite small and got so many immunisations at once left me feeling pretty sick today and have a bit of a headache and sore liver. Ahh well at least its worth it as its so much easier than getting it.

The storm

2007-06-29T17:44:00.000+10:00

On Wednesday the wind and endless rain managed to knock down two trees and 5 giant branches across the road and powerlines. Our road is two lanes in either direction. It also meant that our new fixed powerline to our house was also taken down by another tree leaving us with no power to our house again. I had spent all afternoon making dinner too so we couldn't eat it as we have an electric oven. There are still massive branches next to the footpaths where they where cut up and dragged off the roads. From our kitchen window we can also see a nice hole in the tiles on the neighbors roof.

Its all happening

2007-06-29T17:20:00.000+10:00

Well I am very happy as to where I ended up booking my flights, as I keep on getting rung by the man who I spent hours talking to and arranging things with Craig. So going form no help non serous people to lots of help, searching for my answers and listening to what I want is really good.

Today I got a call saying my tickets are in yay! Been knew to this organising thing I have lots of questions and have been trying to find a cheap way to do things. It was all overwhelming at first as I have never spent this much of my money in one go. (Thanks to the government paying my fees for me with HECS) So handing over so much money and seeing my bank account so full is a whole new experience that I didn't want to stuff up too much and making myself totally broke while in China.

The Chinese lessons are a lot harder than I thought and so far the lessons have left my mind I know I am pronouncing most things wrong and am hopping a few more lessons and some practicing will help me remember, though in our class we covered names and how to ask and reply. Language have always been hard for me as nouns and verbs are hard for me in English. I am having fun learning anyway.

I am still a little doubtful about research methods and after Liam's latest email stating the Importance don't want to end up rushing it so I don't get anything from it at all. After the communication breakdown resulting in an unmarked studio I have less faith in the system, and knowing that Fan could take us down a path that is irrelevant to what Liam wants from research methods. Ohh well I suppose when I am in China I wont be all that focused on what I am learning anyway.

yay I am booked

2007-06-26T22:00:00.000+10:00

China is mostly planned now but all the flights have been booked. Finally got some help and advice and have been keeping my itinerary up to date with Raph and getting his advice too thanks Raph.

I went into uni and said I feel like I am getting ripped off and overpriced at some travel agents and can they help me and I now have my flights at a decent price, travel insurance paid extra so it was really good coverage. I also have some accommodation all at prices that I am happy to pay and know I am getting a good deal. At one place I was quoted over $2200 for the flight, and another place claiming to be cheap $1500 and at RMIT travel was less than that to so it made me happy paying less. I also got a free kit kat too. I feel so relived that it all came together, am doing a 3 night stop over in Kuala Lumpur then 7 days in Hong Kong and maybe staying off one of the little islands near Hong Kong not right in the city.

Still need to decide on a Tour, but it all feels so real and close now. It has been twice as hard as I was also organising Justin's flights as he was in Queensland and to make sure we are on the same plane as he is coming for the first 10 days. I have never organinsed anything with so much money.

I am going off to my first lot of Chinese Lessons tomorrow so I'll at least be able to say hello and goodbye. James is also doing lessons with me and I have a bit of time to practice. I have a feeling I'll be getting lost and it might come in handy telling people I am lost.

travel update

2007-06-24T22:21:00.000+10:00

Well ok things are really starting to get hectic now I still don't have much of an idea of what I want to do in China and what trips to take. I have only just decided to travel by myself up to Beijing and then take a 10 day tour back down to Hong Kong then fly back to Melbourne on December the 3rd. The other idea is to spend an extra week in Foshan after finishing uni go up to Shanghai then do a 16 day tour up to Beijing to see the Great wall and terracotta men, then leave from Beijing to Home or down to Hong Kong then Home.

I have no idea how I to do or plan this as all the travel agencies have so far been very unhelpful in offering me a good deal on flights, so I end up paying a lot more. Am planning to sort out all my plans tomorrow and and see what deal I can get.

So far I have an idea of a flight up to Hong Kong on the 21st of August with a 2 day stopover in Kuala Lumpur then about 8 day in Hong Kong meeting up with Raph and Lawrence. I am going to do this bit of travelling with Justin. Then Heading of to Foshan by train with Raph and Lawrence on the 31st August. I am stressing over not knowing what I want to do can afford to do, and how to get to places.

Visas

2007-06-22T15:54:00.000+10:00

Well its all happening now I collected my Chinese Visa today, am planning to book my flight tickets this weekend and pay for travel insurance. Then all there is left to do is wait :) I am still pretty scared as its a lot of money and many things can still go wrong hopefully luck is on my side and it all works out. I am beginning to stress a little hopefully I feel better about it all next week. Raph also got his Visa and so did Lawrence not sure about James... as we applied for it all together. Well things are happening China is getting closer.

The end is close

2007-05-30T20:48:00.000+10:00

Ahh this semester has been crazy , seem to have so much to do to finish off projects. Though yesterday the power was off at home, not sure if it was good timing or bad timing as it let me have time to sleep. The neighbors tree fell down on the power lines and it was almost a full day.

50 cool things

2007-04-25T14:55:00.000+10:00

Nuvem by fratelli campana alessi design

Links and Research

2007-04-18T17:43:00.000+10:00

Mods on Youtube

Mods used in an advertisement.
These people really like scooters
This one is pretty funny :)
This one is quite long
This one is quite good to.

Scooter Training

2007-04-14T20:01:00.000+10:00

Today Ben, Tan and I all managed to get up nice and early for scooter riding lessons. This is just one day of the training done to get a scooter license, other days include a written test to get your learners but our day was spent going around in circles on a scooter. Tan and Ben where both looking over at the motorbikes envying all the people riding them as they where doing the same training next to us on the other side (though they learnt gear shifting to) they also felt 'way uncool' training with a bunch of girls on ugly scooters.

After I said goodbye to a lot of well earned money I hoped that this was beneficial to my scooter knowledge in some way. Our first introduction was to the controls on my little silver scooter the indicator, horn and back brake where all on the left side, while on the right was the ignition key (located in a position where it could be knocked out by the rider’s knee demonstrated by a fellow scooter learner.) The throttle, front brake and kill switch where all on the right side to. I notice the glove box was quite small and seemed unsteady to place any valuables in as a rough trip it would all move around and fall out.

Getting the bike off the upright stand was really tricky as the bike was quite heavy and rolling it forward took a few goes. The side kick stand was easy to feel and use, and when leaving the bike is tilted towards the stand side to keep it more balanced. Balance turns out to be very important when riding a scooter.

The scooter is quite heavy our first task was to push the scooter and stop it with the brakes this is walking next to it; we also moved our legs in a waggling run while sitting on the bike. If the scooter was to fall it would take a bit of effort to get up. When stopped feet are used to balance I preferred to feet next to either side, but some times did it with one up and one on the ground. This means the distance to the ground is crucial as if you are on tippy toes it is hard to handle all the weight but the flatter the foot the more comfortable.

After a lot of practice we could build up speed and where able to tilt the scooter sideways around the corners we could also drive at a slow speed and keep the bike balanced, applying as little throttle just enough tot keep the bike upright. Turning was a simple as look where you want to go with only one key thing to look at to move your head sharply, the scooter turns and follows where you look as do your hands.

Hand for the throttle should be knuckles up and wrist down in a relaxed position as to not accelerate to fast. It was easy to remember to turn it back towards you for more throttle, and toward the front to slow then stop. Brakes should only be used lightly as if you apply the front brake hard the bike will go flying.

Keeping your balance on the scooter is mainly to do where you sit I had to keep towards the front of the seat, keeping your legs inwards also helps. For traveling low speeds it is easier to lean forward and when stopping the weight of the scooter shifts, it important to keep the weight at the back of the scooter.

Our instructor rode two different sized scooters as that was what we had to ride. He would just pick the scooter at the front, when he was riding the small sized scooter it was a bit challenging and he looked a little funny. This is because of the size difference he only rode the little scooter once.

Seeing our instructor who just chose different students scooter to demonstrate things riding the two different sized scooters showed the size is important. The petrol motor was very smelly and noisy, the full cap was at the front of the scooter and some of it had spilled out so there was a patch on the floor, which could have been slippery.

The sun grew hot and my jeans seemed to get heavy as well as my jacket so you became quite sweaty and gross, so maybe room for spare clothes would be good, there was also no where to place your helmet when it was off. The gloves did make riding more comfortable and I did feel safe with the full faced helmet it never really felt that heavy and it didn’t get in my way when I was looking out even though I had less peripheral vision.

I was quite nervous at the start of it all and had a strong feeling I would fall off and get crushed but after I got the feel I added a bit of speed and found all the controls easy to use. I had a lot of fun even though I started of really tense as I didn’t want to hurt myself and found it difficult to relax and trust myself that I wasn’t going to over steer.

I think adding an extra person to the back of the scooter would change the balance a lot, and for a small scooter it would be difficult to squeeze two people on the seat. I did learn a lot about scooters themselves and what scooterists need to think, within traffic, at low speed and distances needed to be kept.

Links to scooter pages

2007-03-26T15:08:00.000+10:00

http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6047604.html

This mostly about integrating wireless technology into a scooter so not much on the scooter at all but is an interesting design and thought about transporting and powering laptops.

http://www.punksinparkas.com/photos/Photos001.htm

Some old photos of old scooters, I thought they where pretty interesting. Some of the seats and the way to carry luggage around is quite good, and some of the mods are very crazy. There are about 400 photos but its interesting to see so many scooter rallies.

Photo obsessions of scooters

Changing vehicles with peak oil.

Scooter news

Oxygen Lepton electric scooter

Vespas

2007-03-26T13:29:00.000+10:00

Vespa Scooter

Vespa

Close up of Vespa

An Ad for new Vespa

Youtube

2007-03-16T16:38:00.000+11:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KphxirYpc0M
Adidas advertisement, using scooters in advertising.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpd9i48aPC8
Kind of boring but I like seeing things being destroyed, I have no idea what they are saying but I presume it is something to do with testing the scooters frames in high speed crashes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UA0HvoOPqo
The view of a camera rider in the US kind of weird as it feels like they are using the wrong lanes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63p5dOkPphA
That looks fun speeding around the place.

Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd

2007-03-13T18:04:00.000+11:00

After our visit to the one at St Kilda, Tan, Amy, Ben and me all went to the one in Furntree Gully which was a really good idea as we got to test ride the electric bikes they where pretty good and so much easier than a normal bike. They where pretty quiet (you could hear the motor quietly) and really easy to use.

Riding and pushing the pedals became a lot harder when the electric wasn't on though this could just be the mentality but was also to do with carrying the battery weight. Bumps and Speed humps where not to smooth to ride over either. Though it was a lot faster than just riding a normal bike and the acceleration was so fast.

It was easy to steer like a normal bike and only needed a helmet to ride. So can ride in the bike lanes and anywhere a normal bike would go. It didn't seem to slow as was heaps faster than walking, and riding normally as it was effort less just using the electric assist so easy to cruse around. It would also be so easy to park it.

Though the problem with storage would be hard and if incorrectly placed can easily change the gravity of the bike making it lean one way and become harder to stay upright and control.

I would feel more comfortable riding an electric assist bike in the city than a normal one as I knew I wouldn't get tired nearly as fast, and could also go quite fast if in a hurry or felt I needed to keep up with the traffic around me. When you know you have to carry books around the city all day getting more tired then you could rely on the electric to get you home.

Though with some batteries there is no warning before the battery cuts out so you could be at the hardest part of the ride then would be faced of the challenge of pedaling home when you most need it. This would mean understanding the bike the way you ride and the distances, up hill, down hill to get a rough estimation of time on a battery for you. Though they all did have fuel gauges but if your not into waiting it to charge each day and are like me always wait to the battery is very low it could be a challenge.

This is an interesting electric bike:
http://www.currietech.com.au/

Reflection on today’s scooter hunt

2007-03-07T22:37:00.000+11:00

Raph and I decided to do a bit of scooter information hunting in some of the shops today in the city; I felt it easier to shop with someone else and to share the questions. Just thinking about what to say and not sounding stupid or wasting to much time was important to. I somehow feel weird when I go shopping and not buying anything difficult and weird like it’s a huge waste of time to every one, but imagine they are used to seeing people and not seeing them again, as it is a very expensive item and shopping around for price the best price and deal is best.

Together we seemed to cover a lot of questions and discovered that the selling attitude about any ideas about electric scooters is very far off as the battery is too big, and problems like that. Petrol is very cheap to run a scooter like the vespa anyway and they comply to strict European emission laws anyway so are not that damaging to the environment.

Trying on the gear was exciting too, like the helmets to see how much of your peripheral vision becomes blocked and then to see objects you need to physically move your head around, as blurs at the side can’t see. This a lot more noticeable in the Closed helmet, but I think as you mostly look strait ahead and use mirrors you only need to turn your head when changing lanes and turning so its no big deal just different way of thinking.

The helmets where surprisingly light and the padding was really thick. My head took a small size and it came in lovely soft pastel colours, but I think I like the darker colours anyway. The padding around the crown of the head needs to be the tightest, as it will loose quite quickly.

Vespas are definitely the most popular scooter, though is meant to outlast all the others. The also have the most storage under the seat to store helmet and other items. If your main travelling is locally around the city a smaller scooter that travels 60km an hour is fine. If you plan to travel faster than that a larger scooter is needed to travel faster and is much safer.

Back to studio EV Scooter

2007-03-05T22:06:00.000+11:00

I have decided to use my blog for studio again, as I am hoping to avoid that whole eco-sense disaster. Plus I am hoping I can keep track of my ideas, and show any interesting EVs and scooters that I find. Should be a good studio if I just keep focused though not off to the best of starts spending the last three days sick in bed.

This is the most interesting photo I took of the scooters, as it doesn't feel all that Melbournian but I found it near Vic market.

This is of a fluro yellow.

There are 29 scooter photos so I think 2 is a good number to stop at.

No longer a teenager

2007-02-26T22:22:00.000+11:00

Well now I am 20, am officially old well don't feel any different should start looking for wrinkles now hehe. No it really doesn't feel any different at all. Though its weird as people are now asking what my plans are... I only really have one long term goal which I hope to do which is finish this course.

Wow this is now 200 posts never knew how I got that many. Think it's mostly to do with the good old days of corporation blogging. Feels good to be back into it am planning on using it a lot more, and focusing down on the important bits.

Bioimagination

2007-02-21T22:56:00.000+11:00

more photos

Just another day

2007-02-14T22:48:00.000+11:00

Happy Valentine's! Valentine's Day has never really meant much to me though I do enjoy the chocolate mmm tasty. Yay 11 day to my birthday! Feels like the holiday's are coming to an end though I still don't feel all that ready to go back to uni that's because I know there will be a lot of work to do, but I am crossing my fingers that this semester will end up better than the last. Though there are not as many studios to pick from I am sure that I will find something that I can put up with. Well guess we all find out soon.

Sandcasting

2007-01-27T22:09:00.000+11:00

In case you never got to see my sand casting from Technology last semester this is what Lawrence and I designed in Bruce's class. Though it seems to have a bit more relevance to me as I am a kiwi, but it was designed around us been able to make it in the workshop, where we ended up spending a lot of time though I think it was worthwhile. As we ended up getting a HD which is so good I am always afraid of group projects as I don't want to end up doing all the work or never get to say anything and have an input, but this one worked great and the mark we got shows it to.

We can’t be the spider all the time

2007-01-26T23:13:00.000+11:00

This is how I feel sometimes I am on the outside other times am on the inside. This is such a cool spider the ones with the big bums are always the scariest looking. I when and saw Charlotte’s Web I am into spiders at the moment, I didn’t even get bothered by the huntsman that took up residency in the corner roof of our bathroom. Hehe seems I can’t get privacy anywhere these days.

The halfway point

2007-01-22T15:01:00.000+11:00

Oh blogger is all different and upgraded now, though I am not sure if that will entice me to post more, it seems like more often than not I don’t really have anything to say so just an empty silence lingers. Ahh well it may change now I have finally brought a laptop of my own so can have my own space to plonk things everywhere. It has been so good as I really wanted one since the end of first year, though is a bit of a let down knowing I have no money left now for a while.

Well coming to the end of the halfway mark it very interesting to have a quick reflection, it seems technology and studies I have moved forward in both learning new things and have had fun with that challenge and that time way worthwhile and well spent. All I can say about studio I seriously did learn more from my peers than my lectures as I felt them so patronising all the time to the point I was so embarrassed of all my ideas and work I produced it became worthless, and that is what it all still is.

The best thing to come out of studio was to work with the third years as that was extremely valuable and rewarding. That is truly the only time that I had fun as the ratio of four students to about 8 students (there where 11 of us but constantly there where always people missing or left very early) Though thinking of such a small student ratio you would be able to gain a lot of feed back, it was only the case where they could get excited by your idea or see potential.

Though enough of studio as it is clearly evident in everything that there is to show I defiantly took a big step backward and can honestly say the actual content of it was worse than my first year corporation game studio, with the only knowable learnt was a few visual design skills in creating posters, my folio is totally shocking, though I tried to remove all evidence of it by deleting all files off the computer and left with the three posters I shown at the exhibition.

Hopefully I can somehow find a new strength next semester in studio, as otherwise I know I am just going to finish this course as a very poor designer indeed and it would be best to quit while ahead. To understand my weakness of having too many ideas, when at the end there needed to be a solid strong outcome, showing content of a plausible workable idea that could work in society. Knowing I took the studio from the wrong angle and focused to much on an exterior to encase the ideas I had sucked up all my time, and though I still haven’t forgiven myself yet there is still time before a new year of uni starts.

Though technology was much stronger last semester than it has ever been and studies still remained a favorite and something I can only look back on and smile. It seems though I can easily become too crippled by my weakness as a designer to push forward and am very thankful I have two years left to simply test and explore my ideas. If that is all I finish this course with is a way to deal with, acknowledge and face down my weakness to pull through something which I have considered worthwhile it remains money well spent. (Otherwise I am surely going to have some kind of heart attack looking at the HECS dept to pay off.)

These holidays seem to be the most demanding of me that I have ever had. Though I am looking forward to my birthday next month as I can finally leave all my teenage years in the past it sounds like fun. I hope everyone is enjoying their break and are having fun. Mine haven’t been terribly exciting but at least there is plenty of time to think about where I want to head now as I have climbed up the mountain and sit at the top ready to start the descent towards the end of the course. I hope all you third years are ready it must be good motivation knowing this is your last year as it seems like we could all do with as much motivation as we can get to start the year off.

Touched by the toll

2006-12-10T12:37:00.000+11:00

Cody's funeral was last Friday; it is the first funeral that I have been to. It was kind of like her 21st in a way as she will never have one, her Dad told us stories he had compiled over the years of things we might say. It istruee though, life is nevermeasuredd by the quantity of the pages filled but the quality of each day filled. Goodbye Cody Bree Holloway I miss you.

Life is never fair there is no answer only questions

2006-12-05T20:04:00.000+11:00

This is a photo of Cody from our year 12 formal:

On Saturday night Cody Holloway was killed by a drunk driver in a four wheel drive, she was only 5 minutes from home. We made friends at high school, and I have great times of her in English class where we seemed to have more fun then work and our interest for the found us both in environmental science. She had only just turned 20 and had plans on going to uni next year after completing her TAFE course. She was pretty sure that she made it in to. Now she has been taken from us.

Like every one turning 20 we laughed how old that sounds leaving your teenage years but 20 is so young, she had the nicest smile of anyone and that’s how I remember her. She was also a very loyal caring friend, and to her friendship was the most valid thing. She was always over visiting another friend Stephanie who just had a son whom is now 4 months old. She is so supportive and caring, and I’ll always remember how smart and intelligent she was she really could have done anything with her life and succeeded.

