Semester 2! Quick Update

Now we are in the home stretch - only 80-something days until this thesis project comes to a close. And still so much to do! I just want to overview real quick where I'm at, where I'm going next, and different process strategies I plan to use into the semester.

Since last time I've posted, I've began construction on my books. In total, I will have around 16 books, one representing each direct descendent (mother, grandmother, great-grandfather, etc.) along with their siblings and decedents (grandmother's siblings, their children, their children's children). Some books will be larger than others, because some direct decedents of mine have more siblings and kin than others. Overall, that's the direction I'm going. I will be constructing these books backwards in time starting with the present. Meaning, I will complete my book, then my parents, than my grandparents', and so forth. That way if I don't complete everything I want to, I won't have missing pieces but instead I will be halted in my timeline where I can continue after this segment of my project is complete leading into April.

I have completed a rough draft copy of the book representing myself, and my next step will be completing that book to it's final product, and then beginning my parents + siblings books. I have to be very focused on construction so I don't leave it all to the last minute and diminish my craft.

Another great part about the winter semester portion of IP is our class time is split between studio and classroom time. In the studio time, mostly we work in our studios, but sometimes Ashley, our GSI, will be hosting mini-workshops or visualizing experiments. Today, we looked at our energy on a typical day. We just marked on a scale of how energetic we are at different times of the day. Through that exercise, I realized that I'm more likely to be writing/organizing in the morning, where my mind is a little more focused. And I'm more likely to be creating or constructing my books in the evening when I can't really focus on putting my thoughts into words, and would rather just zone out on being creative or using my hands without thinking much about context/deep thinking.

That's it for this post, coming up next I'll be detailing my DNA results, which I'm super excited about!

- Manda V.