Critique is Critical

When I entered college as a freshman, I was very much a ‘work by myself’ individual. As I’ve taken more design classes and matured I’ve realized that being a team player is a much more effective way to get things done.

When I was taking design classes as a freshman and beginning of sophmore year I worked by myself a lot of the time. I didn’t reach out to my peers around me very often to ask their opinion or critique and I only asked the opinion of my teacher when necessary. Sure, my projects weren’t bad but I feel that in seeking more critique and help I could have pushed my designs a lot further. Today I came across a blog post titled “Get Yourself a Crit Buddy” and it talked about how finding someone else to look at and critique your work is always a good idea. This can make your work even better than you thought possible. As I’ve gone through college, I’ve learned to value critique from others. Usually it involves getting ruthlessly cut down from peers or teachers (if you have that kind of teacher) but don’t take it personally! Critiques are not personal attacks on your character or you as a person. They help you better your work. I’ve learned to take advice from fellow students and peers and apply it to my projects and work.

This also applies to working on a team. Your team is your personal critique group. Our intern team here at LACD is constantly talking to each other about projects and events, getting each others opinions and feedback and relying on one another to help out. I believe critique is an essential part of being on a team.

Critique is critical! This doesn’t just apply to design projects, this applies to all aspects of school, work and internships. We’ve heard teachers tell us countless times to get our papers proof read by other students or have a second pair of eyes to help us with speeches, homework etc. Also we’ve all had to suffer through group projects in class which most of the time don’t end to well. However all of these are practice for being able to work with other and get feedback and critique from team members or workplace peers later in life. So get out there and get some critique!

The Power of Negative Thinking

I recently read an article titled “The Power of Negative Thinking”. I received the link in an email and I didn’t immediately pay attention to it since it had such a strange title. Most of us have been told throughout our lives to visualize the end goal. Picture your life with all your ambitions fulfilled and this will help you motivate yourself to achieve those goals. Personally, this is something that my parents and teachers have told me in the past. Look forward to what you want, visualize your perfect end result.

This article disagrees slightly. According to a study done by Gabriele Oettingen’s psychology lab at New York University, research has shown that visualizing our aims before they are achieved can backfire. Thinking about this positive, complete picture tricks our brains into thinking all the hard work has already been done. This means that it may cause the brain to relax and for our energy to seep away. See the exerpt from the article below:

“In the study, volunteers felt de-energized after visualizing success in an essay competition. In another, participants who fantasied about their goals for the coming week felt less energetic and achieved fewer of their goals.”

Interesting. So what are we supposed to do? Give up? Never think about the future ever? Thinking about the perfect future may cause us to gloss over thinking about the obstacles in our path to success. Thinking about this perfect life may be exciting but we shouldn’t lose sight of the challenges we have yet to conquer. Simple put, we need to be realistic. Obviously we should have our goals in mind and think about what we want to accomplish but it’s just as important to see the hurdles we have yet to face. This is called “mental contrasting”, thinking about your end goal while paying attention to where you are now and the difficulties between here and there.

 

To read the full article go here.

Switching Majors

Switching majors was the best thing I’ve ever done in my college career. It was a nerve wracking decision, however I now know that I’m right where I want to be. Should you do the same thing? When switching to a different major there are several things to think about beforehand. Being frustrated at the amount of schoolwork you have or not getting along with a professor are not good enough reasons to change majors. You’ll get your work finished and you’ll pass the class and move on. However if you are truly unhappy in your major or you feel passionate about another subject, then maybe you should switch directions.

Changing career directions is not something to take lightly. This is an important decision that will affect the rest of your career. There are some things to consider if you are thinking about switching. Graduating on time is a huge factor in the decision making. Many students may not want to or can’t afford to stay in college for more than 4 or 5 years. Staying in college for even an extra semester or two can be expensive and time consuming. Sometimes, however the classes you’ve already taken may be able to count towards the other major you are considering. This usually happens if you are switching majors within the same department or school. Talking with your advisor is the best way to decide if you can graduate in time and if not, would it be worth it to stay in school longer. You may also consider taking summer classes or having a heavier course load for a few semesters.

