CREATIVE PROCESS

My first assignment in Arts Scholars my freshman year, was to write a thank you letter to a frontline worker. A practice that was instilled in me by my mom at a young age, I found a sense of familiarity in putting my gratitude into writing. When brainstorming for capstone ideas, I realized the connection between that first assignment and my personal experience, and wanted to incorporate them together with my professional and academic interests as an Immersive Media Design Major. With this inspiration, I developed the concept for my project, using research to solidify a foundational question: why is gratitude important? 

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Throughout the capstone process, I used the time-management technique of time-boxing. By setting aside designated blocks of time, this technique “helps us focus our attention on a single task, and prioritize” (Memon). This academic year in particular, I have had primarily project based courses, so setting aside designated times to work on each one allowed me to balance each of these long-term assignments reasonably. Using the time boxing, I created a timeline for myself. I began with brainstorming and reflecting on who I wanted to thank, then working on the technological aspects, until finally creating the physical construction of my piece. This was a different creative process than I have used in other projects, as I often do not try to structure my creativity, allowing myself to work only when inspired rather than consistently. I have been able to see the benefits of each style of working, and believe this capstone was a successful culmination of both structured and unstructured creativity. ​

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Memon, Masooma. “The Science behind the Pomodoro Technique and How It Helps 

          Supercharge Your Productivity.” Focus Booster Blog, focus booster blog, 2 Apr. 

          2019, www.focusboosterapp.com/blog/the-science-behind-the-pomodoro- 

          technique/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.