Clarifying Intent Workshop (Part 2)

First half of workshop

Venn Diagram

In this activity, we took around 15 minutes to break down and organize the information from Part 1 into a Venn Diagram based on the following category: 1. What am I good at?

2. What makes me happy?

3. What is meaningful to me?

After we organized the information into a Venn Diagram, we separated into a small group to get response from other people about it.

Based on my Venn Diagram, the middle point (where I'll do my best work at) are expressing and experimentation. I got response mentioned that since I've already know what kind of approach that I'll be doing in my graduation project, can try to find out the specific part that triggers me the most, the sweet spot that motivates me in terms of expressing. To put it in another way—"What kind of expression or emotion that I wanted to express?", "What express actually is?" & "What event/incident/moments that makes me wanted to express?"

Second half of workshop

We are given 15 minutes to reflect on the first half of the workshop and think about what it triggered and write freely on my hopes for this year, creative aspirations, the projects I would like to be involved with, the career goals I'm aiming towards, the things I concerned about or confused about, whatever comes into my head. These writings will remain private to me and will be a reminder for myself.

The following activity is answering the questions in 4 different zone, there are sticky notes provided for us to answer each question and paste it in each zone. Each zone asks to consider one of the four questions below:

Zone 1 / What sort of designer/illustrator are you and do you want to become?

Zone 2 / What ideas are you interested in and why?

Zone 3 / What media/approaches do you use/want to explore and why?

Zone 4 / What sorts of audiences are you hoping to address or work with and why?

In the end, we will take time collectively to walk around the zone and look at what is recorded on each zone. To see how others response the questions, how do they narrow themselves down into specific direction, ideas, techniques and audience.

Reflections

After viewing the answers from others, I've refined my answers, narrow it down to be more specific and more details

Zone 1 / What sort of designer/illustrator are you and do you want to become?

According to my GD Map in GDC Part 1 which was based on the Four Fields of Design by Bruce Tharp and Stephanie Tharp, I located myself in between discursive design and experimental design. It goes the same for now that I view myself as an experimentalist designer that likes to explore and do experiments on different techniques and mediums, the point of it is to let others resonate with my emotions, feelings or messages that I wanted to portray through my artwork, it could be a sense of touch from the texture, the imagery came across their mind while looking at my artwork, or coming up with their own interpretations from my work. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and happiness somehow if I succeeded in 'manipulating' their feelings or came out with an interpretation of their own from my artwork.

In short, I want to become a designer/illustrator that creates a sense of resonance with people in terms of emotions and feelings, my works can be a conduit of comfort, ironic, sentimental, sensual, humorous, agitate, etc. It all surrounds a big theme which is human emotions, feelings and desires.

Zone 2 / What ideas are you interested in and why?

Idea Range: Emotion - Anger

Inspired by the seven emotions & six desires (七情六欲) and the seven deadly sins (七宗罪). Good anger can bring revolutionary changes while bad anger might bring unwanted harm to other people. But why does anger happen? Is it because of something wrong or against our will and it triggers an act to correct it? Where to express our anger? It's an undeniable fact that each of us has anger, it's an emotion and an expression that makes us human. But why is it important to have anger?

Specific: Frustration

To be more specific, I would like to express the feeling of irritability or anger because of the inability to achieve something. It can happen in various scenarios such as in the working field, in relationships, daily activities, driving, any human interaction or communication related, technical issues or even in very small matters.

Some sayings in mandarin:

- 逼仄/迫厕/迫促 (bekchek) & 杜兰/都懒 (dulan)

- 化悲愤为力量，化悲愤为食量，化悲愤为热量

- 愤怒以愚蠢开始，以后悔告终 (Bad Anger)

Zone 3 / What media/approaches do you use/want to explore and why?

1. Mixed Media - I tend to think that mixed media can elevate the design by using different materials to manipulate specific textures. The fun part of it is actually experimenting with how the materials will react to the medium that I wanted to apply, sometimes it does come out unexpected and natural.
   

2. Emboss, Embroidery - A part of the mixed media process, more on executing the design with different textures and methods.
   

3. Clay Sculpting - To bring an idea or imagery subject into a real object, involves a lot of flexibility in expressing creativity while sculpting it. Seems fun and therapeutic in the process.
   

4. 3D Rendering - Same with clay sculpting, but digitalized approach

Zone 4 / What sorts of audiences are you hoping to address or work with and why?

Introvert young adult, Good temper people, High EQ People & Sensitive People

These types of people share the similarities of expressing their inner self in a unique way as they have a similar personalities that maintain an easy-going relationship with others, they care about how their actions affect other people, and avoid causing hurt or trouble to others. However, it’s easy for them to have an experience where someone takes their personality for granted and keeps challenging their bottom line once in a lifetime (at least I know that I’m not the only one). They also have anger within but they wouldn't express it much to people because they felt it is an unnecessary emotion that might cause trouble or spread negativity to others.