making a positve out of a negative.....

So we are here again starting another year at university although its different this year as this year is 4th year. This year we are actually expected to do something of worth. To start making our mark on the world.

There is always that battle in your mind of wanting to do something worth while in your life, to make a difference to achieve something in your life ! I think that is one of the things im most scared of in life is not making and impression to not be indispensable.

So where have you been all this summer then ? Well I can answer that in one word…..hospital. I was unfortunate enough to be involved in a severe car crash at the start of the summer needless to say beware people towing things who then think it’s a great idea to block both lanes of a dual carriageway. This resulted in myself lying in hospital staring at a roof with a broken back - not exactly my idea of a great summer. Although i amused myself by counting things on the roof so for example my deaf friends there are 2448 little squares in the lights above my hospital bed in ARI.

However I am determined to make a positive out of this negative experiance. I am now forced to live a life in a back brace and crutches until around Christmas. I find the design of the back brace is incredibly dated and contsrained let alone unpractical. It is certainly designed for function not form which is good in many ways however when I turned to people in a similar situation to myself for suggestions about coping with life in a back brace there are a few phrases which are continually being said

“wearing a back brace is like a 24/7 sentence”

“ After a few months you can get off with not wearing it for an evening so you can go out”

These phrases really scared me as the whole point of a brace is to give you some form of life and freedom when you have a broken back but everyone who wears one see’s it as a limiter and an inconvenience. Being a brace wearer myself I have found there have been so many limitations to my lifestyle not only in personal care but generally living. Now alot of this cant be helped for example the inability to carry anything is due to your broken back not your brace but there bust be better solutions than there already is......or ones that would be feasible for the NHS to put into manufacture !

Mindapple

Iv had really good feedback about the what shape are you challenge and thanks to a good friend who is spreading the word. I know i found it really helpful. I have just come across a concept called mindapples (again from my dojbuddy, you can see her blog below). She explains it a bit better but its basically to make you stop and think about a place that you find positive to yourself hers is a train or bus etc where she can sit and daydream, mine is anywhere away from a city centre (but the further the better) early in the morning, i find it really refreshing to sit and let the new day wash over me feeling the fresh air and listing to all the subtle sounds of just generally being outside really clears my mind and helps it to focus. So yeh please go on to her blog and comment about where your mindapple is

http://oddthings-and-me.blogspot.com/

Is it all worth it ?

When you believe about something passionatly and others around you dont it can often be a long slog and you can face a lot of criticism over this. To me as a person you should be able to respect others views whether you agree with them or not and especially if you are an ifluential person in their life encorage them to develope thier passion further. Just because it is not your passion doesnt mean it cant be thiers.

Its like in a relationship, you will never agree on everything its just not humanly possible there will always be some form of tolerance and compromise but that is why we are human. Iv had an amazing and very rewarding week which has given my confidence a huge boost, iv had amazing advice from friends and family which i am currently trying out to try and evolve my style although i did hit a slight brick wall when it came to asking others what they thought my style was as there answer......'well your isla' !

So from this statemnet the next challenge is to make it tangible not exactly the smallest of tasks i can assure you but i shall keep you posted. I have started a fun game which i do once of twice a week with a group of frineds which is very revealing about their personalities so give it a try. So this week was what geometric shape would you be. My answer to this is a star because i have more than one passion in my life and more than one influence too which to me are represented by the 5 points like 5 paths in and out of the heart/centre, although i can be sharp if i dont get to where i want to go like the points on the end. So what geometric shape would you be and why, dont think about it too much thought otherwise you will cater your answer to what you want it to be ?

What makes you, you ?

I think this has a large influence on a persons confidence. If you dont know who you are or what makes you special from others it can be hard to believe in yourself and your abilities.

As a design student you are told that your life should be design and art, continually following every step and every event. However what if you have other interests, other desires which you want to follow ? A good friend said to me that there is more to me and my life than just design, is this a good thing or a bad thing ? To succeed do we have to be focused on just on area or can we explore all our other ambitions and follow our curiosity ? I have more than one passion in my life is this a bad thing or is it purely what makes me me ?

To find a style is a hard thing to do as its a reflection of yourself and your attitudes, so if you dont know what makes you special how can you find your style ? Maybe sometimes we cant see our own style and need someone else to tell us.




So this is me, I am a blank canvas. I am a mouldable person someone with more than one passion and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. This is me.

What makes confidence !?

My confidence has taken quite a battering as of late so this post comes from another post by a close friend and a beautifully worded email to which im extreamly greatful and will reply soon =)

So the task - what makes confidence ? Is it doing well at something - beating your goals ? Is it getting recognition for what you have done ? Can it be as simple and finding others in the same position as yourself - knowing that its not just you ? Or is it beating someone else, knowing that you have done better than your contemporaries (i know this sounds a horrible thing but you all know its true that there is nothing better than succeeding over others its our natural competative streak)

For the next few weeks im going to keep a note of what makes me feel confidant and takes that away.

First off others believeing in me gives me huge strength and when i take a knock from a person and they speak out either in my defence or as a matter of support later it lets me know that even if at that time i dont have confidence in myself that they do and believe in me. Its like a little safety net i suppose that when you fall if you have true friends they are always there to catch you and put you back on your feet.

So for today:

Confidence is knowing that even if you dont believe in yourself that others do. Its like a support net , if you fall if you have true friends they are always there to catch you and help you back on your feet.

When is it all worth it when is your effort rewarded?

Firstly i would like to say a big congrats to my friend stephanie for her placemnet in London i know you will be amazing and if you need any tips etc you know where i am.

It can be frustrating when you put your heart ans soul into something and feeling your not getting the recognition for it but i spose that is the way life goes and you have to learn to pic yourself up from it and move on.

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-13-2005-64166.asp

This is one of the most interesting websites i have found in a long time.

It gives general meaning to all colour choices and usage - which most people know when it comes to using their common sense however what is more fascinating about it is it then goes into details about what different colours mean in different cultures.

For example where we see green as very positive and ecologically minded in China if a man wears a green hat it means his wife is cheating on him and so can be associated with many negative issues. Whereas red which we see as a negative colour associating it with danger they associate with luck and prosperity. In many ways these developing courties are almost opposites to western coutries.

More interestingly blue is considered a very positive colour and is widely known as the safest colour choice for many. In countries such as China blue is known as immortatlity and all things future forward. As a result of this that is why my focus for my final product is about blue and water.

Also the caption of green by stealth should almost be changed to blue by stealth !

what technology?

advancments in RDIF could be a consideration however it was really interesting to see this article. I wanted to develope something which could be done in the near future, and this certainly makes it seem like it could be possible.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7997961.stm

understand who you are selling to

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_47/b3960003.htm

This article shows quite how hard it can be to understand the young chinese market. Sony's approach seems logical and well thought through, maybe this is a better approach to take and build a consumer profile? It also emphasises thier want for product that are designed for them and thier needs over something which has been done in the west and sent over. It also becomes obviouse that their have a very high view of design and see this as a method of developing your competitivness as a company.

360 degrees

Having met up with geoff yesterday i fear i have taken the wrong track. Where as before i had taken the route of simplicity is best i had forgotten about the high technology drive in many of these developing countries and so simplicity could be seen as too simple. As a result im doing a 360 on the principle of my sketches and instead looking at highly techniqual but still with a plug in and go mentality. From this i have looked at what technology trends are most popular in these countries for example China and mobile phones maybe the concxept could be some form of visual phone application ?