Third Meeting with Ellen Ward
And here comes the flip, the transition, a new way of thinking, a new perspective...
I have officially reconstructed my thesis project after meeting last week with Ellen Ward, a Visual Communication/Graphic Design professor at Winthrop University.
Ellen has worked within the fashion industry for years, creating products that are still sold today in Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and Michaels. As I did in all of my other meetings with professionals, I began by pitching my idea to Ellen, starting with my prototype, my demographic and concept. I will have to admit, throughout these early stages of this project I was a little lost on how I could connect a headband with the abstract thought of women empowerment...it sounded a little far fetched even in my mind. Ellen could tell that I was a little unsure of my demographic and almost immediately suggested that I change it to tweens (girls ages 10-14). She bought up a good point with this demographic; unlike women in their late 20s and 30s, young girls have the ability to be influenced. Young girls are looking for someone to look up to and model their lives after whereas, older women just want to be independent. So from there Ellen and I began brainstorming other directions these headbands could take. What would empower a little girl? What is popular right now in the young girl community? How could we tie headbands into the mix? That's when Ellen suggested a creative kit for young girls to put together and decorate their own headbands. To take this even further, and I had thought of this in the past, what if the headband kits were for young girls going through cancer treatment. When young girls go through chemo one of the most traumatic side affects is loosing their hair. These headbands would allow them to feel beautiful and strong. Plus chemo treatments can get boring. They can take hours and without anything to occupy their time children can get bored...perfect time for decorating a headband! I must say that this direction does lend a more cohesive concept. It successfully works bring a solution to a problem. And who wouldn't feel empowered after creating their own headband that they can wear around?
So it's certainly not starting over, but it is a new direction! I went in expecting the worst (from hearsay of previous students talking with Ellen about their projects) but I ended up gaining A LOT from our conversation. Ellen was really spot on with her advice and I think that without meeting with her I would be floundering around trying to connect disconnected ideas. And I thought my gears were turning after talking to Stephanie...now they are turning backwards and sideways at ten times the normal speed!