MY Exploration Book Final

Portfolio night was a huge success and the best part about it was the fact that I had amazing faculty to help shape who I am
today as a designer. This project for the senior year at first was gut wrenching and very confusing, but like my type compendium book from sophomore year, it became one of the most memorable projects for me during my years at Ringling college. Below are the spreads from my book. This project has been instrumental in orchestrating the reasons why i design and what drives me and slows me down as a designer. THANK YOU MR. HIGGINS FOR A GREAT FOUR YEARS, I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BETTER PREPARED FOR THE NEW JOURNEY I AM ABOUT TO EMBARK UPON!

DANKE!

Which one are you?

On the same basis of knowing many John's or being labeled a certain type of character... I have been tagged in so many of these cartoon character things on face book that it is ridiculous. So I thought I would make this apart of my book on names, labels, and pre-associations. Please I ask you to respond to each picture and let me know the character from each grouping that you would be labeled by others, or you would label yourself.

What Drives You?

What makes you get up in the morning or stay up until 6:00 am finishing the last minute touches of a design project? What fuels your drive?

I do what I do everyday, not for me but for a higher purpose. I try to remember to keep my focus on God and not always my circumstance, for then I would have a lot of depressing days. My passions for living, exploring and learning as much as I possibly can before I die drives me to new heights everyday! My failures, which are many, drive me towards making corrections in my ways and always trying to learn from my mistakes... My aspirations drive me for they remind me that it's not living if you don't reach for the sky. I am no longer scared to unleash my imagination for I am a innovative and creative problem solver. I know now that you haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky. 

PRODUCING OUR BOOK

Hey Guys,

I went to the SPARK presentation on campus today and the main designer had a book published from a website called www.blurb.com  

It looked amazing and a lot better than the hulu site that we have been advised to use!

So Look into getting your book published and printed here!

Questions implied by the universal structures of thought

I Have A Lot Of Friends Name John

I was recently informed by an old friend about how that person felt about my name, our friends names and how we sometimes associate it with other labels. It got me thinking about how rare my name is and how people associate me as Jim's daughter at Ringling, and at my old high school as the little sister of the Olympians or the Yale debaters. I started thinking that in the different venues that I go to, I have different labels given to me. Labels derive from the characteristics you portray during situations that arise in your life and or your personality or looks. Many of my closet friend's call me A Russian Spy which, has to do with the fact that sometimes I start speaking Russian and they scream SPY! This would be a label because obviously I am not a spy, I am a 22 year old Graphic Designer from America.

Also an odd fact you don't know about me, (and I fear telling you this, but oh well) After I sneeze I meow. I have been doing it since I was a little girl, and my parent's think I started doing it as a baby because our cat's had allergies and would always sneeze and I copied and mimicked their behavior. It is a habit that is easily controlled but if I am not thinking about it I do it all the time. I have a point to telling you this and that is that a lot of people call me kitty or fluffy because of the sneezing and meowing trait of my behavior. Therefore being called kitty or fluffy is a label that I wear, and quite proudly! Meow! ^_^

The point being made is that there seems to be a correlation between names and how we view people. Whether that be because a name is easy or more difficult to remember, pronounce, or spell, or whether that be because we associate certain things with certain names I can not definitively say. However, not having all the facts has never stopped anyone from arguing a point, and so let's me and you explore that thinking a little.

It would seem unreasonable to assume things about someone based on first impressions, but as we all do (and indeed cannot help doing so), I am going to consign that incongruity in our rationale to the stipulated facts in this case and move forward to the heart of the matter. Beyond appearances, which are a whole other ball of wax in and of itself, a person's name is one of the first things we learn about them. A person's name is his or her label. A name is an important part of who you are and can even have bearing on your self image. Ironic then, that we do not choose our own names and must trust our parents to do so despite the fact that the name they are given us may not be the name we may have wanted. (point of order: I like my name just fine, it's the pronunciation some people have issues with. Their problem - not mine.)

Suppose you meet someone new in a neutral setting. This person you know nothing about extends a hand and introduces himself. His name is John. It is highly probably in this day and age that you, with your hundreds of Facebook friends, Myspace contacts, and Twitter Bugs already have a friend named John, or at least know someone named John. Therefore, this new(est) John maybe John #2, 3 or even 10. That means your brain has already formed associations tied to that label. Your brain, being wholly unable to not think, immediately draws forth, both consciously and subconsciously all the files related to the word 'John.' This is a problem. Suppose the John(s) you already know are all the nicest, respectful, most exquisite men imaginable. You may even have dated, or be dating, a John of your very own! What now of imagery and associations?

