#StudioY — Reflections on Week 2
As they say… out of Lalaland and into the fire! Week 1 definitely set up a false pretense of what Studio Y would be like. And I knew that. Bonding over campfires, sweaty nature hikes and stargazing midnight pontoon parties have been replaced with client meetings, developing a sustainable business model and many, many late nights. Oh, how things have changed!
Words to describe Week 2 would include: challenging, intense self-reflection, and learning about the good, the bad and the ugly in myself.
Some of lessons to highlight would include:
- Understanding the problem and not falling in love with a solution
- To truly create systems change, I may have to create an organization to sustain and scale my proposed solution
- Provide honest feedback from a place of kindness without an alternative motive
- Practice self-care in times of intense stress
Week 2 was also known as Challenge Week. Groups of 5 Studio Y Fellows were paired with a client (another MaRS department, the City of Toronto, etc.) to discover a problem they were facing and to deliver a product/solution by the end of the week. ONE. WEEK.
My group was tasked with creating an intervention to promote healthy eating habits in youth. Our client’s ultimate goal was to contribute to the decrease in obesity, a chronic disease that will undoubtedly have negative impacts on the future of Canadian society. So, it’s plain to see that this problem is a big one and that one week would not be enough time to deliver a comprehensive solution. But that wasn’t the point.
The point of Challenge Week was to learn about the process of discovering a problem, reframing it into something manageable, working together to create a practical solution, prototyping the solution and delivering our findings. Sprinkle lightly with stress, conflict and exhaustion… and you’ve essentially got the Studio Y Fellowship program jam-packed into one week.
Each day we set aside time to reflect on what we had learned the day before, about ourselves and each other. I dropped these self-reflection exercises when I began graduate school and had forgotten how valuable they really are. How can I expect to take away important lessons and direct future personal growth when I don’t allot time to even thinking about them? I have to admit, the shear amount of reflection that we had to do during the week became excessive. But then again, if I want self-reflection to become a habit, I’ve got to start somewhere and some time. Why not now? Thanks, Studio Y.
Challenge Week also shone light on some of my strengths… but mostly on my weaknesses. I realized that when conflict arises in group work, I can disengage from discussions to avoid said conflict. However, in doing so I silence myself and the opinions I hold, which may or may not add value to the discussion, yet there is still value in having all team members engaged in decision making. It’s interesting to note that group work during Week 1 was nothing like the work we did in Week 2. The combination of working for a client, daily deliverables and late nights created a high stress environment that took its toll on all of us. Moving forward, I want to better communicate my thoughts during disagreements, stay objective when voicing my opinions, and finally engage in conflict to reach a resolution.
I thought I knew all of these things about myself from my past experiences, but I guess not. Here’s to intense but positive personal growth!
