Post Studio II Reflection
This quarter was a roller coaster of an experience. I do not think I have had as many emotional or difficult experiences to encounter in rapid succession like I did for this course.
I started by changing my topic completely. From the very beginning, I was behind the curve, as I wanted to change my thesis to reflect closer to my personal career goals and personal interests. I believe I have successfully done that up to this point. After a series of 5 weeks of pure research and digesting article after article on material design, as well as using material design for my thesis presentation, a difficult life event was placed in front of me. Two consecutive funerals occurred, with the death of the second individual happening 4 days after the burial of the first. It was a troubled time for my fiance's family, and I was asked to be a part of both funerals and to be with the families of those that lost someone special to them.
Less than 2 days after the burial of the second wonderful woman, I received a call from a Disney recruiter about a position I applied for. Since that first call, I endured 3 total interviews, a background check, online paperwork, and multiple emails and phone calls all with Disney. I was selected, and then accepted a position with Disney in Glendale, California. Being from Alabama, this was a jarring experience, because now I have the weight of figuring out my living situation and travel around Los Angeles.
These momentous events, on top of the other 3 interviews I had with companies during the quarter provided for some startling and distracting events. This quarters work is not even remotely close to my best work, and that is my fault. I let life events distract from what should have been the most important thing during these ten weeks, and that is my school work and thesis. That being said, this summer I will be working with Disney, and attempting to imrpove on my thesis all the while before my review in the coming fall quarter.
Today I had an eye opening discussion about my thesis, which has me now reconsidering many things I was previously set on going through with. I need to read more articles, thesis, books, and anything I can get my hands on regarding 3D Interface Design. 3D Interface Design is the focus of my thesis, not Material Design, and while Material Design is a decent set of aesthetic guidelines, they are merely just that. I need to focus on the practice of 3D Interface Design, its strengths, weaknesses, and the human computer interaction that occurs with 3D interfaces. So I am effectively back to the drawing board, but with a much more narrow scope and new sense of purpose.
Even with this roller coaster of a quarter, it was an incredible experience. Without the guidance of an instructor that I consider a mentor and friend, I would be lost in a see of information. I'm sure I can pull this all together in a strong, cohesive thesis that will surely make myself and the University proud.