Reflective Diary about the Special Issue 16

Our reflection space :) You are invited to do a reflection on the journey of our "learning how to walk while catwalking".
You can do a free writing flow or if you are looking for some guidance, you can answer to some of these questions:

1. What did you like about the process of creating the Special issue 16?
2. What would you like to keep in the process for the next special issue?
3. What did you not like about the whole journey?
4. What would you like to do differently for Special Issue 17? Feel free to elaborate in more specifics.
5. Share a memorable moment during the last 2.5 months :)
6. What was the most challenging thing while working in the big group; and in the sub-groups?
7. What did you learn during the Prototyping classes (Michael & Manetta)? What will you keep from them?
8. What did you learn during the Special issue classes (Cristina & Steve)? What will you keep from them?
9. How would you describe your overall experience of doing this special issue?
10. How will you use what you have learned this trimester in your personal practice?
11. Anything else you would like to share with the group

o h j i a n

# What did you like about the process of creating the Special issue 16?

• getting to know all of you
• the high energy level and dynamic in the group
• the excitement of diving into something completely new (especially with coding and collective working)
• coding
• collective working

# What would you like to keep in the process for the next special issue?

• the high energy level and dynamic in the group
• being curious and adventurous

# What did you not like about the whole journey?

• serious moments of frustration – sorry to everyone!
• that the technical part of the special issue 16 couldnt be equally distributed (because we aimed too high?)
• that we got carried away in the project-subgroups and lost the view for the whole picture

# What would you like to do differently for Special Issue 17? Feel free to elaborate in more specifics. when we started to work on the special issue 16 i thought there could be two ways to approach it:

1. work on ONE in-depth project with the whole group
2. work on small individual projects or experiments and bring them together in the special issue

i think we ended up doing something inbetween: three projects that are too small on their own and too big and complex to bring them together as the special issue 16. i mean – it works, but its quite messy, not consistent and doesnt carry a clear message. i feel a bit sad about it and would love to try option 1 or 2 next time! it would also mean to take responsibility for the content and the audience!

# Share a memorable moment during the last 2.5 months :) there is a whole collection:

• meeting the class (most of them) at the central station for the firt time <3
• the day i coded the book generator, it was the first time i realised that coding can be useful and connected to my research
• the workshop series at Roodkapje – first time being introduced to an Arduino
• THE LONG DAY WITH CHRISTINA, it was a milestone
• the day Michael and Manetta introduced the flask application, i was super excited and frustrated at the same time
• many coding moments with kamo – thanks!!!
• everyones support when i needed to leave Rotterdam in the last week of the project – it wasnt easy to go and all your messages were amazing and helped me a lot!

# What was the most challenging thing while working in the big group; and in the sub-groups?

• to be on the same page (this refers to decision-making but also communication in general)
• i think that we got carried away in the project-subgroups

# What did you learn during the Prototyping classes (Michael & Manetta)? What will you keep from them? everything!!!!!

# What did you learn during the Special issue classes (Cristina & Steve)? What will you keep from them?

• how to annotate as a group
• how to have check-in moments
• methods for collective decision-making

# How would you describe your overall experience of doing this special issue? on the surface: AMAZING below that: mixed feelings of "maybe we could or should have done it differently?"

# How will you use what you have learned this trimester in your personal practice?

• i will continue my coding journey and try to find more overlaps with my graphic-design and book-design practice
• i will experiment with my arduino and the raspberry pi i got for christmas!

# Anything else you would like to share with the group <3