Last lessons
May 11, 2016
After four years, it is now time for me to bid farewell to this blog, which has seen me through all of my graphic design endeavors—from Graphic Design Studio, to Introduction to Wayfinding, and finally to Types of Art. For my last post, I want to share three lessons I learned from my time here.
Take initiative
Things don’t just happen. Somebody needs to take action. When discussing accessibility in the Arts Center during the Introduction to Wayfinding class, I knew that there was no better way than to actually ride a wheelchair around campus and experience the building as someone with special needs. No one asked me to ride a wheelchair. I just knew it needed to happen, so I did it. When I learned how to use a laser cutter, I realized that I could use it to bring type into the three dimensional world, so I built an alphabet puzzle. No one assigned the project to me, but I did it. When I was designing my Capstone exhibition, no one told me what to do. So I designed a blueprint for what I wanted my space to look like and worked quickly to collect every piece of my exhibition, such as the frames, furniture, and kitchenware. Sometimes the brief is not complete, and sometimes there is no brief at all. What is important is to have the skill to recognize a need and to have the determination to fulfill it.
Be able to defend yourself
There are two elements to this lesson. Firstly, don’t do anything without reason. Design is the opposite of randomness. Take time to plan out your work so that you can explain every detail of it. It never hurts to double, or triple check. Secondly, make sure your work accurately represents yourself even when you are absent. Contrary to what your parents may have taught you, people judge by appearance—especially in the world of art and design.
Ask for help
When I have a goal in mind, I tend to shut everyone out until I have accomplished that goal. However, when I submitted a file of the wrong dimensions to the printers for the Wayfinding course and wasted the school’s funds, I realized that working alone is not the most efficient.
Asking for help is not a shameful thing. Asking for help is being resourceful. In fact, we are blessed with many students and instructors who possess diverse skill sets on this campus. Without Luis’ knowledge on how to use the laser cutter, I would not have been able to build my wood block. Without Nino’s expertise on printing, I would not have been able to ink my block and print my final project. Without Kate’s skill in carpentry, I would not have been able to frame my work and make it presentable. Just as the English poet John Donne once said, “No man is an island.”
I came to NYUAD thinking I wanted to major in SRPP, but now I am graduating with a degree in Visual Arts. To this day, I don’t know if I made the right decision. But when I can work for hours and hours on a book design and even forget to eat, I know that this is the only decision I would have made.
I am thankful for all the lessons that I have learned, and more thankful for those who have taught them to me.
