Explanation and
Evaluation of Process
I started this project by listing my biggest strengths
and weaknesses (shown on the first page of initial sketches). The most hindering weakness that I have
always been burdened with is a fear of the unknown, uncertainty, and new
things. My innate nervous, neurotic
nature makes it incredibly hard for me to branch out of my comfort zone,
because I’d much rather feel safe and comfortable than scared and anxious. Elizabeth Gilbert poses the question in her
TED Talk, is it logical to be afraid of the work you’re going to do? Considering
the intense expectations put on artists to create greatness and constantly
out-do themselves, I believe that it is, to a certain extent. To design a wearable piece to help me conquer
this weakness and fear of a new design process, I began thinking of and
sketching pieces of armor that would bring me protection, confidence, courage,
and inspiration, pieces such as shields and helmets; these concepts that I aspired
to achieve by wearing my piece (protection, confidence, etc.) acted as my ‘launch pad’ while I used the ‘first
principle’ thinking method to start designing armor from these initial concepts. Jessica Helfland’s writing on the art of
thinking through making encouraged me to focus on ‘imagination first, logic
later’ in my sketches. This concept
allowed me to freely sketch and explore any and all ideas I had, without concern
of being limited by resources or logic. Through
my sketches, my varying concepts of safety began to combine with thoughts of
tribal masks. By utilizing the ‘combining’
thinking method, the idea of a scary helmet-mask came to me (combining concepts
of protection, courage, and fear). My helmet-mask
hybrid, through use of the ‘analogy’ thinking method, became symbolic of me
scaring away my own fears by becoming more threatening than the things which
intimidate me. With the vague idea of a
mask in mind, I ventured out to Home Depot and began collecting a myriad of
metal objects which caught my eye. I had
ideas of basic shapes that I wanted, but no idea how the pieces would connect
or attach; this open-minded, ‘lateral’ thinking method allowed me to amass a
wide variety of materials with which to work; the once mechanically-inclined
metal pieces were now to be used as sculptural elements, not the purpose for
which they were originally designed.
After I began assembling these parts, I returned to sketching to refine
my ideas of how to connect the physical materials I now had in my arsenal. This helped me visualize how everything would
look in the final version. The final helmet-mask
is heavily inspired by a coyote, an animal that has acted as a muse to me for
many years. Elizabeth Gilbert addresses
the idea in her TED Talk that the creative process does not need to be a torment
(as I had previously viewed it), but can instead be a conversation between the
artist and their muse. By utilizing my
muse to overcome my fears of change and new experiences, I am freeing myself to
keep creating with a new confidence which pushes me to try new things.
Final Photos
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