Dialogue
In reflecting on my experience with this project, I'm struck by how much of what ended up defining the final product emerged through open and searching dialogue. While there was an orienting idea we all found interesting (transitions), I don't think any of us had a strong vision of what to focus on within this idea or how to convey it through a physical medium when we first started. This lack of an immediate direction ended up being a good thing because it became apparent through our initial discussion that we were all drawn to different, albeit sometimes similar, parts of the idea. Overcoming these differences was our first formidable task.
It's neat to look back now and see how, in this space of uncertainty, we all offered up potential directions, foci, and understandings. The process of determining which of these we wanted to develop further was messy and filled with false steps. It was a place of intellectual play. It was common for one of us to put an idea on the table and for someone else to pick it up, so to speak, modify it, and throw it back out for the other's consideration. It was through this sort of cumulative, dialectical dance that each of the key facets of our project began to take form. I enjoyed this and believe that we arrived at something better than any of us could have developed on our own.
Working on a team like this again was fun. After establishing the general shape of the project, we delegated some of the major responsibilities among ourselves. My largest responsibility was securing 252 square feet of cardboard, turning it into 7x4 feet of sturdy sheets, and painting them black. This required a fair amount of dumpster diving, hot glue, and multiple trips to a manufacturing plant on the North Shore. Having to get resourceful in this sort of way again was great.
As someone comfortable with minimal structure and problem-solving under pressure and constraints, I had to push myself to act differently in this setting. Admittedly, I could have done better. Instead of actively honoring others' needs for clarity by planning out a sequence of tasks and milestones, I often stuck to a more fluid approach. Getting a better sense of people's needs and expectations at the start is something I can work on if I'm going to be on a team with others who have different tendencies. However, despite these differences in approaches, we worked well and created a lovely final product together.
This was so much fun, and I'm tremendously grateful for the care and creativity of my team.