The next step in the Genius Project is to pitch it to small groups of peers and our teacher. This will aid us in the process of pruning our ideas to perfection so that we may truly begin the process of following through with our projects. This opportunity will allow us to get feedback, and learn what we might improve or add to our projects to fully realize its potential.
I have already began to write my pitch and will most likely complete the first draft by the end of the week, giving me plenty of time to revise, and rehearse it. In order to be fully ready for the pitch I should also have a small sample of what I want to create for the final project. This will include one hand drawn floor plan and a frontal elevation of someone's dreamhouse along with a brief statement about how the home connects with the “client’s” style and personal interests. I am very excited to finally work with a real person with real tastes. Even in Architectural Design class, I only was given the opportunity to create a house for a made-up client, and that was only once. However, over the years I have created hundreds of floor plans for faux “clients” in my free time so I have a large bank of knowledge on the topic. Unfortunately, this is a completely different experience than working with a real client which can be very difficult trying to decipher their style and what is truly important to them in their dream home. Although this will be difficult this will also be an extremely fun activity for me to do. This will also help me gage the amount of time that each page will take to create in my design book. The pitch is on the 14th of june, which in theory, should be enough time to be fully ready. This pitch has got me looking forward to actually begin working on my project as it is one of my favorite things to do. Hopefully all goes well!
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This last thursday, in class, we did an activity called the “Problem Solving Simulation”. In this activity we were given two example events that each had several problems and were asked to find out how to deal with them and as a result how to learn from them. This was a very helpful activity to do, because this will ensure that no matter what comes our way we know how to deal with it, and also how to finish on time without delays despite the many possible things that may just pop-up on us. This also brang light to all the little details that we will have to go through in order to successfully complete our project. This activity ultimately helped us sift through our projects and find the possible problems that we might encounter, and what to expect.
Applying this to my project I can think of a several problems that I probably will have to deal with at some point in the process of bringing it to fruition. The biggest problem that I could see me having is the challenge in trying to mesh my personal style with my “clients”. This will be the first time I have ever worked with somebody to fully create a plan for their dream home. This may have a large learning curve that could end up drawing out the creation process much longer than it takes me to create my designs by myself. To remedy this I will have to make sure that I give myself extra time to create the final products. Another challenge will be in trying to pick out the people that I will design homes for. They must be people that will have the patience to sit down with me and let me interview them and ask them several detailed questions on their needs and personal style. This means that it will be very important for me to know the people well enough to ensure they won’t lose interest and ruin the whole point of my project. After doing this simulation I learned a very valuable lesson; While you might not know everything that will happen, you can prepare yourself for the possibility that anything can happen good or bad. This week we were tasked with finding a mentor to help us along the way in creating our Genius Project. This should be an invaluable part in the realization of our projects. While listening to the Seniors present their Projects most of the ones that were unsuccessful either changed their mentor multiple times over the course of the project, or didn’t utilize them at all. Help with figuring out what is feasible for me to take on and assistance in the process of working with “clients” will be a major factor in being able to successfully complete my project.
I have drafted an email to a select few experienced Architects and Interior Designers which took much thought and research. I picked my final 2 I will be asking after researching their designs and ensuring that they have some spare time to be able to occasionally assist me with my Genius Project. Finding someone that I had a connection with was not difficult since my grandfather is a Construction Manager. However it was a challenge to draft an email to a professional. Before I even wrote an email asking a reputable architect to help mentor me, my grandfather had to ask to make sure that it was okay if I emailed him. This thought didn’t even occur to me but thinking back on it this seems only natural in this kind of situation. Not only will this mentoring help me achieve my goals for my Genius Project, this has also been a very informative experience in professional communication. Prior to this I had only ever written emails to teachers which is a much less formal setting. Learning the process in contacting someone in a formal way, and drafting a refined email is a skill that will help me throughout my career and life. Tomorrow I will send my official email to ask them to be my mentors. It should be very interesting to see what they say about my Genius Project. I am excited to hear if they come up with any suggestions of something I could change or add to my project. Hopefully all goes well! |