My experience with human-centered design is limited, if not absent entirely. So, when approaching the first day of class, I became nervous that my little knowledge of 3D printing from seminars and brief interactions with the software was going to be enough to be successful in this class. Watching the mindset videos before class, I discovered my potential strengths and weaknesses when it comes to making. Overcoming failure and optimism are two states of mind that have resonated with me my entire life. On the other hand, I tend to struggle with my creative confidence, becoming anxious and unsure any time I am faced with presenting my own writings, speeches or any other form of creative expression. Additionally, I often find myself struggling through ambiguity; I enjoy set plans that can be accomplished in a certain amount of time. As I continue this semester, I will look for opportunities to grow my creative confidence and to embrace ambiguity while maintaining my optimistic and resilient mindset. I cannot imagine a better group for inspiration than those at DRES.
Finding Inspiration
While exploring the mindsets, I have been thrilled to come across people with stories that inspire me. Going to the seminar at DRES, I was in awe of the characteristics within those we met. When sympathy comes easily, it may be hard to have empathy for those who are different from ourselves, but the passionate and fascinating story telling that came from this trip truly helped me better understand the life of a person with disabilities.
Arielle absolutely amazed everyone with her growing business and dedication to distributing chairs to those who are not fortunate enough to afford one in Kenya. She started with creating something she wanted and soon realized that it was a need for those around campus and around the world, so she iterated until she found a system that worked. She continues to iterate to find better technology so she can hopefully customize gloves more efficiently.
Another story that resonated with me was Ron’s. After his injury, he maintained his hard work and figured out how to make it. By “it”, I mean anything and everything that could help him or others work, move, and live more efficiently. He had confidence in his creativity and spoke of a resourcefulness I could only imagine.
Each of the stories at DRES have inspired me in different ways and offered me a unique form of empathy. I am excited to bring my learnings into the class and continue to grow my mindsets.
I had pictures, but for some reason the files are too large to download. Hopefully I can figure them out for next week.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Gies College of Business
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/finding-creative-confidence-and-inspiration/#comment-33
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/if-its-not-broke-use-it-to-create-something-new/