Hello From 15 Weeks Later

To Weiwei

Hey, this is Weiwei, yes, you are not reading wrongly, I am you but from 15 weeks later. I have finished the fall 2017 semester that you are about to kick start, don’t worry, you will make it through all the 5 studios and I promise you it will be worth it.

For the coming 15 weeks, you will have lots of fun, you will feel defeated at certain points, you will get to meet and spend time with some of the technologists and research designers you have lots of respect for (you know who I’m talking about ;)) It will be a very meaningful semester for you, but that’s not why I’m writing to you. I am writing right now to share with you some of the things I wish I had pay more attention to during the semester, please do listen carefully.

Team Telescope

For so many weeks, especially during busy times like mid-term and final, the team will meet to discuss how to complete the weekly assignment and the deck. We will sit down, and everybody will be thinking about some other project we all need to finish. If there are times we can avoid meeting completely and just do the work separately, we do that. Don’t let that happen ok? Teams don’t work that way, if you want teammates that do work, then you might just as well hire robots, cause robots would do work.

But people is different, we all have feelings, we all have a million things going on in our life, and we all want us to be the best version of ourselves.

Spend time together as a team, talk about each of your lives, talk about feelings you each have for the project, go have lunch and dinner together, go on a field trip together. Make time for each other. Don’t let meetings start off with everybody looking at their computers. Start every meeting with a group reflection that is not rushed, you then as a team would do work. Make sure the team feels like a team, repeat that in your head, make sure the team feels like a team.

When Nino turns into his favorite animal

One last thing, you and I (ha funny) both know that we are not the most practical person in the world. Let your teammates ground you, help each other out. Together, you all can make what you will be working on more concrete, and you all will be proud of each other.

You might be wondering who your teammates will be, or what you will be working on. Don’t worry, they are all amazing teammates, every single person in the class is brilliant in different ways. Make sure you see them and work together as a team. You might have figured out by now that I won’t tell you who you will be working with or what you will be working on, and you are correct. I want you to pay attention your teammates’, no matter who they are, work with them, make sure everyone is heard, and make sure everyone care about everybody else.

This is something that you will need to do for every person you will ever work with, or become friends with. Learn to do these in the next 15 weeks, and remember to do them in the future as well…!

Enjoy and have lots of fun,
Weiwei

Cheers 🥂

*The photos won’t be included in the letter.

I had lots of fun and learned a lot during this course, thank you Kate and Christina, and most importantly, thank you Alex, Kailen, and Nino.