Be stimulated by rejection. Bob Gill

Who is Bob Gill?

I could not keep my big mouth shut. Again. I hope this is the last time I write on iversity platform. Really. It has become un unproductive distraction. But once again I needed to say something about some nasty comments that were left there. A wave of negative comments, thoughts and opinions has flooded Design101 minds. As some of you may know I made my share of negative opinions also. I believe that we should not hold back what we think. Don't be nice, be true. This does not mean we should speak lightly or careless about anything. But silence isn't a choice. It's better to know than to be protected by illusion. I have this quote of Bob Gill present all the time. Coping with bad reviews isn't easy but it's something that can be very useful for us. At first when people did not like my work I was angry and frustrated. Then I begun to ask why, to think how to improve. Some times my conclusion was that the others were right. Sometimes my conclusion was that the others were wrong. But I changed my posture in order to be more open to it and not to suffer from it! I must put some words for the "crafty works" also. First, this was a MOOC. This was open to everyone. I am not a designer myself. Many who enroled were not designers. You can't make a designer in 3 months. Second. "Time to make this: one hour" - Homeworks were made in a hour. Of course you could put in the amount of time you wanted. But this was the orientation. What skills can you develop in such a little time? Don't forget that there's a life behond Design101. Many of us are workers, mothers, fathers, students. So, 3 months is nothing.Third. The amount of time given to present the works for Berlin exhibition was exactly the same as for previous homeworks. In fact, to be accurate, it was LESS. People are still catching up on their homeworks. There was a deadline for the uploading of the blue flowers for the exhibition. I never understood why we were asked to make something to exhibit in one week if the show will only take place in April. Time was too short even for a trainned person. That is what I believe, maybe professional designers can say something about it. Fourth. As for the "crafty" approach some work of good designers is very crafty. I think that's not the real problem. The problem is the concept behind the work. A strong idea is lacking in many works. But sure we can still take great pleasure in looking at the blue flowers and be inspired by it. AGAIN, were we prepared for it? Well, maybe not. Fitfth. On top of all this the competiton model the organization choose ( I know, I know, "the tiny space") added a lot of unnecessary fuss to a final task that should have been a celebration to end a course that was interesting and a lot of fun for so many. Remember, many of us were exploring all these subjects for the first time, we were absolute beginners. This MOOC was a place of freedom and discover. This was not University learning. Some MOOCs have a final serious exam that will give you academic credits if you prove that indeed you know what you're doing. This Berlin exhibition wasn't meant to be an exam. Doing your best should have been enough. Crafty or not.