“Reflect on the self and peer assessment exercise. What did you learn from doing the exercise for yourself? What did you learn from other people’s comments? Has this made you think about the direction you want to go in? In what way?”
We have been reflecting on our projects from the very beginning of the course, however, reflection on my future was a scary one! I have always hated when people asked me where I saw myself in the next 5–10 years. “How am I supposed to know?”, I would always think. So when Silvia (our Course Leader) asked us to fill this board (see below), I was so uncertain. I kept postponing it till I had no choice but to fill it. Yet to my surprise, answering these questions actually helped me clear my mind a bit.
The exercise helped me see how much I had grown as a designer. Although most of my strengths were the same, my weaknesses seemed to have reduced or at least they didn’t seem like flaws anymore (I am not bragging, I promise!). The questions about passion helped me decide where I saw myself as a designer and what I aspired to be. Even though they were quite broad, it was the first step to stop me from being uncomfortable while thinking about my future and narrowing down my choices. It also made me reflect upon the complementary skills I lack, but which would make my thinking more diverse and informed.
While looking at other people's answers I was surprised to see that so many of us shared similar passions. I was also introduced to some really interesting and thought-provoking areas of work that never crossed my mind, inspiring me to explore them further. This made it difficult for me to choose a direction because even though the areas I favoured remained the same, the exposure to several new areas unveiled so many new choices. However, with the phrase ‘Comfortable with being Uncomfortable’ running in my veins by now, I know I will be okay by the end of it!
Something else that really stood out for me was the supportive nature of our batch. Whether it was the online classes or something else that brought us all together, the unity was so clearly visible, as all the boards were filled with comments of praises, advice, learnings and so much more.
Even though I am nervous about this unit, it is also very exciting to see what happens next!