Now she is gone, I keep on remembering times together and how it was all fun. I also remember being jealous at her not in the mean way but in the admiring way, of how intelligent she was, her strong friendship with her Cambridge friends (in year 11 in was two campuses merging Cambridge and my old junior camas Mt Evelyn) her ability to make endless jokes and make everyone smile, her own beautiful smile, and the ability to laugh at everything she knew how to have fun and nothing could stop her.

I’ll miss you Cody I just want to see you again and meet up and get the latest news about your life, and your work. All the tears I cry can’t bring you back, you where a beautiful star who I will always admire and look up to. I still wish at times that I could be like you, smile like you and make fun over everything. You knew how to laugh at yourself at life and at the world. You have impacted so many people around you and guided so many people.

Goodbye Cody you were stolen from us to soon.

A smile will never fade

2006-12-04T14:15:00.000+11:00

I can’t talk about it now maybe later. Too much to think about and so little I understand it’s so sad and tragic there doesn’t seem to be justice in life at times. Though I do have one thing to say which is irrelevant and meaningless ecosense studio was the absolute worst class I have had, and it even made me consider leaving design I think it was a to greater challenge that defeated me in the end. That is all more later need to think or less thinking wish I had answers.

The grad show

2006-12-02T15:58:00.000+11:00

Having been to the grad show last year, as there were more students there was more atmosphere and you could tell many students where very happy to finally be graduating and where happy with their accomplishments. Though there was a lot more free alcohol (thanks to my wonderful bar assistance with Kate, Katie’s and Liam’s help) and there was a lot more on show.

Though this years was small but very inspiring none the less. It was great to see the amazing diversity and talents of students and seeing the results of their passions and work. It also made me realise that I still have two years left to do what they have done, and that is plenty of time to come up with something great.

Back to blogging

2006-11-21T09:54:00.000+11:00

Arrrgggg studio took so much out of me left me feeling so tired and unmotivated. Not to mention being physically ill the day after submission. It wasn’t all bad though and I did learn a lot, not sure I could ever do another with four lectures as at times I seriously thought they where mocking me or playing me stupid. After one comment where I went all the way into their office and the only advice I could get was fly up to Sydney for the day and catch the monorail like I had the spare time or the money. Still don’t like anything that I have done at all but ahh well there is always next year.

The China thing sounds pretty exciting now it’s all scholarship based, I am at that confused nerves stage where I know I would miss every one, and why leave a great uni behind, and on the other side its like it will be an amazing experience and a chance to see and do things as I am not going to be at uni for ever. It all sound a bit more realistic now.

I remember the last scholarship type thing I got all the way back in year 7 and my parents couldn’t afford this one night school camp thing in Sovereign Hill so the school paid for me to go as I was a good student. It was so embarrassing and the horrible walk up to the front in assembly to collect it. It was pretty good now I think of it as the school was always pretty broke not a posh school at all, and I never even applied or anything they just it to me.

Mmm I miss blogging I feel a bit too quiet at the moment and when I do talk everything just seems to come out. Plus I don’t have anything to look back on the semester and think wow I learnt this and that. Though studio wasn’t like that for me as I got hugely pissed off halfway through about presenting each week, it was so annoying but good now I look back. Lots more stress added less time to think, it felt like we could only produce. I also took a bit of a dive and felt a bit depressed and down, almost cried in class three times including the final presentation as it felt like no one was listening due to the fact I wasn’t talking as I didn’t trust my lectures to listen so don’t think they will understand my project, plus it felt like I was producing crap ideas and crap posters on the wall.

It wasn't meant to be this way

2006-11-12T00:06:00.000+11:00

I should really fail studies this semester and why I am at it studio. Can’t believe I deleted my whole folder of studies work on the uni labs one wrong move and gone for good no recycle bin :( I have an older copy but still face about 10 hors of colouring and a few images to scan, having done it once you can tell how long it will take the second time. Don’t even get me started on Studio it’s like a big open gaping wound. Life sucks so much only three days left and probably one more for studies. I feel like I lost my soul to the stupid computers, and my life for that matter. This is not how I wanted the semester to turn out.

Lâmb – a fragrance for Spring.

2006-10-22T21:06:00.000+10:00

It’s so funny when advertising copies and appropriates other styles and people don’t realise. A friend of mine actually believed that the fragrance of Lâmb existed though she did think of it as a little odd they where holding up lamb shanks in the ad. It’s kind of scary that an advertisement creates a certain mood or theme with a desire and that if your not paying attention (or noting the subtle differences) then you can mistakenly believe things. If you haven’t seen the ad yet this is the link.

The Finished Bike

2006-10-08T14:35:00.000+10:00

Bamboo Workshop

2006-10-08T12:54:00.000+10:00

Fish

2006-10-08T12:12:00.000+10:00

Slower than a snail, that has been half backed in the sun

2006-09-28T23:29:00.000+10:00

Damn it I seem to keep getting things horribly wrong for studies this semster. Yet again will I be starting my final drawing, due next Friday scanned coloured and printed out or at least in its fianl A1 size outlines and details.

Worst break ever really seemed have ended up taking a break so now I am behind, seems it is where I have been alsemster only have my poor tme mangemetn skills and slowness to balme really.

SolidWorks CAiD

2006-09-24T14:23:00.000+10:00

I realised that I have never shown my solidworks stuff only Rhino and 3D Studio Max, I was trying to describe some of my CAiD work but as you see it's a bit different, than the normal objects there based on (except for the computer mouse as I was lucky just to pass that bit ;P) So here they all are, I no longer have to hide my CAiD skills as now I have finished learning CAiD for Technology for good.

CAiD

2006-09-15T00:00:00.000+10:00

Fighting with my mind

2006-09-14T23:20:00.000+10:00

Ahhh I can’t seem to do anything right, I am no designer. Though I think my mid semester presentation went ok, though there is a chance they where just happy at the thought of leaving as I was the last person to present. I am struggling to tackle this scale project, as it there has to be realistic solutions and set in the future of bout 2020. The technology has its limitations, and things have to be justified of why people would desire it. I seemed to have lost my desire to do a lot of things and finding it a struggle to creatively think. I am also having a silent battle with Daymith as he often keeps on insulting me or making me the center topic which I can’t stand. I can’t do what I normally do when he goes to far and simply avoid him, I can only handle him in small doses.

I was more inspired with Soumitri there saying what if cars no longer existed, or this structure was needed by the city as transport so there was no need to consider the publics objections, or seeing that the transport will become somewhat a hub connecting people together.

I am noticing that my method in this studio is slightly changing away from just creative ideas not caring if it’s practical or affordable to having to look at justifying and explaining the why instead of the what it should be it’s more of what it could be. I am becoming a little disheartening finding I can’t keep up my enthusiasm and motivation I really on getting me through the project to original or creative ideas, and an outcome I am happy with. I can’t just do this studio to create and make stuff it needs to be stuff I am engaged with, so I can’t feel myself working away it just happens.

I feel I am loosing my way of thinking or working that I started to build up within the corporation game and am finding big problems hard to break down and tackle. Even just creative thinking I am not sure that this fast paced outcome driving studio has got me all stressed and flustered I feel I am losing the way that I design and makes me happy in the same way to a compromise of do what I can in the time to present and outcome then stop move on, I have lost the ability to stop reflect and say that’s good that’s bad there is and idea here. Having both to present and well and ideas formed is hard. Upper pool is a lot more demanding and time consuming, I have also lost a bit of the trust I once had in my ability to sit think and develop an idea.

I am beginning to feel more tired and stressed as the semester wears on and feel that I am losing time to improve other things like my drawing skills from studies. I am not concentrating enough and have made a few big mistakes that I am hoping to make fix things on the week of where my focus can be placed on improvement to a level that Steven is happy with as I know so far most the semester I have let him down, and disappointed him. I know that drawing is something for me to do well needs time a clear head and the write mood so I can see it all form and come together, my research is significantly lacking to.

I am kind of sad and disappointed I am not allowing myself time to do what I enjoy as I love the sustainability and future cities project so much, I just seem to find the time I want to put into it, as its something where you can’t see instant results and it’s in the building up of detail.

Hopefully I can overcome these problems soon so I can get what I want out of this semester. I am not sure how well my CaiD project went but I had fun creating a butterfly as no one had done it before.

Bad luck

2006-09-09T14:05:00.000+10:00

I feel like crap at the moment a few bad days in a row of extremely bad luck, not to sure if it’s all just self inflicted yet trying not to dwell on all the bad stuff and just get over it and move on… It’s got to the point off affecting my uni work which sucks even more, not expecting to get anything really good for studio; bad moods really affect my thinking.

A few good points from the past days… At least managed to submit something for the CAiD guru, the lecture Friday night was good, every one at uni can bring me out of my bad mood so I at least am getting somewhere, some nice person held their umbrella over me when it was waiting as I got of the tram stop and was waiting to cross the road. Hopefully all this bad luck means I’ll get some extremely good luck soon finger crossed.

Well I passed

2006-08-19T23:59:00.000+10:00

Yes I did manage to pass, and I think it was largely to do with all the positive comments and faith that I could do it. Mmm maybe I should try and believe in myself sooner. Well see you all Monday at 3.30 in the workshop for Liam’s farewell then.

fear of the uncertain

2006-08-14T21:44:00.000+10:00

4 days to go I am so scared and nervous, hopefully it will all go well but I have been known to lose control in the past. I try not to think or feel anything it’s harder then anything but it can really go either way.

Thinking

2006-08-07T22:55:00.000+10:00

I have no idea what to write in the email why I want to go on exchange to India, and on scholarship. I just want it to be really good so it say’s what I feel and how exciting it sounds; it would be an awesome learning experience. I found the china one was easier to write as there are more places, I still don’t quite know which one I like the sound of more.

