It’s the start of our spring semester in IXDMA. We’re back with more project-based studios, longer class days, and fewer Medium posts. A couple weeks in and it already feels like winter break never happened — the joys of being a graduate student.
In RE:Studio, we kicked off the class by identifying different problem spaces we would like to tackle for our semester-long project. During this session, I noticed that we all had really large scale problems on our minds that we wanted to solve. Is it hubris or idealism? We’re designers, so probably a bit of both. In the end, we decided to address the problem space of shelter.
During these first few weeks, I’ve taken on the role of project manager. While it seems in natural alignment with my love of structure and organization, I know there are some things that I need to work on in order to be successful in this role:
- Don’t be apprehensive about managing responsibility and accountability: In a class environment, we’re all peers, so it feels like a sensitive point. However, I want every team member to be able to play to their strengths, contribute in a meaningful way, and feel like we all own the project together.
- Face making big decisions: A major part in feeling positive about the decisions being made will be to ensure that everyone is on board and is confident in the direction of the team.
Our team will be exploring the role that nature plays in renewing the concept of shelter — I’m excited for us (and the rest of the class) and to see where this project goes!
