Creative Thinking Review | Week 11

This marks the last post of Creative Thinking module. Honestly speaking, this Arts & Foundation programme went passed like a flash of lightning. First days may seemed like a billion years ago to some but seriously, the memory of it are still fresh as ever in my mind. Creative Thinking, I'd say, the  most enjoyable module to attend. Not for the sake of what's been taught or what we learn, but also the lecturer. I think it not for Mr Ezzam, I would not have take as much interest into Creative Thinking. 

I've said something about him on my social media and I'm gonna say it here again. Mr Ezzam is just..

He's always so greatly unconventional.

I really am lucky and deeply grateful that he was my lecturer. He knows it too well that we don't have to be "babied?". He's always so casual and funny which I think is a good thing. Life is never always about seriousness and being systematic. How he puts Creative Thinking is not just merely showing us slides every week and throw us a bunch of assignments to our faces and expects us to think for ourselves. No. He goes beyond. He challenges us with his own interactive ideas.  He teaches us creativity beyond them closed doors. What the world has to offer, that Creative Thinking is another platform for us to prepare. He always mentioned that,

 "between these 4 walls, it's really where we can make mistakes".

On some levels, the topics are straight-forward (e.g. Brainstorming) but that does not mean that it's an irrelevant general knowledge. Creative Thinking, to me, is like a break from reality. As compared to other modules, where it's always about the hustlin' and bustlin. The setting is really different. Two hours of Tuesdays with Mr Ezzam feels like a moment where timing could actually slow down.

You feel me? It brings me back to my own thoughts before I get caught up with the world. & Especially in the design industry, we have to have the need to re-evaluate ideas and thoughts and improvise. Creative Thinking taught us to loosen up with our intentions. Our sensitivity. So not only we can organize and create well but also create awareness. With great passion and determination, we ought to achieve anything and everything we want. Patience is a virtue. Especially in design, it does not happen overnight. We have to keep it consistent and take that extra step. Be creative and do you. 

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Force Connection | Week 9

Force Connection. Hm...

What is Force Connection? 

An impact? A bond?  

Well, force connection is basically to link two or more disparate items and solve/create anew out of it. A new product. A new function. Which they could also be called as 

Cross Fertilisation. Normally this kinds of product design are formed/created so to be also labeled as multi-functional. Which I think is great for marketing, especially majoring Graphic Communication, we ought to have this skill/ability to think broader and wider in perspective in order to get ones' idea across. I'd think this is definitely a great tool to imply when brainstorming in product design. Be it in furniture, utensils, electrical appliance etc. Lets say you are in the woods hiking and the sun is already setting, but.... you didn't bring a tent. What would you do? A great example shown in class during that case study was, yes the JAKPAK.  Mr Ezzam all about his non-stop hits humor, decided to tease me with it throughout. It was probably like the joke of the day. 

Anyways, its all good you're forgiven Mr Ezzam hm!

JakPak. When is a jacket not a jacket right? When its a sleeping bag and a tent as well?! Thats right. Its made waterproof of rain jacket, sleeping bag, and tent into a single piece of clothing. I mean.. is this not smart! It's well thought and well functional. Your traditional hiking bagpaack stores the essentials into one, for space and convenience sake. This is cool, I have to admit. 

Another example would be this coffee scoop. Relating traditional and something modern into something simpler. This unique design doubles as a coffee scooper AND a bag sealer having to also keep our coffees fresh for a long time

Practical enough, isn't it!

Then again, this hybrid inventions are definitely ways that allow us to break away from traditions and norms I'd say. Sometimes even mixing the most random objects visually or not, might also be the best triggers for product design and problem solving. 

Analogical Thinking Pt.2 | Week 8

Today's topic was all about tension. The thing that comes to my mind first :

Weight? Force? Pressure? Its like the saying, "when tension builds up".

 It can interpreted in different ways, be it physically or emotionally.

Practically speaking, when we say tension, we normally refer it between two parties.
Are we creating it? Or is it that people are creating for us?

(Unless you're consistently thinking like Einstein then yeah, it's literal. Haha!)

So as a class/group activity, we were to discuss on this particular article about an anonymous Hong Kong designers' illustration that brutally portrayed how Hong Kong is nothing like China. 

"How Hong Kong is nothing like China"

 

 

 

http://nextshark.com/hong-kong-china-differences-designs/

In total there are about 22 illustrations, this is just part of the total,

 not the whole thing just yet. 

But honestly though, to me, it just screams BIASNESS!

To what I'm seeing off of it, its his/her preconceived idea against foreigners. Well, in this case, against China. I think it is just too exaggerated. Personally, I have never been to China or Hong Kong so my opinion is considered quite neutral and limited. Although, I do feel that the designers went a tad too insensitive which made it seemed as though his intentions were actually made to sound offensive as it should've. But then again, how could I be so sure about it?  For example, he made a contrast on their hygiene as a contributing factor to his defence. Honestly, I find it rather irrelevant. To what extent does this prove how the Chinese carry themselves as a whole? What about personal hygiene?

 Is this just based on his/her own perspective and not majority?

Is there not other HongKongers that does the same? 

I could be right. I could be wrong. 

Another example would be their use of social media. My friend, Adilah did brought up an interesting point, saying that here.. the Chinese are contradicting. Hm, say whaaat??

It seemed like the Chinese insistently chose to be so non-exposed to the outside world whereby they restrict all communications via various apps (WeChat) as compared to the HongKongers who are likely to be more interactive (Facebook & Twitter etc). And so when we discussing, Mr Ezzam questioned us back instead saying, how is it not us who just take that initiative and try to learn and understand them. Why not we learn Chinese instead? Me and Adilah got quite angry with that, because to us, it's not that we are discriminating language or any sort. However, to us, English is a universal language. That's just how the world works. To us, it's just selfish. Is it not that there are other countries as well that revolve around this? 

It's a matter of compromise and practicality. 

However, I could be saying so much with little knowledge but be wrong about this, or even right. Who knows.. What I'm trying to say is that, sometimes things don't make sense the way you ought to. It's like a rumour. Rumours are made up because at some point, it did start somewhere. Like in every lie, there is a truth right? Maybe that's how tension builds up.

Misconception, misunderstanding. 

Pic of the Week | Week 7

 "Go, go, go, go, go, go shawty 

It's your birthday 

We gone' party like its yo birthday 

We gone sip Bacardi like it's your birthday 

And you know we don't give a f*ck

It's not your birthday!" 

Thats right..You know where I'm going with this...  Can we please take a moment and try to live that hit by 50 Cents' again. But seriously though, it was really my birthday on the 7th of September, weeheew! Which makes me 19 this year. 

Oh god, before I even know/realise it, I'll be stepping into adulthood sooner than I thought. Well, honestly, as I get older I've come to realise that it's more of the years I would want to take back instead. Time flies, trust me. Now I know its said, time is free but time is also priceless. All them times I remembered wishing wanting to "grow up" faster than I should. 

Heck yeah, I take that back! You'll know it then that everything before you just turns into memories. 

And so, this year, I spent my 19th birthday with a very special friend of mine. That was it. 

Simple. Simple as I ever wished life to be :) 

The 'surprise' picnic celebration was more than I could've asked for. I mean who would give a pass on  such a food spread,presents and endless convos with the greatest company, right?!

Yep, exactly what I thought. At the end of the day, be it you're 9 or19 or even 51, it's all about cherishing them moments you have, even in moments where you're doing something so mundane you won't even realise you're in the moment, its one-time life offer, we ought to use it well, before it's just too late.