I have been thinking about what we should do for Liam’s playgroup party as we say goodbye as he heads off overseas soon. The only idea so far is that we should all dress up fancy as if we where going somewhere, like nice gowns and suits and a have a bit of fun though I have no idea what Liam wants.

This semester seems to be so pushed for time already, I think it’s the continual timelines for studio things done each week, and how tech is so short, and I have to come up with a good drawing for studies so I don’t have to leave the class as there are too many people. But I am enjoying being busy, though I miss having class with Raph and Ben and the motivation that they have will have to push playgroup again so we can all meet up again.
at all.

Back again!

2006-07-29T18:02:00.000+10:00

Well it seems that I am going to be studying a lot about sustainability this semester, in both studies and my studio as it is eco sense. Though I really happy that we are mixing with the third years at last even though there is only a few of them, as they bring a lot to the lessons already.

Yesterday I had the RMIT library call me up as another lecture wishes to borrow a book that I have borrowed, for the lecture they are presenting. They had to get my mobile number from home, as I don’t have it in my enrolment hehe so now I am being stalked by the library.

The first studio class was very interesting and lots of facts, I seem to have a lot of motivation which is a good thing to start with though it seems I don still leave the room all muddled at what I have to do still for the first project. I am really excited about drawing again in studies, though I think I’ll write down a few notes as well.

It seems with the help of Soumitri we are moving along to word press, not sure if I’ll take up on it but I started one here not sure if I will use it yet.

Hummm

2006-07-05T12:20:00.000+10:00

A bleeding heart…the silence shall escape…

2006-06-21T15:00:00.000+10:00

It’s time to let go and forgive myself in some sort of way, it’s time to feel emotions again. I realise that I need to trust people faster than I do and share things rather than living in this quiet silence, especially as I should have trusted some one a lot faster than I did, I feel guilty and I am to blame, and I think I ruined it. Now I understand I hide behind silence when I do not trust myself to share.

I think I can now truly begin to be happy to be me, with all my faults and weird little quirks (as sometimes that’s all I am.) It’s weird though I feel so alive within this course, and for the first time I am seeing myself as other possibilities, with the help of others voicing things about me.

Kate when the photos where put up in the crumpet room looked at them and said that I could be a model (scary as at the start of the year one of mum’s old school friends said the same thing and I don’t know them at all) which changes me viewing myself as this ugly person constantly, sometimes I stop and believe it. Never for long but it’s there for a moment.

I was also told that I am intelligent girl, which is scary as I was never that intelligent before in high school. So something is slowly changing, I feared that after the corporation game I’d loose the ability to think and take risks, but this semester I find at times I was a little more laid back so maybe not everything from the game is lost.

Swallowed in the sea…

2006-06-19T23:11:00.000+10:00

I am lost come find me…

2006-06-19T23:08:00.000+10:00

Can’t breathe

2006-06-15T15:28:00.000+10:00

My throat is hurting so much it’s so painful to breathe. I also have 3 wisdom teeth coming up so I know what pain is I don’t want to eat anything I can’t talk at all hopefully I will be better by tomorrow or I’ll need to learn sign language pretty fast for the exhibition. Though I was asking for it not sleeping properly for the past 4 weeks and eating whatever crap I can find.

Though been reading through one of those quote books and have found some that speak quite true…

‘Art cannot be taught. Artists are born that way. They educate themselves, or else they do not become educated.’

‘To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong.’

‘Leave the back door unlocked.’

‘Creativity is essentially a lonely art. An even lonelier struggle. To some a blessing. To others a curse. It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very so an idea.’

‘Be gracious with yourself.’

‘Think 8 hours, work 2 hours.’

‘Designers communicate only three things: Messages about value, messages of value and messages of no value.’

The community whiteboard for RMIT village

2006-06-07T15:33:00.000+10:00

Well I think it's mostly done now thanks for all the comments, and don't be afraid to add more comments to change as I am still working away on it, and well there's still time left. Raph tell me what you think of it, or stuff that you want to add, remember there is still time don't be afraid!

Community Whiteboard

See you tomorrow for CAD Presentations.

Moving along like a snail

2006-06-05T22:03:00.000+10:00

Here it is with a little intro.

Well this is it so far Raph

2006-06-04T12:22:00.000+10:00

Ok I know it has many, many flaws but here is the progress. It’s taken me quite a while to get it this far, but thanks to your comments it’s been good progress. So this is for you Raph!

For Raph

2006-05-30T22:39:00.000+10:00

This is the whiteboard so far not very much done lots of room for improvement feel free to comment.

Ohh look it's all mine

2006-05-16T23:59:00.000+10:00

Flash Stuff and work from last year.
This is the finished assignment I made for Joseph last year I thought I’d put it up mainly for the artwork as I never show it off and it has a permanent home under then bed, so now you can go have a look at it, it’s still not everything I have done.

politicians on the train

2006-05-16T22:53:00.000+10:00

Today on the train in it was quite interesting all these liberal politicians came aboard and where asking questions about the train service. They acted all weird as well as we should treat them with respect and didn’t quite know how to respond to the answers but agree there was no real answers just agreement. It was also like a new experience as if they hardly caught trains at all, you can always tell the newbies. I don’t think anything will happen to improve the line at all, waste of time really.

Then I will smile

2006-05-15T23:02:00.000+10:00

Why is it so hard to ask others for help? Why is it so hard to acknowledge that we are upset and why is it so hard to tell someone else that they have hurt us. It is for me anyway. Instead I’ll pretend I am fine I can even through in a few fake smiles. I know for sure I should have said something earlier about the way I felt but I was afraid, and for that I am to blame. Though things can always be done differently, at least I am easy to forget, I don’t argue I won’t fight for something already lost. I’ll take refuge in the lie that I don’t feel anything and I’ll cover behind that until I heal or at least can give a true smile one with happiness.

Eating in the dark

2006-05-10T23:41:00.000+10:00

On Sunday Ben, Brandon, Braden and his girlfriend Mez and I decided to do an experience together. We decided to try and eat in total darkness. Since dark side is closed down (that’s what Braden said anyway) Ben decided to hold it in building 87, in the room without windows. We went of and got many different types of Chinese dishes to share and try together.

So once we had gathered all the food we all where quite hungry, we set up the table put all the food in the middle to share pored out one drink each and had our empty bowls in front of us, there was a lot of excitement never having done anything like this before. Then the lights went out total darkness, where’s that container with the noodles, where’s the one with rice, where’s the one with fish?

Touching the table feeling around got a container of food its meat that’s all I can tell, put some in the bowl nothing in it still must have fallen off the fork try again, feeling around empty spot place container down. Damn this is messy did something fall onto my lap? Oh well who will notice, more feeling for food arghh a hand! Who has the pork roll Ben dose, feel for his had found it now he can place my half in my hand. Feeling around talking, listing to music, am I talking louder or softer I don’t know but I am not louder than anyone else.

Time to pour the drink how do I know when the glass is full don’t want to over pour, Brandon say’s to put my thumb into the glass and feel for the liquid to touch it to know when to stop, that’s what blind people do. The sounds of eating is loud people are laughing at their mistakes no one can see, a noodle in my glass how did that get there?

It was a great experience, very exciting we where all jumping around excitedly on the walk to the building when we had got the food, we where all laughing out how hard it is to judge. Didn’t miss where my mouth was though and inbuilt action in the brain? It was so much fun I defiantly would do it again sometime, though I think the people who I was with made all the difference as excitement and enthusiasm is catching. Though should have seen the mess 5 people can make in the dark when we turned the lights on!

Brainstorming

2006-04-30T22:39:00.000+10:00

The Questioning Technique on food

What is it?
A necessity, provides energy, vital to life, provides nutrients, something of value, organic, genetically modified, too little, too much, biodiversity.

Why is it that way?
Cultural development over time, from the hunter and gather, to agriculture and farmers, from moving around constantly to being able to stay in the one place constantly. Overeating, poor diet weight gain, longer lifespan, prone to heart disease. Western food is plentiful overeating, poorer countries prone to famine, limited nutrition intake, limited foods. Droughts and floods mean famine.

What else can it be?
A source of enjoyment and delight, a common interest, brings people together, source of celebration, a gift, a ritual and something which a great deal of time and preparation can be put into. Traditions passed on through recipes, family secrets.

What should it be?
Celebrated, appreciated, value of the time spent to grow, understating of where it come from, and ability to quickly learn and be informed of a new culture, an experience, variety, centre of a community.

6 hats on: Being able to find and locate affordable nutritional food

Green/Creative: walk through orchards and veggie patch collecting your own food, a simple pill, food tracker devices which track down freshness, home delivery, a treasure map, underground black market system,

Yellow/Benefits: healthier lifestyle more energy higher immune system, time saving, more money to spend elsewhere, social activity

Black/Dangers: Becoming money obsessed, too focused on food, not trying new things as get stuck within the system, over eating, not understanding the importance of variety.

White/What else do you need to know? What type of food is Raph going to mostly by? A variety of food or the same three veggies every week, any allergies, his ability to cook food, how far is Raph prepared to walk to for food? Will he visit other places, how often is he to go to a restaurant? The actual location of food, and the way it’s sold, where is it local food?

Red/First reaction: Food nutrition is important, not too many students are all that interested, we mostly all have the problem of a small budget, we all need to by food, need to understand and navigate a new area is difficult.

Consuming Passions

2006-04-30T15:15:00.000+10:00

Farb Peter and Armelagos George, 1980, Consuming passions, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston

‘A people’s niche in the environment is determined, as surly as it is for any other animal species, by that peoples eating behaviour is because eating inevitably brings humans into broader contact with their local environment – not only their natural surroundings, but also their social, economic, and political relations with neighbours – than any other essential behaviour.’ Page 9 & 10

In all societies eating is the primary way of initiating and maintaining human relationships. The English word ‘companion’ is derived from French and Latin words meaning ‘one who eats bread with another.’

Each Society’s culture is transmitted to children through eating with the family. In which personalities develop, hierarchies emerge and customs are enforced such as grace before a meal.

