Time and I

We seem to have a strange relationship.

I invest so much time into things and yet I feel like I can't ever get anything done.

The world is in too much of a rush for me.

Am I just too slow?

Breathe

Sometimes....

....it's so hard to keep up with things.

Last Classes

Awesome class today to wrap up 311.

I wished I'd known to bring something for the tea and coffee potluck.

We could have enjoyed more.

Big ups to Meagan for bringing the fruit tray.

Once I get a few things back under wraps, and feel like I can walk a set of stairs without an ache, I'll post more and get into some depth on things.

Cafe conversations are fantastic.

I'm looking forward to more meetings of the mind.

Semester End Approaches

The year is about to end and things are coming to a close.

I've been having a hard time getting back into studies after the surgery.

Physical restrictions and pain have prevented my ability to get into a headspace to complete much.

Feeling very blocked, but working to overcome it.

Went to school today and had a great conversation with a few people and am getting closer to finding a schedule for next year.

There are some very different perspectives on education floating around ACAD.

I'm hoping that my research and study will create the opportunity to open things up a bit and break down the walls that certain faculty are putting up between each other.

I've been laying some solid groundwork for some longer term projects and it's becoming more apparent that the present model of the educational institution is overly restrictive in allowing students a chance to complete long term ambitions.

Non-linear learning combined with smaller group support is essential to a world that is quickly finding itself smaller and smaller and with fewer resources.

A four year commitment of an actual four years (give or take a few weeks here and there for exploration and reflection, as well as holidays) is not possible at the moment.

There are models of BA degrees taking three years and having no summer breaks, but that doesn't provide a solid four years.

There needs to be the chance to allow students to commit to a journey of 48 months.

We need a serious reassessment of learning outcomes and environments.

I'm pretty super excited to be involved in more of a learning environment than a teaching environment*, and one that fosters continued learning and longer term projects and success.

*a learning environment is one that allows for learning and understanding with everyone involved, while a teaching environment is one that fosters a top down approach where information is most always flowing one way.

Just found out a minute ago that my sister-in-law has just given birth to a healthy, happy, 9+lbs girl. My brother is thrilled. Super exciting!

I can't wait to meet my new niece, Charlotte.

Back to the issue of education.

Sometime things are broken and need a bit of fixing, and just like surgery, it's going to hurt and take awhile to recoup, but once the effort and pain are overcome there are some serious long term benefits.

I'm hoping I can finish getting over the distraction of my injuries and get back into completing things. Halfway through the day gets a bit tough and then I lose all motivation to focus on anything that requires any serious cognitive load.

Time to get some early rest.

A New Portfolio + CV

The time is fast approaching to submit my credentials for future employment.

There is the most amazing possibility I must apply to.

What will my new portfolio look like?

How does one present a sampler created in PD?

I will have to piece something together.

More on failure....

Is it failing if the system isn't set up to meet your needs?

When you're looking to create things on a different timeline and with a different approach, have you failed?

The word failure holds some heavy connotations and doesn't really capture the full story.

Failure appears very top down.

I wonder hoe much it reflects back up.

If someone fails your class of five or six students.... you must have fucked up.

Our learning assessment systems need to be re-evaluated.

{laughs}

When assessment needs assessment, what can be done?

Feeling a bit better.

Starting to get my head back.

Looking forward to finding a routine and some balance.

I am not a fan of shifting schedules that have a poor consideration of daily life.

ACAD Smart Night

Awesome.

Got to meet Tom Kelley.

His talk was great.

Focused on three of the ten roles of innovation.

His biggest focus was on his favourite face/role of innovation, the anthropologist.

Design Thinking:

check out this blog with relation to the idea.

Asked him what he thought about practice based design, and its shortcomings, with evolving the education system.

We had a great little chat and he provided me with some links to follow.

Said that "we're on the same wavelength."

His company, IDEO, is a strength in the world market and looks like a wonderful place to contribute to society through.

Tom linked me to the D.School, a program at Stanford, and was very encouraging with my aspirations in teaching.

His brother, Dave Kelley, heads up the Stanford program and is definitely someone worth meeting.

My post-op style was a conversation starter and provided me with a chance meeting with a very bright woman, Madelaine Kelley.

She's very excited in my small group teaching concept and is looking forward to the opportunity to discuss and share ideas.

I am looking forward to next year's Smart Night.

What a great evening it was!

Time to hit the sketch pad back up

I have lost touch with my sketching.

I was turned off from doodling and sketching earlier this year.

I found myself in a class that made me feel looked down upon.

I need to find my way back to getting the lead out.

I this...

I that...

I think...

I plan...

holy crap!

enough with me already!

It is time to start blogging pure knowledge for the sharing of concepts and understanding.

Embed the internet with healthy strong memories.

When you just cant Sleep.... Work.

Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to wish me well.

Support means the world to me, and helps a guy when he's feeling down.

I haven't been able to get a proper sleep since the surgery.

Sweating lots.

Two hours chunks and then I wake up.

I can get two of those and then it's all lying around and not getting past consciousness.

I'm going to start working on writing that I have to finish, today.

I've been tinkering on my PD sampler the last couple of days, as it's easy and doesn't take much out of me.

I've got mute/solos on each track and will alter my group toggles to be more like actual buses.

I've figured out the best way to have presets and have also thought out how to lay down different patterns that break the start at the same time issue I was facing.

pipe object

I'll dig up a bunch of cool beats and then program them in.

I'm excited to integrate Greg's sequencer into the patch.

I figure he's running an lengthofsoundfile equation that breaks it down into 16 chunks.

I'll know once I get my hands on it and reverse engineer the thing.

This sampler would not be possible without the help of my classmates: big-ups team.

I'm excited to send it off into the world for people to use and play with.

Perhaps, it can be a free tool for music creation in high-schools and more.

oh yeah....

I'm also going to add in a bar count-in for recording.

At the moment though, I need to spend some time away from it to focus on a couple other things.

Extended abstract deadline extension.

I now have until May 1st rather than April 5th to get my extended abstract into the iPed09 conference. I am very excited to get my paper submitted.

Meanwhile, I must finish my material culture paper that I fell away from.

Everything kind of came apart in my life right before the surgery.

Dates and physical bounding boxes be damned, I'm interested in my best growth and potential.

The working title for the iPed paper is "Breaking the Mold: learning on both sides of the box."

It'll focus on moving beyond the barriers of linear learning and allowing students the chance to truly connect with the personal motivation required for the most successful growth.

A concept of no-distance learning.

Time to finish my thank you letter for my Eaton Entrance Scholarship.

The awards ceremony is on the 20th of April.

Hopefully, I can get the two pieces I'm looking to silent auction for charity framed and then put them up in the show.

The question I've been asking myself is....

What is the best charitable event to sell high-art for?