Reflection on Week 1 of the Defining Client Needs Course

During the live session on week one of the course, several recommendations on how to succeed on the Media Design MFA program were made. A takeaway that I see to be very important is that of creating a habit of research and independent study. As mentioned by professor Ryan McClung a graduate degree is different from an undergraduate since it involves more independent research, higher critical thinking skills, and personal time management (McClung, 2019). Projects should always be improved upon and all parts of our designs and writing should have some sort of factual research behind it.

The MFA will also depend on peer review and criticism. In order to succeed on this program and the field of work one must be able to take criticism as a good thing. I need to develop an attitude of seeing my work from the critical eyes of my peers and take decisions towards each design in order to make them more effective.

A concern that I have for the program is in my constant fear of involuntary plagiarism. I do have previous experience writing on APA, yet every time I write a research paper I have the fear of it containing plagiarism of some kind. I also feel as if there is higher risk now, since professor McClung mentioned that we need to be careful with how many quotes we use on our writing (McClung, 2019). Hopefully I will be able to build more confidence on my writing as I practice, research, and build on my critical thinking skills.

Action Plan

At the end of this MDMFA program I want to refine my skills as a graphic designer, and be able to understand and efficiently work on other media that I do not have previous experience on. My expectation is that I will be provided with tools, guidance, and support to master these new media and to build on my skills as a designer. I believe that my independent study, research, and practice will be key to my success on the MDMFA. As mentioned by Sean Adams, graphic design takes time and practice (Adams, 2017). In order to succeed I will give at least 10 hours of my week to practice my sketching, drawing, learn new software, refine my skills on software that I already use, research, and go over the basics of design. I will also actively keep in communication with my peers and find mentors in order to get constructive criticism on my work. By taking these actions I will come out as a better designer with a much more impressive portfolio, which I will use to obtain a position of leadership on my field. Hopefully with a position of leadership I will be able to give back to the design community and help other creatives reach their goals.

References:

Adams, S. (2017, May 31). What is graphic design? Retrieved August 7, 2019, from https://www.lynda.com/Graphic-Design-tutorials/What-graphic-design/614734/625796-4.html?org=fullsail.edu

McClung, R. (2019). Week 1 Live Session. Retrieved August 7, 2019, from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/46722/modules/173179/activities/1087779

Inspirational Post

This quote is by the Cherokee actor William Penn Adair Rogers. Sometimes we get caught up on the mistakes of the past and are not able to move on in life. What we need to understand is that all we can do is learn from our mistakes and move on wiser than we were before. We need to realize that mistakes are always part of the Mastery Journey.

Inspirational Post

The following quote is by the American Novelist and Poet Josiah Gilbert Holland. This past week I committed a mistake that could have jeopardized my image and future as a professional. At the time I believed that my actions were just a simple shortcut to meet deadlines, yet I was wrong. This shortcut I took brought bad consequences and regrets; teaching me that everything that is worth doing should be done right, without trying to find an easy way out.

Inspirational Post

“Every day ask yourself that question. How you living?”

— Rick Rigsby.

In this speech, Rick Rigsby tells the story of his father who had to drop out of school on the third grade to help out his family, yet he decided to teach himself to read and write. His father decided to be the best that he could be with his extremely limited resources, and that led him to be as Rick Rigsby puts it “the wisest man he knows”. In a part of the speech Rigsby mentions that when his wife was died his father told him to always stand no matter how hard it gets. In her last moments Rigsby’s wife told him that she didn’t care for her life no longer, but instead of how he was living.

This speech reminded me that no matter what our circumstances are we should always try to be the best we can be. To always show humility, to never give up, to honor the memories of those who came before us. We should always pursue knowledge and wisdom in order to use it to do good and to aid others.