Improved nutrition leads to a longer healthier life, aren’t prone to illness and diseases due to a lower rate of infection. Occasions are marked with food events such as birthdays etc.

The hospitality of food, such as sharing teaches children values at an early age.

Slow food revolution

2006-04-29T18:06:00.000+10:00

The manifesto for the international slow food movement was written up in 1989, as a result and recognition how fast food dominates and dictates how we eat. It was opposing globalisation as it recognised we where loosing customs and traditions.

Biodiversity must be maintained as well as food richness, so leave the concept of time up to the individual. Preserving the diversity of food is a goal by the farmers. Italy is the centre of the slow food organisation and they like to define themselves by regional foods.

Some foods are grown unique to their climate and soil conditions so can’t be grown around the world. Recognition or the brown pistachio nut in Italy ensures it can be grown and can compete against the market. Foods which are made from these unique climate foods can not be replicated elsewhere around the world as the tastes would be different as the same ingredients are unavailable. Old and rich orchards which date back over a century, are also part as they offer unique flavours and quality. Restaurants are also part in this cooking regional food using local ingredients.

Protecting everything is slow foods philosophy, culture of people, food and environment. Italian national parks are different than to Australian as they don’t just protect areas of land untouched by humans, they also protect the whole environment including churches, crafts, buildings and environment, they are ‘man and nature alliances.’ They preserve and maintain lifestyles with amore human dimension. A network of slow cities helps to preserve local traditions, and a leisurely lifestyle.

The idea is to control the machine where you work at your own pace, faster today and maybe slower tomorrow; the machine should not control the rhythms of life.

Uniform standards of production and hygiene in Europe are wiping out some local foods and traditions of preparing them. Some cheeses don’t use pasteurised milk and contains a different flavour. People are now prevented from using local practices some of which have been passed down over hundreds of years.

Genetically modified food is also bad, eliminating biodiversity. Slow food also is fighting globalisation as well as GM foods as their aim is to create a single way of eating, and a single way of producing food. Making a single way of living, in a way it is compared to tearing down old buildings for new ones, a loss of identity within communities is a likely result as well as a loss of self awareness.

In Australia alone has lost over 90% of it’s biodiversity within the beginning of the last century, losing a way of life.

In Mexico food and rituals are connected, giving harmony to the relationship with the environment. Food is a part of cultural and spiritual acts. The exposition to many cultures often begins with food, as we can relate to the way of their life in a way appreciating their tastes. The Colonisation of many countries often wipes out traditional agriculture and local food which had been grown there for many years.

Often in urban society within areas like Collingwood the connection with the land and its riches are been eroded. Often children don’t know where food comes from like veggies and milk. Education is being implemented in some schools as they have their on veggie patch and learn about gardening and where food comes from. Often children don’t have any access to gardens of their own, so there is a loss of an experience. They promote healthy eating, in some cases eating around a table and sharing food with others was a new experience. They learn about food through a positive fun experience. Children need to learn eating, drinking and talking is what live is all about.

-protection of traditional education and pleasure
- Sustainability community and lifestyle are important along with seasonality quality and taste.
- Agricultural – loving the land

Studies exhibition level 5

2006-04-26T19:47:00.000+10:00

Showing of my work so far has always involved too much chance for embarrassment as I don’t want my work to be socially rejected, and as I did quite enjoy making these things, and being handmade took a bit of time, so I don’t want people to see it and view it as rubbish. I don’t mind if people misunderstand my art as I like to make it abstracted and leave room for interpretation. What would be worse is having it up on display and no one noticing.

So come along and view it leave as many comments as you wish. Come and be inspired see what studies can be! Location level 5 building 87 at the end of the corridor, come along and check it out.

Readings suggest by Kate summarised up

2006-04-25T20:02:00.000+10:00

Research into Slow Food suggested by Kate in ProQuest:
Food is a necessity central to our daily life; it also has an effect on our surroundings as well. With GM food or the simple way of farming which shapes the land. There also is a focus on preserving the biodiversity of the food in that we eat to ensure that if there was to be some kind of disaster to our crops that we still had an ample food supply.

Some organisations such as ‘Slow Food’ are becoming active players in agriculture and ecology. It was founded in 1986 in Italy and become an international non-profit organisation in 1989.

‘Convivium is a Latin word that means "a feast, entertainment, a banquet" and Slow Food uses this fitting name for its local chapters. Convivia are a local expression of the Slow Food philosophy and the nearly 1000 convivia worldwide form the linchpin of the movement.’ Slow food, Elena Aniere, Issues September 2005 (72) 17, http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=930057211& Fmt=4& VInst=PROD& VType=PQD& RQT=309& VName=PQD&

‘With surprising rapidity northern-Italian-born Slow Food has become, by the turn of the twenty-first century, an international movement. It now boasts as many as sixty thousand members throughout more than forty-five countries. As Fabio Parasecoli has reported in this journal, Slow Food seeks to marry the pleasures of the table to a leftist politics
of production and consumption.’

‘Slow Food favors the gourmet over the glutton, enticing eaters to slow down, enjoy the company, taste their food. Slow Food refers not merely to home-cooked meals served socially in satisfying portions but extends to artisanally produced foods and heirloom varietals with histories, even pedigrees. Under the Slow Food banner local groups enunciate regionally inflected concerns about the impact of global agribusiness and genetically modified crops on the livelihood of family farmers and the taste sensations of consumers. The Slow Food Award for the Defense of Biodiversity recognizes individuals who work to represent food difference and abundance as cultural patrimony, not as an invitation to gluttony.’
Slow food in a fat Society: Satisfying Ethical Appetites, Heather Paxson, Gastronomica, Winter 2005 5(1) 1,
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=798151481& Fmt=6& VInst=PROD& VType=PQD& RQT=309& VName=PQD&

‘So why is it that we, like most American eaters, hate to dine alone? At home it isn't so bad although maybe a bit depressing, but a table for one in a crowded restaurant is no fun at all.’

‘The solution to loneliness in public dining rooms is communal seating. We don't necessarily mean lunch counters and exhibition kitchens, where you sit facing the staff. We are referring to big tables where single diners and even couples or groups are all seated together, face to face and elbow to elbow.’ Communal dining may be the answer for those who hate to eat alone, Jane and Michael Stern, Nations Restaurant news oct 25, 1999 33(43)30
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=46051131& Fmt=3& VInst=PROD& VType=PQD& RQT=309& VName=PQD&

The Brief - yes it's exciting

2006-04-25T15:54:00.000+10:00

Design for Need
Project Brief for studio semester 3 crumpet class
Client: Raphael Goldsworthy

Finding and locating quality affordable food and communication within residence:

Since recently moving into a small confined shared living space at the RMIT village, Raph is encountering some problems; talking about his past experiences within his life and travels allowed me to understand why he was having these problems and together in collaboration through conversational interviews I have identified some needs which the solutions might not only help Raph but others who share similar lifestyles.

Problem 1: Being able to find and locate affordable nutritional food

Since moving out of home Raph now finds himself with a very small budget, some of his necessities he must pay for first are his home/room/rental which is accommodation at the at RMIT village. What little money he has left is spent on the basic necessities food. Being able to find and afforded good food is vital to Raph’s health. He can not afford to get sick through poor nutrition and diet because there is no one to look after him. Raph is currently interested in finding where he can access good food cheaply but is currently uninformed about such places, and as prices are always changing needs to be kept up to date.

Problem 2: Socialisation

Raph finds it difficult keep in contact with his roommate and finds it hard to organize the meals which they share. Raph is unsure wether his room mate is going to be home on a particular night, when his class is finishing, wether he can pick up some food. Though Raph can solve this problem with a simple phone call or text message, this becomes expensive. He also finds that there is no real way to tell if other students on the same level are at home or out. So if he has a simple question to ask he has to go on the ‘door knock.’

Raph also says that it would be good to have some more social interaction with other people at mealtimes and maybe a dinning/eating area incase he has guests or friends over. Currently he has only one seat for himself, and a fold out table which is always been used for other activities.

I see two clear problems which Raph has outlined access to information regarding food, and good company.
Several steps are required to maintain Raph’s nutritional lifestyle they are:
• The purchasing of food, he currently shops mainly at the Queen Vic market and other supermarkets near by. – Research into the Market and supermarkets so see what’s fresher, visit the market and look at layout of food to see if it’s easy to arrange food in trolley so heavy items are on the bottom, how much room is taken up by packaging. Seasonally available food is the cheapest as it’s plentiful
• Transporting food back, currently Raph uses a fold away trolley – The arrangement of food within the trolley so food wont get damaged on the way back, careful not to squash bread or break eggs
• Storage of food within the RMIT student village, only small cupboards, fridge and freezer are available so shopping has to be done weekly as maximum storage space doesn’t allow for any more. – There are limits on the number of condiments and large items which can be kept on hand so there are limited ingredients to cook with. Keeping food at maximum freshness buy not overfilling the fridge
• The cooking of food, limited knowledge of cooking, and few recipes on hand. – Cooking for only one or two people means meals have to be fast and easy to cook, limited amount of ingredients, Raph often just cooks what others are cooking around him
• The consuming of food. – Currently eat on lap out in the hallway because of limited seating space. Is this a good way of eating, is challenging not to spill food down yourself, what impact does this have on the enjoyment of the food.

