April 17, 2011

            As my final quarter of school begins, I feel the need to take a step back and think about my project as a whole, has everything gone as originally planed? Am I achieving the goals I initially wanted to? What is the future of my project? If I had written this only a week ago, this entire entry would be completely different. But because I am writing this now, I will evaluate my project as of this very moment.

            With my classes complete and Danielle on her way to New York, it seems my third space has been completely eliminated. I have begun to think of interim third spaces such as fashion shows or amateur photo shoots, but I yearn for a professional environment in which I can continue to learn.

            Journal writing is just about the only thing that has stayed consistent throughout my project. I have surprised myself with my ability to write long pieces and am proud of how well I have been able to stay on track and on time with my journals. Soon I will begin to arrange my writings into a formal, presentable binder and I am looking forward to designing it to reflect the fashion and art I have been working on.

            The research I have done for this project has helped me beyond belief. I knew there was much that needed to be learned and I feel that I have put a lot into finding the right books to read and documentaries to watch. Although I do not believe the writing I have done best reflects how much I am learning, I feel that with every new thing I learn, comes a whole new world for me to explore. I would like to focus this quarter’s research maybe a bit more on interior design and the business of fashion (marketing and merchandising).

            One of the best parts of my project so far has been my developing relationship with Trish, my WISE mentor at school. We have been working well together and I feel she is the best person to talk to about my project. Recently, she has been ill, so my time with her has been limited, but I don’t believe it has hurt our relationship and I know she will be the best person to assist me on my way in this project. I think continuing to see her every other week is the best for the both of us and I look forward to hearing her opinion on what to do next on my project.

            Today, for the first time since I wrote them, I looked over the goals I set for myself in my very first journal. My first goal was to stay on schedule and on time. As I discussed before, I believe I have done well with keeping up my journal entries; however being on time is something that is still frustrating me. If I end up assisting another stylist, my goal will be to always arrive early (that should work for at least getting me there on time). My second goal was to become more confident in my own fashion choices. My time at the Academy of Art class has shown me how beautiful each person’s own unique look is. That class was the first time I was around people who all had their own look and were completely confident in it and I feel this has given me the confidence to feel good in my own style choices. The third goal was to learn the most I can during this experience. Between my own research, working with Danielle, and my class at Academy of Art, I feel I am learning more than I ever expected. My fourth goal was to become more confident around adults. I think this goal needs more time because I still feel young and naive around industry professionals. My final goal was to enjoy 100% of this opportunity. After everything that has happened in the past week, reading this goal made me take a step back and look at my project as a whole. I truly appreciate everything I have been able to do so far in the project and know that, in the end, the good will most definitely weight out the bad.