-
Archives
What Next?
Jul 23, ’11
9:46 PM
Now three weeks into this new journey, I’m starting to reclaim a sense of self on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and intellectual – and I am enjoying learning to be myself once again.
True to form, I’ve gone through and purged belongings that I no longer need and increased “security” around those that I still need / want. My primary objective at this point is to refine the Immersion foundation defined earlier this year and use that as the basis for decision-making and activities in the months to come.
In the meantime, here are a few ideas that I have been thinking about:
Portfolio Consolidation: I am considering shutting down both Pixeldust and Ink microsites and consolidating the portfolios, which could very well result in the elimination of many older pieces whose quality lags behind more recent work. While I think the current site design is sound, I also believe there is too much redundancy. Strategy: Keep things simple, relevant and focus all attention on my best work.
Self-Promotion: I think the efforts that have gone into my core portfolio and the various microsites have resulted in a solid foundation to build from. I’m pleased with the results, but I’m at a point where I’m less interested in promotion for promotion’s sake (career opportunities, etc.) and more interested in further expanding the portfolio. Strategy: Get back to basics.
Research: I am at a point now where the types of books that I am reading are leaning away from self-improvement and towards other subjects: design, technical subjects and fiction. It’s a direction that I’m becoming more comfortable with. Strategy: Refocus research efforts on creative and technical topics, and focus more energies on fictional works.
Bionic 2.0: As mentioned earlier, one of the plateaus I’ve reached is the physical. Now three years into a strength-building plan, I think I can move into new territories. Strategy: Focus greater energy on core physiology and refine exercise plan.
The End of Incubator.
Mar 5, ’11
6:52 PM
After considerable thought I’ve decided to mark a completion to Incubator and embark on the next chapter in my journey – one that I call Territories:
It’s very clear now that what I have been going through can be best described as a “valley”, although the period (2007-2010) can be described in both the positive and negative:
The Bad relationship failure . shattered dreams . borderline personality disorder . abandonment . loss . depression . post-traumatic stress disorder . downsizing . monetary loss . depression . therapy . loneliness . isolation . breakup . negative feedback . extreme stress . panic attacks . internal conflict . analysis paralysis . miscommunication . poor decision-making skills . poor sense of self . lack of direction . life crisis . past self-realization
The Good design . values . industrial design school . sense of direction . renewed sense of self . peaks and valleys realization . education . graphic design . portfolio creation . advanced creative thinking . writing . photography . illustration . exercise . talent . strengths
As it relates to “peaks” and “valleys”, the following key points have been added to my personal “rulebook” (from the book with the same name):
- The errors you make in today’s good times create tomorrow’s bad times.
- The wise things you do in today’s bad times create tomorrow’s good times.
I may never forgive but I am ready to forget.
“Ink” is LIVE.
Sep 11, ’10
10:31 PM
As promised, the latest addition to the creative family is live. Digital illustrations of people, objects and environments: http://ink.adriandaniels.com
Advancement Pathways.
Aug 30, ’10
6:18 PM
“On the other hand,” said Randa, “my uncle used to say, ‘All knowledge is one,’ and he may be right. You may learn something from meteorology that will help you with your psychohistory. Isn’t that possible?” Seldon smiled weakly. “A great many things are possible.” And to himself he added: But not practical.
– Prelude to Foundation, Isaac Asimov
One of the concepts that I’ve explored over the past several years is something called a development, or advancement model. The purpose of such a model is to determine where you are in terms of an “ideal” state, and what changes you may have to employ in order to reach that state.
Since several of my recent posts have focused on digital illustration, it only makes sense to show an advancement model in this area. On the left side of this model is a “starting” state while the right side shows an ideal “end” state – in this case a digital matter painter (who would be employed doing matte paintings for movies, for example).
(As you can see, I am pretty far from this particular end-state!)
This is a good start, but it’s not particularly useful other than showing where one is within the advancement “spectrum”. For example, it doesn’t really tell us what we need to do to get to this ideal end-state. Here is a potential improvement:
This version highlights at least five levels of advancement one needs to achieve in order to become a professional “digital matte painter”. But this model is also rather limited in that it assumes an ideal growth path is linear – which, in many cases, it is not. In fact, sometimes the best advancement path is anything but linear! (although it can take longer to get that ideal state)
Here is an advancement model that is more dynamic and perhaps more reflective of “real-world” development:
As you can see, we’re still intent on building the skills and aptitude necessary to become a “digital matte painter” but the path is less structured and more dynamic – potentially allowing one to become an even more advanced (rounded) matte painter at the end of this “journey”. Some paths, as you can see in this visual, diverge completely from the originally defined end state.
Needless to say, this model is created partially in hindsight as one may not know all of the paths that she/he can take on this development journey. Which begs the question: if the creation of this model is partially in hindsight, what is the relevance?
The relevance of this type of advancement model is that it forces one to look at the pathway they are on to assess whether their current direction will ultimately converge towards the end state. If not, is this a temporary deviation or a permanent one? Has the goal changed? Does it make sense to reverse course and try another path?
As one gains greater knowledge about the “ideal” end state, they will have a greater ability to introduce new and alternative pathways that may help broaden their experience and understanding. Having multiple pathways is a good thing as it can provide new advancement channels to explore. The key is not to get “lost” in this “web” and ensure that the paths one follows is done with a true sense of purpose.
Advancement models are useful constructs for helping one improve in a given area, and can also help expand one’s understanding of the experiential and educational landscape associated with the core subject. Start with your career – what does your advancement model look like? What does the “ideal state” look like for you? How will you get there?