Timeline:

Week 8 – Feedback from brief, start researching; -visit the Queen Vic market and see how food is packaged, what food is available, in season and prices. Borrow out Slow food revolution from library, and consuming passion book to start researching. Start responding to some of the problems with brainstorming potential material solutions, or system outcomes.
Week 9 – Start building up a folio of sketches as I want to work on my drawing skills and my ability to communicate ideas through visual drawings.
Week 10 – Meet up with Raph to discuss research and ideas communicated within the sketches, redefine direction if need be type up meeting, more research. Continue along with folio adding in information collected with meeting Raph; folio can include some renderings, try and maintain clear line work, and perspective practice drawing in 3D
Week 11 – Start refining out ideas into a format for clear communication, meet back with Raph to see if problems are being solved effectively.
Week 12 – Finalise all work and order out folio to get ready for presentation to communicate idea, a reflective piece and a conclusion of the project, outcomes and developments.
Week 13 – Submission

The talk with Raph and his problems and needs

2006-04-22T13:58:00.000+10:00

Raph’s problems for design for needs:

Minor problems: lighting is bad between kitchen and bedroom storage space.
Not allowed to nail things on the wall so whiteboards fall off as blue-tac is not always enough.
Drying clothes inside when it’s raining outside, hard to find room for a clothes horse.
A smaller trolley to take to the market, which is easer to store away as it is small.
Friends and Family aren’t organised as there always late. Though one of his friend did seem to have like 6 calendars on the go and diary’s and things.
SolidWorks and they way it’s taught.

Problem 1: One of the activities Raph finds enjoyment from is swimming. He had no problem or worries leaving his belongings around at his local pool as everybody knew each other, but now in the city he isn’t so sure. His belongings include a towel, goggles, watch, phone and sometimes a whole change of clothes. At times you get lockers to store things in but these mostly use a key, then you need someplace to put that as you swim. Some times they give the key to you on an arm band but that is uncomfortable.
- somewhere to store things in
- a lockable bag
- must be quite large to include towel and clothes
- a more comfortable armband key holder
- better lockers

Problem 2: Raph’s new accommodation at the student village has meant that he is living in a confined space with little room. He say’s that he has enough storage space apart from cupboards to store food in. He also has the problem of a dinner table and seating as there’s no real eating area. If he was to set out a table it would be on his balcony, or he would move back the divider between his and his roommate’s beds. There is currently a fold away table that is permanently set up but is always used for other things. His current method of eating is out in the hallway, resting the plate on his lap. The sink is also too small and dishes always pile up.
- fold out tables and chairs that can be stored onto the wall as an artistic decoration when not in use.
- more compact fold out table and chairs
- his grandparents wanted to come up and visit him and have dinner there but there is no sitting room, if there was to be fold out furniture it would have to be stable

Problem 3: Raph has a tight budget for food and would like it if he was able to be informed about where to go to by cheap food. He knows of a few places but still if your looking for certain things it’s hard to find the best and cheapest. He currently needs to walk to shops and has to look and search, the main places he shops are the Queen Vic Market and local supermarkets, and mostly just guessing where it is cheap.

Identifying that one of his needs is to eat a healthy balanced decent meal, to avoid being sick as no he’s moved out there is no one to take care of him if he was to get sick. He tries to buy most of his food with other people in the level, so shopping for food is a kind of social thing. The cooking and eating of meals is currently not a very social thing.

This last problem I found the most interesting and have many ideas. Why talking to Raph and his way of eating and if he ate alone he said no mostly with his roommate. He said that he enjoyed the social aspects of food, as it’s currently a good why to get people together as it’s a necessity to eat.

- there could be an electronic devise of some type like a mobile phone, which can receive messages. Could receive the messages once a week and the message would say what items are cheap and where to get them, could also include other message like where to buy materials and supplies for the course and where there are nice cheap restaurants. Raph used an example of how he found out that there was a pub and every Monday night they had cheap meals where every meal was only $12.

- another idea is to have a meal together with people from the same level where some one will bring in the meat along then someone else might cook it, while someone else will get the peas.

- A system to find what people are doing as he often doesn’t know where his roommate is. A board or note system to say where people are and have gone off to. A system to see if people are in their rooms or if their off out some where, as there are many people sharing the same corridor. Raph currently leaves his door open when he is in.

- Planning for food and community eating. In Italy where Raph stayed eating was a very social and planned event. The whole extended family, like Aunts, grandmas, and mothers would all cook together in the same kitchen. They go over to the person’s house with the ingredients of the raw food, and then cook the whole meal together, so what ingredients they bring is planned. They also grow a lot of their own food in their gardens and share the food around. Socialising why you cook it’s all about your family.

- The idea of meeting up and constructing a meal together. If people are cooking together it generally means that they need to be there from the start, can only be late there occasionally otherwise other people are doing all the work. A good dinner time for Raph was about 8 o’clock so everybody could meet up at 7.30. Dinner is the best meal to have together as everybody has different schedules and timetables so hard to meat up during the day. If there was going to be some kind of eating event it might be best to have it only a few nights a week.

- Observation is that generally people are going around and asking what others are cooking they reply stir-fry then they say that sounds good and will cook it as well. So people end up cooking the same type of meal in different kitchens, instead of separate meals could all have the same thing as more energy is being used making multiple small meals.

- A food resource which is documented as most of the current teaching and information is verbal

- It would be good to have simple recipes on hand as Raph often finds he’s left with simple ingredients like pasta and a few vegies like corn and is cooking the same things again and again. As currently it’s a verbal thing so if the person who knows is unavailable then you can’t find out the information.

- Some kind of system where people can be in contact so if someone is down at the shops buying food then others can tell and ask them if they need anything why they are there. Cheap as well like an email, not texting.

- A communal eating area is needed, it would encourage interaction. There is currently no space for this in building design and lay out. Maybe some kind of future space age seating and tables which come from the ceilings or walls. If the level space was redesigned and there was only one big kitchen that every one use instead of separate little ones what happens if people come back late and missed the meal?

- People often only need silly things like one or two onions, but there might be a group of people only needing one onion so it is cheaper for one person to buy a big bag then divide it out.

- There could be a big communal board at the end of the hall for recipes, could also find out about food prices and restaurants from each other. Maybe some kind of USB stick thing that plug into it so every one can add things. Can search through like on a touch screen. Search across food by typing or selecting what you want and find price and store and location. Can refine/specify search through recipes buy typing in what ingredients you have like corn, capsicum and then find recipes which have that. Or type in vegetarian, non vegetarian. Can have alternatives on recipes like a stir-fry that’s good with or without meat encase of vegetarian, or alternative ingredients encase of allergies. Search restaurants, and maps to navigate to the place you want to go and how to get there its distance, time to get there why walking.

- Update messages, to individuals have something which when walks pasts interacts with communal board and tells you if you have a message. Wireless information, can walk over to the board and attach it then activate a password so private messages are shown to the user or uploaded for personal viewing later. The thing might project out a vidii image and recording. User leaves a message to others of where they are going, can be a video recorder, or just a message audio recorder by facing and talking into screen. The object could be wearable like a necklace.

- Becoming more social, everybody on the whole level can use and update it. Might only need to type up recipe in Microsoft word. Or maybe just read allow the recipe and it turns into a written document. Can add in restaurants yourself as well.

- Could have individual screens within each room, and then a hub within the corridor in which you up date files and record things. Then you can view the recipe as you cook.

- The object that interacts wirelessly can read out a recipe verbally, or a number of small screens can be shared around. Or a projector within so can leave it on the bench and will project up onto wall. Can receive messages asking people to buy certain food for others.

- The communal board could have a program involving maths to evenly share out cost of food and times and popular recipes, so if there is a big communal cook altogether you get told what to buy and how much and what’s going to be cooked so it doesn’t have to be one person all the time.

Out comes and projects look into layout design of the building and how communal cooking would work. Look into eating, fold out tables and chairs and each person will bring it along could be store on wall corridor when not in use. The objects, the systems in use with communal board, how it can be adapted to be used in offices and build 87? Assisting communication.

I fear…

2006-04-21T20:39:00.000+10:00

I fear that some days more recently than not that I don’t belong in this course, which was mostly the feeling I hold during the first semester of first year. That feeling of being behind, and left in the darkness, this is mostly within the skills based area. Is it ok to be a designer if I can’t use or understand programs like SolidWorks, if I don’t understand the properties of materials and most of tech, and can’t do a tech drawing at all?

Maybe it’s not ok at all, sometimes I wish I could go back to the days of the corporation game and just let go. I am afraid to just let go of things and find my own way, on just focusing mainly on the things I like such as studies and studio. Instead I just find myself getting stressed and muddled about everything.

I fear that I don’t trust my own judgement enough to be doing a course where I am trying to show and convince others of my ideas and work. It can only effectively do this when I believe in something which for most of the semester hasn’t been the case for anything much at all.

I think that I am losing too much faith in myself, and that I have stopped taking risks and am hiding back again. I don’t think I am a good designer at all when I am too afraid to let go, I have a lot more fun when I just do things and not have to continually think is this the best idea to work on etc.

I am finding that I am not very happy within my self at the moment in my self confidence and that my work is suffering because of it which is leaving my upset and angry at myself. I guess I am just very lost at the moment and where I want to be within the course and what I want to end up doing. Maybe I have already travelled down a path to far and can’t turn back, or maybe I am looking for happiness within my designs and can’t find anything.

I also fear that I’ll finish this course without any skills as a designer at all and therefore failing the course in my own mind.

‘disapproving stare’

2006-04-10T22:05:00.000+10:00

So tonight yet again my mother decides to remind me how she disapproves of my career choice, and that I wasn’t sure what kind of job I’d have at the end why was I doing it and that if this course wasn’t going to end up any where why was I doing it.

I refuse to menton anything about industrial design and what I do and where you can go because I don’t want her to have any ideas because whatever she thinks I know I’ll just fail her it’s all best left unsaid. I don’t what her mapping out idea in her mind or seeing me being successful anywhere because most likely her view and my view will be totally and completely different.

Though it’s so infuriating to hear her rubbishing the course the whole time, she also picks convenient times when no one else is around. I am not sure how much longer she can stand me doing this course and I am positive she isn’t going to last until the end. All she wants from me is to get a job that has ‘direction’ and move out the house. Art and any such activities are purely just a hobby and not a real job, and I am lacking direction and focus in my life, should be doing a real course that leads somewhere.

Whatever happens I know I have failed in her eyes it’s just my mother hasn’t yet realised it, as I will never be ending up with some sort of safe proper job.

