I woke up from the squeaky sound of my alarm and lazily made my way towards the dining room. I sat on the desk and opened my computer. I was scrolling through my emails when I heard the stimulating voice of the faculties. Briskly, I switched my tabs and I saw two vibrant faces. It felt like a different vibe altogether. I saw a definite schedule and some detailed slides. From that moment, it felt like this class is going to be undoubtedly different.
I was a bit nervous before attending my first class because I preconceived the notion of what this module was going to be like. I thought that the faculties will make us think and create something novel. I thought I wasn't creative enough. I can work together with people and come up with plans, but I couldn't sit in a room in silence and think of an idea. Unexpectedly, in those 10 classes, I learned different ways of working, brainstorming, making assumptions, and thinking about new possibilities.
The last couple of months was an incredible journey for me. In those few classes, I have actually seen a progressive change in me. I have observed myself blooming as an individual and as a designer. Every activity, every learning, and every mistake was different each week. Every time I learned a different set of skills.
During the initial activities, every week we were asked to write reflections. I would write it in a very compact and vague manner. I used to try my best but I could only manage to write 5-6 lines because I could not understand what they were expecting me to write. I thought that the activity was the only skill that we learn in a class. Later, I discovered the most valuable skill of self-introspection. It completely changed me. Nobody taught me the value of self-introspection in my work or for the matter how to introspect. I wanted to improve but I was ignorant about my mistakes. Those weekly reflections gave me an insight into my mistakes, my learnings, and my behavior. As the module progressed, there was a prominent change as I started gaining more clarity about myself. Things I need to work upon, through discussions and listening. I started introspecting my mistakes and promised myself to make better mistakes next time. From activity 1 till activity 8, I was happy to see a change in my writing and my expressing style. I always wanted to improve and these amazing faculties taught me how.
I started having fun and started expanding my arena by exploring more movies and books and analyze them intensely.
Unlike other projects, think lab activities helped me to bridge the gap between observation and creativity. For me, creativity was an art to generate something phenomenal or unique. But the encouragement to start was rarely there. Sitting and thinking in front of a white sheet used to feel like shooting in the dark. In the fourth activity, I found it stirring that how we managed to express the meaning of a word or paragraph by just using minimalist typography in so many different ways to express ourselves. Sometimes, while thinking we get so distracted that we forget to see creativity in numerous mundane things that are present in our surroundings.
Expressing myself properly was not one of my fortes. My outcomes and presentations used to be acceptable most of the time but in my fifth activity, something struck me when I found the other group's presentation captivating even though I felt that my product was more accurate according to the brief. On that day, I understood the true importance of a presentable outcome. It is important to structure and express our ideas eloquently to the stakeholders. It shows our commitment to our own outcome or product. Making sure that your outcome looks aesthetically attractive is very important.
Every think lab used to be different from one another. One of them taught me about different perspectives whereas one of them taught me about the infinite possibilities we can have.
At times, the healthy competition kept me going.
Lastly, I often faced challenges while interacting with different people. Sometimes, I used to have difficulty when the other person does not listen to me. In a larger group of people, students often takes the advantage of free riding. These challenges came in handy with the day but I gradually learned to adjust, and appreciate feedback from others is a great way to improve myself. During this pandemic, it is difficult to stay in connect with our classmates or have conversations with them over a digital platform. While working in think lab activities, I enjoyed knowing different perspectives and styles of working if other people. From this, I understood the significance of interacting with our classmates and having enriching discussions.
Jumping into an unknown problem space rife with ambiguity. I learned a systematic approach to engaging with the unknown. By focusing on people and usability, it practically ensures solutions that are both creative and effective.
I loved the efforts put in by our faculties. Their time and dedication in every activity. Their and constant encouragement and constructive feedback helped me a lot to improve myself and take a step forward. I used to sit and feel excited before attending the class. I use to stay motivated to have casual discussions about movies and food with others. If I will ever become a teacher, I would want to be like them.
At the end of this project, I am confident that I can generate many ideas with a single object while sitting in a room.