It is my friends and mine experience that whenever we meet someone with a name we already have stashed in my memory, old feelings re-emerge associated with that name. I happen to know 7 John's already, so the 8th would (in this case) benefit tremendously from my positive disposition to his name, as the Johns I know are indeed all those things I mentioned above. You may think that having a positive disposition to someone new might be a good thing and I am inclined to agree with you however, it is important to realize that I am not trying to write a self-help guide to meeting new people, but am in fact attempting to explore the very odd nature inherent in all of us.

In my friend's example, John #8 is benefiting from my positive predisposition. What if the 7 other Johns I knew were cold-hearted he-demons from the depths of hell, all of whom are ex boyfriends of mine and left me with nothing but shattered dreams. Aha! Now my associations with the name John may not be so favorable. Maybe now, even as I shake his hand, John #8 notices an involuntary twitch in my neck even as he speaks his name to me for the first time. Will this affect the manner in which I view him? (Some say Heck Yes It Will, Some Say Not So Much- Those people are lying) Will it continue to affect it should I befriend him, or worse still, prevent me from befriending him based solely on previous memories associated with the label he carries as well, through no fault of his own? Opinions, naturally, vary wildly on the subject. I have had people tell me a person's name has no bearing on their feelings towards that person. Others swear that names can be right or wrong for a person based on all manner of factors. ("you don't look like a John") Still others think I am a strange, strange little kitty for troubling my head which such thoughts. Nevertheless, the thought eats at me and my friend as well.

As it happens, John #8, thus far, is every bit as charming and lovely as the other John's I have met, minus John #3 he can (insert bad phrase I won't say here). One thing however rings out to me clear as a bell: a person's name has an affect on us, If we know someone by that name already. What if you meet someone whose name you have no associations with at all? What if you meet someone whose name you have never even heard spoken on TV, seen written in a book, or knew existed at all?

If we replace John with Zheshkavedenei for instance, it would be unlikely you have heard that name before, as I just made it up. Would a person with that name be free of pre-associated notions about his name - the label he carries? I think so, yes. However, would he not suffer from an entirely different problem? Namely, the fact that because the name is so unique, it stands out. I can already imagine him growing rapidly weary of having to repeat his name three times everywhere he goes and with every person he meets. "How do you spell that?" will be a freakishly common phrase uttered to him, and as such his name may have negative connotations to himself thereby altering him disposition towards meeting new people.

This may also go to explain why children befriend each other so easily - total lack of previous connotation and little capacity for it to begin with. I miss being 6-years-old... life was simpler then, the biggest thing on my mind was how many GI JOE'S I lost in the playground, or how many bible verses did I memorize so I could get the Sunday school prize. Sorry for the tangent but now back on task. An example of a double negative situation can stem from an example that I have taken from a friend's thought process.

The real trouble however starts when a doubly negative situation presents itself, as in the following example. Luke and Megan meet at a convention. Luke's ex wife is called Megan, and he lost his house, his kids, his dog, and his favorite law ornament to her in the divorce. We can safely assume Luke has a negative predisposition towards the name Megan. Megan however knows 2 other Lukes, one being her great grandfather whose unconditional love and exceptional lust for life still echo clearly in her fond memories of him.

The other is her best friend who she has known since elementary school. We can assume she has a distinctly positive predisposition to the name Luke. After shaking hands at said convention, Luke and Megan know nothing of each other aside from their names and the fact they are in the same building. What direction will their conversation take? Will their names be forgotten or dismissed as irrelevant, or will are do they weigh heavily on Luke's mind? or Megan's? or perhaps both?

It is inherently appealing to believe we are above this sort of petty influence, just as it is inherently difficult to disassociate ourselves from our memories and emotions. We assume things about the world around us, as it is not possible to know everything. To assume is a natural process, and helps us fill in troublesome gaps in our understanding. Sometimes, assumptions can be incredibly useful and may help lead us to where we want to go. Other times, most often when our assumptions are horribly wrong, they cause problems both small and great.

In the example above, where Luke meets Megan, my assumption is that the weight of memories associated with both names will have a significant impact on the relationship of these two people (even if that relationship goes no further than the talk they have at the convention!) Luke's assumptions about Megan meanwhile could scarcely be accurate, as neither his ex wife, nor the Megan in our example chose their names themselves, thus it having little to no bearing on who they are. Likewise, Megan's assumptions of Luke may ill prepare her for what a massive jerk John is! (after all, his wife did leave him and a judge decided she got the kids, the dog, the house AND that lawn ornament!)

So, in essence, though our names are what we go by, and are a major part of us for as long as we live, they are incredibly poor indicators towards other people of who we really are. Sadly, as we cannot control who gets what name beyond those of our own children, other people may be out there, soiling your good name in the minds of others, by going through life with an identical label. Accepting this as yet another of the stipulated facts, written in stone, my advise to all of you is this:

Feel free to judge a book by its cover, if you must, but remember that the reason a book has so many pages is that a title can only tell you so much about it.