Then you should consider your skills and talents. Maybe you’re in a major that isn’t suited to what you’re skilled at. Bad at math but you’re majoring in physics? This may not be the place for you. Think about what you’re interested in life and what motivates you. What are your passions? What activities do you pursue in your free time? All these things could help inspire you in choosing a new major.

Are you switching because you fear there may not be a job after college? Do some research about the field you’re majoring in and talking to some professionals and professors. Sometimes the fear of the great unknown may prevent you from pursuing something you really love. Don’t let worry about finances stop you from going after a career that inspires and motivates you. Don’t choose a boring office job instead of doing something you love just because of money. Of course there are times when money is the thing that motivates you but don’t let it become the deciding factor. As liberal art majors, we have many opportunities that we don’t even know about. More and more companies are hiring liberal art students because of the communication and people skills we are developing during school. Sometimes the job you get after college will have nothing to do with your major simply because you have gained skills during school that are valuable to employers.

Then of course there’s one of the biggest reasons you want to change your major: you completely detest it. Classes don’t interest you and the whole thought of what your major entails puts you to sleep. You’re stressed, you’re bored, you’re not being challenged enough. These reasons alone is a big enough reason to change majors. For me, it was because I had lost interest in the subject I was studying. The actual career prospect I was facing was nothing like I imagined when I entered college and so I decided to switch to something that I felt strongly about (adding a second major was just the icing on the cake).

That being said, I encourage you to stick with the major you have chosen for at least a semester. Sometimes freshman or low level classes are not interesting and you just have to push through it to get to the exciting, challenging classes. No matter what you’re thinking about, always talk to your advisor. They will have the knowledge and the resources to help you fully decide on a plan of action. Also talk to your peers and professors. Those around you could lend you insight on the situation and even lend their own experiences and perspective.

No matter what, follow your dreams.

No Excuses

I’ve had a hard time getting inspired lately. Now is the wind down to graduation. 2 and a half months left, time is flying and I’m just “meh”. I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of half-assed work, simply because I’m feeling lukewarm about what I’m doing. Every night I get home, I feel exhausted and I haven’t even started on the stack of homework I have to do. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been making excuses and putting off work until the last minute simply because I feel I’m not physically or mentally capable of doing it.

This is not okay.

I’m an intern at the Liberal Arts Career Development office here on campus and this week is our “Career Week”. Basically this a week long event filled with presentation and activities to get students involved and inspired about their majors and career paths. There have been some fantastic speakers (I even got to present on Monday), but I want to focus on the two that have inspired me the most.

The first speaker I got to see earlier today, Matt Barnes, is very involved in the parkour community and his presentation was all about “Breaking Free” and how he found his inspiration through parkour. He is young, energetic and completely excited about what he is doing in life. You can view a Ted Talk he did at Purdue here which is a small 6 minute snippet of what he talked about today. It was really great to hear about how he got to where he was and the advice he gives to not just young entrepreneurs but students generally. What really struck me the most was him talking about finding that one thing you’re passionate about and pursuing it. If you love to do something, you should spend a lot of your time doing it. Really look at what you’re spending your day on and re-prioritize what you’re doing with your life. There are so many unnecessary  useless things I’m doing in my life that are not helping me in my career path but are instead wasting my time. Do I need to watch Netflix? Nope, but I do it anyway. Instead I could be applying to jobs or doing research for projects. I need to change these habits and re-energize my life.

The second speaker that was really inspiring is Haley Price. She’s also young and energetic and has really accomplished a lot in her life so far. You can view her website here. The most striking thing she said was “Find a way, don’t make excuses.” A lot of the time a situation arises where it would be totally acceptable to make an excuse. Maybe I’m feeling tired or sick and it would be acceptable for me to call off homework or projects for that night. However, finding a way around that and pushing forward will be much more beneficial in the long run. Having that can-do attitude and choosing to be active is how I will be able to overcome challenges. I want to meet those challenges head on every time and not make excuses about them. Getting past those situations and staying strong will make me a stronger and a better person. That’s what I want to do.

