Day 5 - Creative Visualization

To start off class, we flipped a coin to determine if we we're going to go over the homework first or do a creative visualization exercise. What's funny is that once Jimmy was given the coin, he started analyzing it & went off on a completely different tangent. He began discussing the design on the back of the quarter. Each state has a different representation on this specific currency. To be honest, I never really took much consideration of what exactly was on the back of a quarter. So when Jimmy asked us what we would put on the back or what represents California, I just threw out random ideas cause I honestly didn't know what was on our current one. I decided to google it, just out if curiosity. I was surprised to find that John Muir, along with Yosemite & some sort of bird flying is what is actually on the quarter for California. I also found a different version or perhaps mock-up of what could have been on there, which was the Hollywood sign & the Golden Gate Bridge. Those 2 were actually some ideas I threw out there. Someone else must have had the same idea as myself. Ultimately, I felt this was a good practice because it causes is to think about not only what our interpretation is if something, but when designing something for a client, we must take into consideration who our audience is or who we're designing for.

The next activity had Jimmy read us a story, having us focus only on the words he was saying w/closed eyes. At the end of the story we come to a door w/our name on it & then open it up. Then we were instructed to draw what we saw behind that door. What I saw reminded me of Alice in wonderland. It was pitch black and the only objects within the space were floating. There was a whimsical, stark white staircase leading to god-knows-where. Then there was a large, gold-framed, impressionist painting of flowers in a valley or something. A small clock suspended in the air like everything else and a wooden trap door the very bottom. To be honest, my experience was kind of scary because is this really what goes in in my inner thoughts? On top if that, what does this all really mean? When we went around to look at our other classmates drawings, I realized that I'm a weirdo. Then again, there were a few demented ones too. I think we did this exercise because it shows us, each one of us has completely different ideas. This is a great point because when working in groups, each one of us brings something different to the table. In a studio or collaboration of projects, this can be very beneficial. I liked this assignment, but it definitely made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps it's because I'm not as in tune w/my inner self or maybe I'm just over thinking it and simply has a weird day-dream.

Thanks for listening,
Ruby