I hope you enjoyed this reading for it was brought to you by my dear friend AVL and myself!

Exploration # 21

Go to your favorite Street.  Map it out on a piece of paper. Then describe or document everything in detail: The shops, houses, street signs, trees, etc.

My favorite street I must say is N

orth Michigan Ave, in Chicago, Illinois. I lived their for 7 weeks this summer and everyday I found out something new! My time in Chicago was quite a adventure for me, for it was my first time on my own in a big city, and getting lost was a daily event. I made many maps with the help of Google Maps and Adobe Illustrator. 

Below is a list of landmarks, as well as pictures of some amazing architecture that can be found on the magnificent Mile, aka North Michigan Ave.

LANDMARKS:

"Buckingham Fountain"

"Crown Fountain in Millennium Park"

"Big Bean located in Millennium Park"

Exploration # 37

Time Observation: come up with several ways of documenting the passage of time, based on where you are sitting. 

1. How many times the computer makes a you got a new message aim sound... 
   
2. The clicking of the mouse.
   
3. Typing on the keyboard.
   
4. How many times the door is opened in the labs.
   
5. How many times Aless says, "That's what she said" before I glare at her
   
6. How many times I take a drink of water from my bottle
7. How many times I bite back a cynical remark, and just smile instead.
8. How many times my phone goes off from a text from friends
9. How many times my chair gets pushed by someone in class and no one says excuse me or sorry.
10. how many Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Connick Jr. songs I go through on pandora.com
11.  how many times tyler goes on aim, "for the love of God woman!" 
12. How many times Aless goes "MOOP"
13. How many times Jeff says, "... so ..."
14. How many times brandon turns around to look at my screen and to see what I am doing.
15. How many times I mumble phrases under my breath in russian.
16. How many times my leg bounces because it is cold in the room.
17. How many times I spin the ring on my finger.
18. How many times I find myself starring at the ceiling.
19. How many times Illustrator crashes and won't save the given file.
20. How many times I find my mind wandering to how ticked off I am about how someone is behaving.
21. How many times I think, "OMG 11 DAYS till spring break sweet Jesus I can make it"
22. How many times I think, "Mega-con is in 3 days!"

Exploration # 42

Document a Place by interviewing people about it. You can transcribe by using some kind of recording equipment or by filling out an experience documentation log. 

For this Exploration I documented a convention called MEGACON. Megacon is a conference for sci-fi, anime, comics, furries and cartoon lovers. I thought it would be a great place to document the different types of people there, and I have done so with a picture slideshow and in my experience documentation log pictured below. 

 

Exploration # 44

Choose one item or theme. Go to a library. Conduct research on your chosen item using the object log. Collect as many different materials as you can to display later, such as sketches, history, notes drawings, and photos. Present your findings as an installation. 

Alternate: Create poems based on the title of books. 

Exploration # 45

choose one specific aspect of your existence to document: 

1. How many steps you take on a daily basis. 

2. Use yourself as your subject for documentation. Document in detail all of your movements, activities, behaviors, and conversations throughout the course of a week. Include, Date, Time, & Place.

I decided to document how many steps I take in a day in 3 three different ways: instep to toe, heel to toe, and baby steps.  Doing this for a whole day was quite annoying and got people to give me weird glances from time to time... Not something I think anyone should really do, unless you want to be seen as a weirdo...! but ya it was a fun experience... This assignment made me think about how society views people who have physical disabilities and how people who would normally say hello to me at starbucks didn't know what to think of me while I was doing the instep to toe walking through the stores entrance. I took some footage of me walking around school and thought it might be helpful as well. I will upload that as soon as possible. Below is a graph documenting all of my data!

Walking posture and technique tips

1. Look straight ahead, not down
2. Stay upright, don’t lean forward
3. Breathe deeply and steadily
4. Pump your arms and bend your elbows at 90 degrees
5. Keep your tummy and your buttocks tucked in
6. Step onto your heel, then roll through onto the ball of your foot
7. Push forward off the toes of your back foot

Ways to vary your walking routine

1. Using different types of walking
2. Train for an event or fun run
3. Walking on different surfaces
4. Use gadgets, like a heart-rate monitor or pedometer
5. Walking with a partner or pet
6. Try interval training
7. Try cross training
8. Walk on a treadmill

Exploration # 46

Collect or document as many patterns as you can find while on your travels. You may decide to use only patterns in nature, or human-made, or both. Pencil rubbings work well for this.

Exploration # 51

Non Linear Life:
Document your activities from one day/week/ month/ year in an encyclopedic fashion. 

Alternate: create icons for you life activities. document them on a chart. Try changing the order of things

Exploration 13

Document lettering you find out in the world. Take notes about where and when you found the samples.