MFA DT THESIS
Parsons The New School for DesignArchive for June, 2009
Making work and reflecting on what you’ve made
If you have read your summer assignment, you have hopefully done some of the reading and also done some research in your chosen topic and field. If you were a PhD student, you would have to read all the relevant literature in your field of study. What we do as designers is very similar. We study all the work that has been done in our fields PLUS we familiarize ourselves with methods and materials to produce our projects. Most beginning designers are really good at creating work but they lack the skill to present their work and the core arguments they are making for the work.
When artists and designers really become experts, they are able to speak about their work in CONTEXT of others who are also producing work that may address the same questions.
We used to make the summer assignment all about asking good questions but we found that questions are better asked AFTER something is produced. This may sound a bit backwards but most artists/designers are good at expressing themselves visually and physically. This is why we encourage you to MAKE many iterations of sketches and prototypes of your work. You will then be better able to reflect on what you’ve made and also decide who can help you assess what you’ve made. This will give you something tangible to show people. You can get their reactions to your work and make adjustments that satisfy you and your audience or user.
Summer is the best time to find your mentors, peers, and user/audience group. Even if you have nothing made, starting the conversation with a company, an organization, a group of people who need what you are making is ESSENTIAL.
—Anezka
Thesis Site? Thesis Blog? What’s the difference?
Hello Class-
Many of you have proven to me that you are not reading the Thesis Summer Assignment at http://thesis.cdt.parsons.edu — you should know the password and user name by heart now. The summer assignment required a Thesis Site to be up with specific categories that you will be updating throughout the thesis process. This will be the site that we require as a department for your thesis archive. It will be the site that will contain all the versions of your work, your abstract, your domains and precedents, your impetus–etc. etc. In other words, the Thesis Site is a formal web-based document. A blog that you can literally throw up in five seconds these days, is much more informal. This blog, for example, is an informal way for me to “talk” to you from time to time. The Thesis site where all the requirements are posted is a much more static and formal document. The blog is dynamic. I expect that all of you are keeping a blog, a production notebook, and/or a sketchbook where you jot down ideas. You should figure out what works best for your own thesis and process.
Remember that keeping good notes and reflecting on your process is the difference between a mediocre and excellent artist/designer.
Who is it for and Why does it Matter?
Hello Class-
Many of you are still in a bit of a quandary about what your thesis will be about. Many of you have questions about how it will serve your future career path.
Over the past 11 years of Thesis Projects, we have found that the projects that are closes to the student’s heart are the projects that become successful. The main questions that you have to keep asking yourself about any project that you create as an artist and designer are: Who is it For? and Why does it Matter? The worst thing that could happen when you show up in September to pitch us your Thesis is that we say….So What?
Make sure that you know the answers to these two fundamental questions and you will also know that you’re on the right path to a great career. Once you have become a contributor to a group of people other than your own familiar crowd, your ideas will take on a life of their own. Once you understand how to manipulate (all kinds of) media so that it does matter to a group/community/organization/company/you will understand the very fundamentals of promoting yourself and your ideas. After all, we don’t only want to get jobs to pay for the things we want in our lives, we want to have meaningful careers.
Anezka
Concept Creation Help
Hello Class,
It seems that many of you are still mulling over your thesis concept. Rest assured that this is exactly where you should be. If you follow the first few steps of the Thesis Summer Assignment, you will probably become more inspired.
Most of all, your thesis should be something that inspires you. You should work with ideas that are familiar to you. Literally the things that you’ve already been doing in your life thus far. It helps to make lots of lists. See this inspiring TED talk by Stefan Sagmeister: http://www.ted.com/talks/stefan_sagmeister_shares_happy_design.html about Happy Design.
If you are overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a whole year’s project, the best thing to do is to take small steps. There is nothing more daunting than a blank canvas or an empty studio. The best thing to do is to “mess around” with ideas. This is why I encourage students to MAKE things rather than overthinking things. In the case of animators, you should be thinking about characters that can express themes or ideas that you’re concerned with. Is your idea dark like Don Herzfeldt’s Billy’s Balloon? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc5vgi9zbM&feature=fvst . Or are you more of an optimist like Rohini Metharam’s Ranga’s Meatshop? http://www.surkelmedia.com/rangasmeatshop/ — a Thesis 2009 project.
Go to see lots of work in your chosen medium as well as other work. You never know where inspiration might be hiding.
Most of all, make something once a day–whether it is a sketch– a few words on your blog — or a few words in a word document. Building concepts take time. If you have a concept, pitch it to everyone you meet. Also be thinking of who might be interested in your concept and contact people with whom you can show/talk through your idea.
Remember that the smallest and most focused ideas are often the best. Check out Drew Cogbill’s Pigeon project from last year. Very inspiring and simple. http://drewcogbill.com/thesisblog/?p=194
Best,
Anezka–don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thesis: First Three Steps
1. On the thesis site: http://thesis.cdt.parsons.edu user: dtthesis pwd: aeiou READ: The Craft of
Research Chapter 3 “From Topics to Questions” and “From Questions to Problems” PLUS:
“What Do Prototypes Prototype?” Also good summer reading: Design Research, Methods and
Perspectives Brenda Laurel, editor MIT Press 2003 (read the articles that pertain to the kind of
research you are doing).
2. In a sketchbook or weblog jot down a few sentences every day about any patterns that you see
in the topics that you have chosen to study or focus on in your life; or perhaps you want to just
pose some questions that are compelling and new to you. As you question, you are beginning the
thesis process. Why are the concept(s) that you are coming up with so important to you or anyone
else? Upload ideas to your thesis blog. (You may choose to further the concept of your second
semester mini-thesis or not).
3. Keep a list of key words that are specific to your thesis concept as you are learning about it.