Matt and Haley had a lot of other great points that they talked about but those were the things that really spoke to me and inspired me. I want to be like them, I want to have that passion and drive. I’m done with excuses.

Organize Your Way to Success

I admit that I am not a naturally organized person. I have to conscientiously make a decision to be organized and stick to that plan. If I don’t, I’ll end up with my entire closet on my floor and unable to find my planner and notebooks the next morning. If this sounds like you, never fear! There are a couple of easy things you can do to become a more organized you.

Keep a planner – Of course we all have smartphones which can hold our calendars and tell us when we have to be at class. However, having an actual planner can make it much simpler. The Purdue mortarboard for example has a week by week layout as well as the overall month calendar. This is great for looking ahead to make sure you’re not forgetting due dates for projects or papers and you’re staying on top of homework. You can also highlight important events coming up that you don’t want to forget and also enables you to scribble down reminders for things you don’t want to forget later. If you have an app on your phone or you prefer using a giant wall calendar that’s okay too, as long as you have a place to keep track of your day.

De-clutter – We all have it. That junk you’ve kept since freshman year. Clothes that don’t fit but you keep in your closet anyway. Having a mess around you can distract from studying or homework and make you feel overwhelmed. The time has come to streamline your belongings. One of the rules of Zen monks is to think about what is necessary in your life. Zen monks only have the basics; shelter, food, basic clothing etc. Now I’m not saying you have to get rid of your belongings and live like a monk, but take an afternoon to evaluate what you own. Decide what you need and what doesn’t serve a purpose anymore. Donate those old clothes to goodwill and go through your papers to decide what’s important. Your living space will feel much better afterwards.

Store things you can’t part with – If you’ve come across some things you don’t want to throw out but don’t have the space for either, consider storing them. Containers for under bed storage are great for getting winter clothes out of the way. There are many organization systems you can buy that will make your life easier and simpler. Or you could just take those things to your parent’s house right?

One thing at a time – Trying to tackle everything on your to-do list at the same time is not going to be beneficial to your or your stress level. Make a list of things you have to do in order of importance. Work on these list items one at a time and don’t try switching between tasks. If you focus yourself on one task at a time you’ll be more productive and effective.

Organize papers – Many people have stacks of paper in their lives. These may be syllabi from class, project papers, papers you’ve written etc. It’s time to organize them so they don’t lie around and cause a mess. Usually when I go through my papers I put them into two piles, keep and throw away. The keep pile is then organized into different sections depending on what the subject is. I have a folder for my art project papers, syllabi for class and homework to turn in. That way I know where everything is and I can get to it easily. Keep the folders near your computer or in your desk draw for easy access.

These are just a few tips to get you on your way to a more organized life. Remember this quote by Confucius, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated”.

Research

This semester I am enrolled in a “Professional Practice” class (with one of my favorite professors) which meets once a week and discusses resumes, portfolios and how to get a job after graduation. In our first meeting this past Tuesday, the professor went around the class and asked each of us where we wanted to work after graduation. Many of our answers were vague and generally boiled down to, “Wherever I get a job”. Clearly, as a class of 29 seniors, we are clueless! He showed us that we are completely unprepared for the challenges of the real world. We have gone through college and our design classes completely focused on projects and portfolios but have neglected to do our research on what comes after graduation. Of course we have applied to jobs, updated our resumes and researched for interviews but generally we have not thought about the specifics.

Thankfully this class will be helping us with the process of finding out which companies we want to work for and who works at these companies. Who is the art director? What have they done previously? What kind of work do they do? Knowing these specifics will help us once we get those interviews and are asked questions about why we want to work for the company. Having that knowledge, being prepared and being able to answer those kinds of questions will be far more impressive than having nothing to say or making up something on the fly.

I’m excited to continue my journey towards graduation and even more excited to eventually enter the professional design world!