Capstone: and so it Begins…
Even though this class has barely even begun, I can feel myself getting more and more prepared to undertake this large project. Honestly, I am getting quite excited. Granted, inspiration does not come easily. My professor likes to use the phrase “inspiration from perspiration”; in other words, to become “inspired,” one must put in the work beforehand. I believe this philosophy to be 100% correct. No one creates a masterpiece out of sheer luck. Therefore, I intend to put my absolute all into every step in this process known as “capstone.”
Through various readings in class, I have learned some important things about what it takes to have an effective design. I would say the most inspiring information that I received was getting someone’s attention and then keeping it. While I was doing this reading, there were all sorts of incredible ideas flowing into my mind on how to improve upon my original concept. Being an interactive designer who plans on centering his concept around a relatively unpopular topic (fungi), I realized that the most important thing that I can do is break the common conception of death and disgust that people have with said topic. The excitement was slowly building as this simple concept began to take a more sophisticated shape. Eventually, it was time to put my money where my mouth was and present my idea for my capstone project.
Now, things can get discouraging when someone has done the work, and things do not wind up going as well as you want. Recently I got the wind taken out of my sails a bit because I was describing my early concept for my project, and it simply did not feel like it sounded as good out loud as it did in my head. I started to reconsider my plans for this project and even came up with an alternative concept. Eventually, I realized that I was putting too much pressure on myself to develop a groundbreaking idea only a week into class. So, some advice that I would give to any creative-minded person is to not second guess themselves. Now, accepting feedback is somewhat of a different matter. But if someone has put in the work to develop a quality idea, then there is no reason anyone should doubt said idea’s quality, especially not the designer themselves.
Doubting myself has done nothing but slow me down, and I refuse to get behind and lose the precious time I have to make this project awesome. Moving forward, I would like to take the various lessons that I have learned and build upon them. I refuse to get into my own head. My piers are talented designers, and they would steer me in a different direction if they felt my current idea was not up to par. Therefore, I will believe in myself and use the years of knowledge that I have acquired to make a final product that I am proud of.
