Reflection, The Art of Digesting Experience
On this MA service design course we are continuously asked to reflect. This can be a reflection on our role as a designer, on our biases, or on our team performance. I love to reflect and in the past I would have taken time to sit quietly or go for a walk and really savour the reflective experience. Since I started the MA I haven’t had the time to do this and have found reflection to be an annoying inconvenience when my time is so limited. My reflection usually starts when I sit in front of the computer to type it up which often yields superficial results.
During a workshop at the start of the year we were asked to define what reflection is. My response — the art of digesting experience. That definition has taken on a new meaning for me this year. Even if I haven’t found the time to actively reflect, my subconscious is still processing and digesting all my thoughts and experiences. The results pop into my mind throughout the day, walking from one room to another, stirring a pot, tying a shoelace.
I had to complete a class exercise about the skills I have and also those I want to acquire, as well as my passions and future plans. Classmates had to comment on what each other wrote. This exercise is aimed at helping us to choose a topic for our final project. Using the subconscious reflective method I described above I have written what I learned from doing this exercise.
I don’t know what I’m good at.
I know what I enjoy but I don’t know what I’m good at and they’re not the same thing, at least for me. I know I enjoy learning but I want to know where my value is in a team. Time to ask my teammates for some help.
Teammates
It was sometimes an intense experience working in teams. Looking through my teammate's exercises I was surprised by how aware I was of their talents and the value they brought to the team and found it easy to comment on their board. But similar to myself some of my teammates weren’t aware of their value and failed to mention the things I thought they really excelled at. Having team members comment encouragingly on my board was a nice validation and actually really sweet. I also enjoyed the opportunity to show support to my classmates.
The old and the new
I had many potential areas of interest for my final project but that has now ballooned since the start of this MA. I find myself interested in so many different topics that I just want to keep exploring. Saying that I still feel a pullback to health and wellbeing, something I have always been interested in. But after these months of intense learning, I’m seeing the topic with fresh eyes and I can’t wait to get stuck in.
