Journal 3rd Nov
This is one long ramble…
With my new direction and focus I feel that I will need to re focus my research efforts. I wonder if I will have to re-write my essay to be more in line with my new focus. If not then I could just try to improve what already exists. The feedback seems to suggest a complete re-write. I’ll need to ask about the best approach. I’d like to re-write, if there’s time, to focus more on how graphic design can help chronic illness and pain. Thinking about how integrate graphic design is giving me a migraine. I think I need to identify where to place graphics. Graphics is no substitute for a thing itself (like meditation) but it can point out things and make things easier. (this would be like how the design of headspace apps make it easier and more pleasurable to meditate). Symbols is that part that is fucking me. I want to move away from the essay and symbols into designing and making. Is it too early to consider what I’m trying to make for after Christmas? I’d say yes, big time. My priority should be to focus on the small creative projects and gaining feedback and research from those. This is to be tied into the research if done right.
This should be my priority right now. Anything else is a distraction, I can’t possibly consider what my end product will be when I’ve barely started doing anything (especially for research). I need to show that I’ve made progress and show clear steps ahead. The problem and question to ask is whether my essay can, or should, fit into the new direction or if I should re-write it.
I just need some simple task to do. I have a focus, I have a fairly clear direction. What use do symbols have in this still? I clearly don’t understand them well enough and am wrong on my research.
A why could be important for this. I mainly want to try and make living with chronic illnesses more bearable, and then in using that inform people of how to take that on board - If they don’t have illnesses.
So, my research should focus on finding what things they do to relieve or live in spite of or perhaps how they use their own pain/disease/struggle as motivation. This could be inspiring and hopeful for people. I suppose something like this could be a bit of a statement or a campaign.
This is making me think of the 5 senses posters — chronic illness is not something others can often see, feel, hear, smell, taste. Perhaps this could be a focus on how chronic can be missed or misinterpreted. Surreal posters could be fun but that feels more meaningful.
A shrine to existential security might be a shrine to discomfort and how we avoid it, but for some they can’t. The shrine could be something for people to leave their messages and where to put it would be key.
The journal would be key for getting to consider the things people find meaningful and struggle through. (this could be quite possible if people haven’t considered this before, helping them to consider things they do and strength they already have.) The things that keep them going.
This feels like one step forward two steps back.
TASKS:
- Ask about how to integrate current research into new aim.
- find people and groups to interview. See if there is correlation with some things I do already with others.
- Brainstorm designs for the small creative projects.
- Start designing ASAP
- A clear why.