A tired mind

2006-04-08T15:51:00.000+10:00

I don’t know why but I decided to go design hunting on the blogs it’s all that typical design stuff.
http://designsponge.blogspot.com/
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/emotionallycentered.html
I think all this weird blog searching is to do with this weird mood I have been in since SolidWorks still having a lot of ‘fun’ making my modal car. Though one thing’s for sure I feel like I am learning a lot faster in CAD this semester, and learning a few quicker easier ways to do things though the only other thing I made in SolidWorks was the pulley last year so maybe it’s my increased usage, though I prefer to do most of my work in class as there are always so many people to help me and I don’t have to spend hour figuring out the simplest things.

Not enough time

2006-04-06T23:37:00.000+10:00

Sorry Studio I seemed to have abandoned you in favour of my studies blog. Though I shall return soon, good news though Dad came back this week and he also had a new bag for me yay. So if you ever get bored of not seeing more posts on this blog I dare you to brave the information collecting of my studies. http://studieself.blogspot.com/

Screaming aloud on the inside.

2006-04-01T16:25:00.000+11:00

Damn I am so over sharing stupid computers grrrr, not only do I have to try and find time at uni when all the computers are free but at home as well, I just wish that I could have a proper go while working on my CAD stuff sick of sharing things full stop with my sister, she has been steeling my clothes as well as my hair ties. Since Dad’s overseas Mum’s turned into a cleaning Nazi so I am now on strike 2 one more and that it’s I’ll be kicked out of home, (though I am not to certain mum would really do that…would she?)

How come when one thing goes bad everything goes bad? All these Tech assignment have crept up and now I know what I’ll be spending all my free time doing. I never quite predicted how much extra time Tech would take up and the difficulty I seem to have with nearly everything.

I am really struggling for studio as well still don’t really like anything I have come up with maybe Brandon’s right and I am being to harsh but I have no motivation and no new ideas. So studio has fallen in a big heap along with my intention of doing well, I might still be able to scrape up a credit mark or something which is not what I wanted to do for my last lower pool studio.

At least studies is seemingly going ok for now. So I don’t really know what kind of designer I am anymore. I am meeting up with Raph tomorrow so maybe by just talking to him probe out some of his needs, maybe there’s time to salvage studio who knows? Or it could go the opposite direction where I don’t discover anything and am left with nothing again.

Well I am off for the night I am going to Katie’s house warming and spending the night there, should be good at least it will get my mind of uni, and home.

A historical day for me.

2006-03-30T22:10:00.000+11:00

This is not only my 150th post (wow I can hardly believe it) but also the day I brought my first pair of jeans in 15 years. It's all here.

Questions:

2006-03-29T22:54:00.000+11:00

Hopefully with these questions answered by Raph I can finally get some ideas and start to think of something for studio. I thought a broad range which isn't too much focused on need is best. Then I'll tease out where the answers can be taken and discuss where the needs are. Hopefully I'll find this a bit more engaging myself then I’ll be happy to take it through the semester.

Questions:
1. Describe yourself in a few words.
2. What is your favourite hobby?
3. What is your favourite activity
4. What is your favourite colour
5. What is your favourite piece of technology?
6. Where do you live?
7. Do you have lots of space?
8. What is the main mood you feel from your bedroom?
9. Do you enjoy being out doors or indoors more?
10. What is your main mode of transport?
11. Is there an area of your life that you have difficulty with?
12. What is something that makes you happy?
13. What is something you find humours?
14. What is something you see or find engaging?
15. What colour gives you a special feeling, and what is that feeling?
16. What is something you like to share?
17. What is something you find hard to use?
18. What is something you find easy to use?
19. What is something you view as ugly?
20. What is something you see as thought provocative?
21. What do you see to be bad design?
22. What do you see to be good design?
23. What do you see as one of your needs, wants and desires?
24. What do you see as one of your friend’s needs, wants and desires?
25. What do you see as one of your family’s needs, wants and desires?

A self review up to week 5.

2006-03-28T20:34:00.000+11:00

In the beginning I picked this studio hoping to further my skills started in the corporation game or simply just to use them. Within the corporation game I found a high level of motivation, which kept me striving ahead. There was also I great satisfaction I had within the class discussion my ideas and my work. Honestly up until now I haven’t found the same level of motivation and on my own part engagement.

I found that within class discussing with Kate and other students that I had enough momentum and could come up with ideas and concepts. But on leaving the class seemingly I left my motivation behind. I wanted to get good marks this semester and have liked the idea of focusing on a distinction. Looking at what I have accomplished so far I am far off this goal. I have no self pride within my work and ideas and a feeling that

I am now merely just working on the sake of doing work rather than the focusing on something I enjoy, which is not where I wanted to be when I picked this studio. As we have to pick one of the two projects to take ahead, my kite project is seemingly resolved so I am left with design for need which really is a project not taken anywhere yet.

I think that I shall restart this design for need by picking another student and asking them a proper series of questions and interview them, following the brief more clearly. Then with whomever I interview with them will construct a loose brief with a few guidelines that I can use to launch forward with into the remaining of the semester. Hopefully then I can find more commitment to my own work and ideas and will find the semester less depressing, and can get focused on the benefits of a project to construct something which I not only like but can effectively communicate my idea to others.

My work up to date is of poor quality and knowing that I have it within me to do heaps better I am getting frustrated with myself. After looking at what’s been going on in Scott’s studio I would like to incorporate some of the ideas based around the tram. What I can gather is that there is a push on developing the idea of drawing things correctly with good perspective, line work and rendering. The tram system is undergoing a whole change not just the exterior and interior but also tram stops, and better ways of combining transport such as spaces for bikes to go on trams and wheelchair access.

So maybe if I think of a design which in a way could be added to over the semester I know that I can be engaged when I get bored of the aesthetic on the exterior I can move to something which still fits within the context like the tram shelter and wont have to feel that I am getting boxed in and committing myself to just one idea to last a semester and help relive some of this built up pressure I have place upon myself.

The next goal for this week is to develop a set of questions so I can understand a person and get an insight to their life, and with them develop or pull out a simple problem even if it’s a nice redesign project or disguising something. Or maybe something that provides a small bit of entertainment. Even if it’s something beautiful or something ugly which just makes us stop and think for that one moment in time. I’ll try and start of small with one idea such as the tram and leap off from there. I think I’ll ask Raph to interview him. Then I’ll defiantly put it through one of the games maybe playgroup would like to help maybe a goal for next week.

Thankfully there is still time within the semester, I think I’ll just take the next few steps slowly and enjoy the process of learning no more rushing and cutting corners as I almost missed out on the chance to look into someone else’s life see from another perspective and improve upon communication.

Just my feelings on marking today.

2006-03-28T19:48:00.000+11:00

I am so stressed out at the moment I could seriously cry. At times I feel the way the learner centered program within the studio is adding pressures, it would be nice if I could confidently say or speak out my ideas beliefs and values, but I don’t have the faith that what I say will fully be received with openness and without harsh judgment. To effectively receive and give criticism while being marked at the same time is quite stressful as I feel we are simply setting out a system of comparison based on skills and forgetting the personal growth that we achieved individually.

I view my learning up to date as a series of failed ideas and attempts and feel that within this current LCP that other students simply can’t understand my perspective, and that without having resolved outcomes or ideas I can’t effectively communicate to them as I have no belief in my work so I don’t think other students will.

Self reviewing this early within a semester for me has been a stressful process and I still don’t understand where I lie. Understanding that I have come from the wrong angle within both projects and forgetting the brief has only complicated my direction of where to head now. I am not sure within the marking I can say that I have screwed up big time and now know and understand what it takes to for me personally effectively launch into something. As I now figured out I have overcomplicated situations and needed to set some parameters in which I should design. I like input from other students as a guide, and value a mark of where they are wanting to rank me, but feel that it’s still to early in the semester to pick up on all our mistakes and flaws just yet. Maybe a small reflective piece would be a nice addition to sum up where we are now and what to go.

Hitting a brick wall hard.

2006-03-27T23:05:00.000+11:00

Thanks Liam the template took a bit of fiddling, but I think it's an improvement. The lanterns kind of remind me how the blog came into its original existence through the Corporation Game studio. Damn this design for need project it sounded really good at the time though I am disagreeing with it now.

Wonder what it would have been like if I decided to take the slightly easier (as it involves less thinking) option of Scott’s studio. I don’t think I’d be getting stuck on the tram; some of the stuff in that studio was beginning to look really good as well. Maybe I am looking for an easy way out now as I haven’t found the self motivation to succeed, or that everything feels like work like it did in first semester last year.

Maybe I don’t really have a thinking mind at all, should decide tat soon before it’s too late to turn down the re-design path… Or maybe it’s too late for that to. I wish I had semi decent skills to fall back on for when all my ideas suck. Second year is a lot harder than I thought or maybe I am just getting stupider, I really thought I’d get motivated in Kate’s studio as within the corporation game it has the aspect we go off and learn and do what interests us. It’s weird as I chose Kate’s studio thinking I could use some of the thinking principals, and learning aspects from the CG, but I don’t think I have. I guess I have become to skill based minded again and are just wanting to have my perfect folio of concept sketches, a computer rendering and mock up model. I just want to get to the end without having a journey.

Maybe I am in the studio for the wrong reasons now, or I just don’t know where I want to head and want to follow a path which is well tread by most students, pretty pictures conveying the ideas, good computer technical skills of how it would be done and a model to hold and view. I don’t know I guess my worst fear of all… if it turns out I am really not good at anything at all… or I have traveled to far down one path and find myself alone misunderstood and with nothing much to show for it but a bunch of mistakes for everyone to laugh at.

This semester has mostly turned into a whole bunch of stuff that I am not good at, and if I don’t watch can easily fail – all skills based. Not only that but every one is picking up on it to. In the workshop today a student gave me 4 out of 10 for my finish of my model. Maybe I can’t hide my flaws any longer. It’s hard to get motivated and stuck into things knowing that I really don’t have the skills to know if it will work, or at least look half decent. I guess I am losing faith in all my ideas at the moment so have lost belief that I can actually have something worthwhile to show for my journey and troubles and a good experience to learn from.

