This project was one of endurance. I learned that you cannot tire out when the job is half finished. You have to be ready to go everyday, prepared, organized, and ready to talk with others about plans. It was a marathon.
Don’t get in the middle of fights. Stay out of conflict at any cost. It’s not worth it in the end and it hurts group harmony. I managed to keep my thoughts to myself when things arose throughout the semester and I am so happy that I did so. Usually neither side is right and staying neutral allows you to focus on your work and the bigger goal more. Being picky about the little things people do will just drive you crazy.
“This isn’t your baby” Thank you Beth for teaching us how to let go of what we’ve written and allow someone else to edit and change it. None of us got our way all the time this semester and the website ended up completely different from what a lot of us imagined it to be at the beginning. By giving up our own egos and pride we were able to think about this project from a different point of view, one that would benefit our audience in the end instead of ourselves.
Ask questions. I wish I would of asked more questions throughout the semester than I did. When I didn’t fully understand something, instead of trying to do the job half way with what I knew, I should of asked someone who did.
Learn from everyone. We had the most diverse and unique group of students this semester. Everyone was great in their own way and helped me in some area of the site. We had a wide range of personalities and I loved being able to work with all seniors and juniors. You all helped me to make sure my work was the best it could be as well as act more professional and mature in many situations. I have learned something from each and everyone of you.
Don’t take criticism personally. The pitch this semester taught me a lot. It taught me to know when you are wrong and when to change something, don’t be set on something that can change at any moment, and take criticism as a sign of respect. Carl, Tania and Peter all treated us as adults and told us what would and wouldn’t work for this website if it were to be associated with the BSU Art Museum.
Know what your talking about always. During the pitch we had to explain what we meant very clearly and concisely. Carl, Peter, and Tania wanted to know why we made the specific choices we did. We needed to have a legitimate reason for everything. From the colors on the homepage to the font, to the layout of pages. There is a reason for everything, and you must know why if you are to explain to others.
Revise everything. Go through your drafts hundreds of times if you have to! It will make you seem like the best writer in the world.
Read everything out loud. Chances are, if it sounds awkward being spoken by you, then it won’t read clearly for someone else. Be flexible in your writing and be willing to change up sentence structure or replace a word that could be improved with another word.
Never forget the audience. As I was writing, I couldn’t help but think back to what I knew as a high school student, and even then I was always in honors so I had to simplify more. Interpretive Writing was a perfect book for us all to read as we began writing. Audience was drilled into my thoughts ever since that first visit to Jeff’s classroom.
There is a reason for everything in a museum. The work that curators and educators put into museums is astounding. I know from the docent program, but saw even more so this semester, the shear amount of time and effort that the staff of the BSU Art Museum put in. Everything in the museum was carefully planned and thought out. From Object selection, to booking tours, to leading tours, planning events, fund-raising, acquiring new objects, dealing with artists, budgeting the museum, and the list goes on and on.
Observe everyone. When visiting Jeff’s class I noticed that what the students did reflected more than what they said. Only a small percentage of the students talked to us, but the rest of them were exploring the site. I made mental notes on what they were looking at and what they were saying to their friends.
Be patient with others. Some people just don’t get art or at least all kinds and types of art. It’s not that they don’t care or can’t comprehend the ideas being expressed. If anything it’s because this is something foreign to them and they are confused or afraid of what it might mean. Not everyone in our class appreciated art the same way I did, and I just had to learn to be patient with them and explain it in a way that they could relate to. And you can’t dump all art on them at once. Thank god for the Annotated Mona Lisa we read this semester. I felt that more people in our class were finally getting some art and talking about it more openly after reading that book.
Finally, I want to talk to talk a little bit about the title of this portfolio: The Surface and the Underneath. Coming into this project I knew that there would be all sorts of work that we did that never would be seen. We have this interactive and sleek website to show for, and yet how much work did it take us to get there? I can easily appreciate any type of project after this semester knowing that whatever the final product is, about one hundred times as much work went into it. It’s the same as art. The artist can take years painting and sculpting or building for an exhibit and then all you have left is the final project. Those on the outside only see the beautiful creature you created and none of the blood and sweat it took you to make it. It may be appreciated, yes. But is it observed? Is it discussed and thought over? We all set out this semester to teach others how to look at art. If a person can look at art with an open mind and be ready to discuss and explore it’s possibilities, than that same person can explore anything.
