Although I had already seen the PDF of the course materials it is always exciting to get the box emblazoned important learning materials! One of the joys I have found of life-long and life-wide learning (Redecker et al., 2011) is that as I get older I am much clearer about the best way to approach my own learning. I can recognise the moments of anxiety and confusion and sit with them more comfortably, reasonably confident that at some point I will move forward. At the moment I am aware of a niggling sense of trepidation as I move into what feels like a different field and away from the photography modules.
There are several things I know will help me at this point:
- Immersion: getting a sense of the field, its history, its contexts, its movers & shakers, current debates and future directions
- Pattern spotting: for me this is about making connections with things I have some knowledge of, by finding connections I recognise it gives me both an entry point and helps steady my confidence. Finding frameworks like Gestalt, rule of thirds and some familiar designs (even if I didn’t know the designers) has all helped me see a way into GD1
- Doing stuff: getting stuck in straight away on exercises both in the course materials and from other sources. Sketching, collecting postcards, noticing more of the graphic design around me
So, as several books arrive I am playing, sketching, pinning, collecting and focusing on the things I can do. As opposed to looking ahead and focusing on the things I might think I can’t do at the moment like use Illustrator properly or design a logo! Postcards here I come…!
References:
Redecker, C., Leis, M., Leendertse, M., Punie, Y., Gijsbers, Kirschner, P., et al. (2011). The Future of Learning: Preparing for change: JRC/IPTS European Commission.