Design for need.

2006-03-26T14:45:00.000+11:00

Ok if anybody reads this could they kindly post up a comment if they have a need, it doesn’t have to be Victor Papanek’s approach of designing for basic needs these could be more of wants and desires than an actual need. As I have to construct a brief for it Tuesday outlining what I a doing it would be nice to get a collective needs and see if there are some which appear more than others.

Do you need something to help relieve your stress and make you happier? What s something that makes you happy? Are you happier by yourself or in a social activity?

Is there and identifiable problem within your life that is making this harder? A common problem as a student is carrying around all materials, work and equipment from home to uni. Maybe it’s a simple time saving device as students are always pushed for time.

Is there a lack of communication and understanding somewhere?

Maybe a process of documentation as students we always need to record things?

Is there an environmental need which should be addressed? This can be anything from the quality of the air to the safety on the streets such as discarded needles. Maybe an easily accessible solar power supply for computers?

Maybe a to address the problem of a fear society as everyday we are encountering parents sheltering their children from the worst of society- children don’t walk to school etc. Fear of terrorists, drugs as wonder cures- is there a way of reducing people’s fears?

Go wash your desires with tears and go to sleep

2006-03-25T16:43:00.000+11:00

Yesterday along with Soumitri and his family I went dancing on the W11:Karachi2melbourne city circle tram. Along our dancing travels we also met up with Carl and family, and where greeted by Mick and the Pakistani conductors. There was loud festive music along with lots of lights and decorations. I have never being dancing on a tram before in front of people was quite a different experience and it seemed like half the time I was just trying to stand up. (Never wear tall shoes and dance on moving vehicles it’s quite a challenge.) It was quite an enjoyable experience though towards the end when I had seemingly found a rhythm.

Kite Brief

2006-03-25T16:26:00.000+11:00

Kites can be an important educational tool in teaching young children of all ages how things fly, and the importance of the weight and shape of objects being aerodynamic. Kites have been made for over thousands of years and have had many different uses an interesting kite culture and history has emerged from around the world.

Children though have limited attention spans, and unless something is engaging will drift of and let their minds wonder off. So to capture their interest and reflect some of their creativity an easy design kite that is easy to decorate by colouring or painting, and then make and fly would be something that can help assist their learning.

The materials the kite will be constructed from should be either re-claimed or second hand materials. This also helps children to learn to be sustainable and that they can be creative and use anything to create fun and entertaining toys and objects. These materials include:
• Wrapping paper, and used paper in various sizes
• Fabrics like old sheets
• Plastic bags- they are light weight and create a waterproof cover
• Found objects- sticks, old stakes, bamboo skewers
• String and cotton

Simple ways to manipulate the material and create kites using little time as to keep children engaged and that they have something of their own making to keep and play with at the end is something important. Some fast and effective methods are:
• Simple folding of paper such as origami but will create objects that will fly
• Using scissors cut out decretive shapes
• Follow pre-existing kite patterns such as the box kite for slightly older children; they can be created together in a team.

Each kite design should be able to be flown in the wind outside even if they only stand up in the air for a few minutes, this is important as it shows that when the correct principles and designs are used with the little help from and energy source you can defy gravity.

The kite making system

2006-03-19T23:25:00.000+11:00

This is one of the parts of the children’s kite making system that I have come up with. They are cards which are stored in a box to make the system mobile so the workshop can be run at parks. I am sketching up some sign ideas which could be left at places permanently or printed out as large posters to put up on the wall. I have decided that this new template is quite good and I am going to leave it up here for a while.

Oh no!

2006-03-14T22:15:00.000+11:00

Well I started to play around with my blog and so far have created flower vomit, hopefully this will be fixed over coming days but I need to finish of my Tec… But don’t worry blog I’ll save you or get Brittany too. :(

Some sketches of the kites

2006-03-13T22:35:00.000+11:00

The last of the Kites

2006-03-13T21:44:00.000+11:00

Well I have made a few kites, some of the where quite small made from match sticks and others where bigger. But I am looking forward to starting the next project tomorrow as I didn’t really feel the same motivation mainly because none of them really flew, it could have been the lack of wind but I think the main culprit was my design. Though I did make a nice diamond shaped origami kite.

4 hats on the kite.

2006-03-11T15:25:00.000+11:00

White- what I already know- who is the kite for? Children what design? Decretive, to fly high, can’t be to complex to make if children are making it. what do I need to find out what weight is needed, how much wind, how big, what materials, can it fly indoors how long it takes to build

Black- The dangers of the problem- If too heavy won’t fly, if children are making them can’t have sharp objects for cutting, no sharp objects on the side, can’t crash-land into kid, not a long life span so creates waste

Yellow- What are the benefits- Children can socialise make kites together, leaning new skills, occupying, entertaining, fun, involved in an event, learning

Green- children can fly around inside their own kite, it can fly indoors and with out wind, new way of transporting people around, have a wind tunnel around cities and people jump in side with kite and steer around until they find and exit tunnel.

Red- Blue hats ignored don’t fit into problem.

Questioning technique on the kite

2006-03-10T23:01:00.000+11:00

I am using the questions from the questioning technique from the corporation game but I am not sure if they are right as the ones in the printed book are different, and I got these from my little notebook well I don’t think it matters if these are the wrong ones or not as long as it gets me thinking.

What is it?'
'Why is it that way?''
'What else can it be?'
'What should it be?'

Paper kite

What is it? Flight, wind, paper, fabric, light, free, dowel, sticks, small, large, string, old material, waste. A box shape, diamond shape, flies outdoors.

Why is it that way? So it can be moved in the wind, attractive, delicate, religious meaning of flying kite, relaxing, fun, entertainment, children can fly it, reuse materials.

'What else can it be? Transporting people, therapy, shelter, energy source, recycle and re-use of material, shade transporter, signaling, something which flies indoors

'What should it be?' a way of bonding to create, learning tool about flight for children, education an reusing materials, decretive intricate design for entertainment then use them as a type of puppet for story telling in the air.

Ok so after answering the questions quickly where should I go now? I do like the idea of creating a workshop style system where children can create their own kite (out of existing materials for reuse) then learn about flying and the history and culture around kites. Though the story telling idea could be fun to create, and make humm a lot of thinking to do. Thought the next step will be for me to bond with the material and simply create.

Now I am a crumpet.

2006-03-08T22:31:00.000+11:00

I don’t seem to have the same motivation in studio, this semester though it’s still early days but I want something decent before the project ends next week. I picked the crumpet studio with the intentions of expanding what I started to learn within the corporation game, not sure how that’s going as its early days still. I am finding though that I feel I should become a bit more skills based and technically inclined as I am now in second year.

I seem to keep on procrastinating about the kite project made from recycled or reused materials; I just can’t seem to come up with ideas which seem interesting. Though maybe I just need to go and bond with the materials and see what happens first. I am a bit pessimistic about making the actual thing fly; I really don’t think times on my side having only having about 5 days left. Maybe it’s time to pull out a few of the tools from the corporation game and do the questing technique or put it through the six hats.

The sustainability and different types of lights lecture yesterday was interesting, I am thinking of doing one of them for my next two week project. I don’t know I always get fired up on sustainability stuff I think that’s because there’s always a kind of reason to do something before you start with the intention of not being as damaging to the environment, and I get to use bits and piece of the stuff I learnt in year 12 environmental science.

Or maybe I am finding studies a bit more interesting and don’t need to be motivated by studio as much to get me through. I think I am stressing about outcomes which is making me less driven, I am always sitting at the bottom of a mounting looking how far I need to climb rather than just walking down the path admiring the scenery.

Ranting on again

2006-02-28T22:08:00.000+11:00

Well today we had to pick our studio that we will spend the rest of the semester doing. It was quite hard for me having done the corporation game; I wasn’t quite decided wether to pick a studio which seemed to follow similar principals and valued thinking. Or to pick something that was more technical and outcome driven to have a solid something to hold. Though seemingly to increase my anxieties decided to go for thinking, and picked the weirdest sounding one which was Kate’s and is also LCP.

So I aim to develop and improve upon things that where the main focus of the corporation game with something similar lets just say my anxieties are quite high… Not sure if I am heading to far down a path. After talking to Deanne and her focus on what design should be about and to have a lot of things to have a folio to show and thoughts about Soumitri approach not being realistic to Australia, as the industry is too small and is mainly about ‘Product Design’ after all… Could be a mistake heading away from skills.

Hopefully as soon as I start getting to the studio I’ll enjoy what I am doing and that enjoyment will be enough that I’ll stop thinking about how other studios and my skills could have gone. Though I think within this studio I’ll get the chance to experiment. I am not sure if I picked this studio because it seemed safe or interesting. Or maybe I just need a bit more faith in myself that things will turn out good.

Today I am old...

2006-02-25T23:51:00.000+11:00

Thanks Brittany for the flash birthday greeting was very good I enjoyed it, and thanks Luca for the birthday greeting. Thanks to all my friends as well since my family where busy.

Back from first year camp!

2006-02-24T12:23:00.000+11:00

Well things are starting to happen again, I have just come back from helping out with the first year camp which went extremely well, tomorrow is my birthday and then I’ll start second year on Monday.

As I was talking to a few of the first year students it seemed that many where looking forward to events involving all year levels so that they could be given the chance to ask questions or just a general chat. It was good that I could answer their questions about first year, and hopefully they see that they can come and chat to us whenever they see us passing around building 87.

The camp was a lot of fun it was quite a different experience from our camp last year, because there where less students attended making it a smaller group. It was excellent that everybody seemed to pitch in and help when needed.

The highlights included a short shadow puppet film about lectures made as Tuesday evening’s entertainment by group three (the group I was in) there is a tape of it. It was a very good first impression of lectures that’s quite accurate. On the final night found the one good use for cane... Burning it, a giant 8 meter man was suspended above the fire pit, and set alight.