YOU Are Responsible for a Large Part of Your Education

How you engage and wrestle with the problems presented to you will in large part determine what you get out of them. The following discussion is intended as a reminder of how you can get what you want out of school and this class.

Your Creativity
Studio courses are supposed to be environments in which you are creative. So what stops us from being as creative we would like to be? The answer is fear. Fear of appearing silly to your friends. Fear of appearing strange. Fear of being wrong. Fear that your ideas will be criticized or made fun of.

It is not possible to stop being afraid. It is only possible to act in the face of the fear. You are what you think. If you think positive thoughts you will take positive actions. The issue is focus and commitment. If you make a commitment to concentrate on exploring, creating, and following your passions, you will produce imaginative and interesting things.

The basic strengths needed for creative problem solving (Koberg & Bagnall 1991) are Awareness, Passion, and Self-Control. Awareness is a curiosity and appreciation of life in both sensing (body centered) and knowing (mind-centered) modes. Passion is an enthusiasm and sense of purpose that focuses your energies on solving a problem or reaching a goal. "Self-Control is the ability to manage one's habits." (Koberg & Bagnall 1991, 16) This is not the ability to stop something but the ability to do something. You can't stop worrying about writing a paper, but you can start writing an outline. Therefore, the best advice is be curious, get involved, and do it now!

Each project will have two components in varying proportions: the requirements that must be met and the area or issue that is to be explored. Exactly how you explore the issue is your opportunity to make the project interesting and meaningful to you. This is the component of the assignment within which you can address your own personal agenda. Take control of this opportunity and approach it with enthusiasm and creativity. It will involve taking some risks and confronting your fears. If the class assignment does not address an issue that you are particularly interested in, this is the place to add your concern - not do your issue instead of the assigned ones. This last point is vital to your sense of accomplishment and success. It will also help ensure against any sense of boredom and lack of enthusiasm about the project.

Your Contribution
Each of us brings to this class some unique experiences and each one learns at different rates and in different ways. The class will be richer if we can take advantage of these differences. Share what you know and help each other to develop and present ideas. You may be able to make a suggestion to classmates in ways that they can understand more clearly and you get the benefit of learning it more deeply by having verbalized or sketched it to someone else. Teamwork is the essence of your future work life. Start to make it a habit now.

Your Responsibilities
The following list is a reminder of many things you already know, and is here to let you understand my expectations as clearly as possible.

You are responsible for attending all classes and being in class during class hours so that you do not miss class feedback, spontaneous crits, or spur-of-the-moment projects that forward the thinking in the studio.

You are responsible for reading and understanding course handouts and responding appropriately to their requirements. (And re-reading as necessary.

You are responsible for completing any assigned readings and working to understand the concepts they present. Reflection papers will be required as well.

You are responsible for taking notes on the lec tures, discussions, and comments made in class.

You are responsible for keeping track of any changes to an exercise or to project requirements announced in class.

You are responsible for learning what you missed in the event of an absence; by talking with me & to other students.

You are responsible for keeping a process record of this course; your thoughts, your daydreams, your notes from class and lectures, your sudden moments of inspiration, your every idea as it is generated.

You are responsible for contributing to the class as a whole by your participation and by bringing interesting questions, issues, and ideas for us to share.

BALANCE

The recognizeable stability of the parts.

EXERCISE: What are the characteristics of each of the above images that give them visual balance?