Week 09 - Collaboration

Wednesday 21st September 2011

In today’s collaboration class we look at egos, pride, vanity, judging others and ways we interpret our designs and others’.

Group Exercise – DISCUSSION

Vanity & Ego

Discuss these questions in relation to a group creating a design in collaboration

01 – Are you capable of being vain about your art & design?

I am capable but I choose not to be. If I were, I would not see the bigger picture.

02 – Do you have a healthy ego?

Yes I think it is reasonably well balanced.

03 – What defines an unhealthy ego?

• Ignoring others
• Not accepting constructive criticism
• Being more confident than one’s current skill level and making it known

04 – When others want to change your ideas, do you get offended?

If it’s a radical change I would be. If it’s a tweak to my current idea I would probably embrace it as inspiration.

05 – When you are asked for opinions on other’s work, do you compare it to your own?

No. I think everyone’s interpretation is different but if we are all working towards the same goal I will look to see if mine is up to the same standard.

06 - When you are asked for opinions on your work, do you compare it to others?

No. But If I feel the standard of my work is less than those of the others I will commend them on it.

07 – If somebody plagiarised your work, would you be proud?

I would feel 5% Yes that they think mine is good enough to use

But I would feel 95% cheated.

08 – What is the difference between pride in your work, and vanity about your work?

Pride in your work is putting in the effort, being proud of your work but open to criticism and feedback. Vanity in your work is the mindset that everything you do is the only thing that matters and no element is open for criticism

09 – Do you expect others to listen when you speak?

Yes. It is respectful.

10 – When somebody else speaks are you thinking about what you are going to say next?

Usually I will have an idea but I will always listen to the person’s next response and I will change accordingly if it is irrelevant.

11 – Do you form opinions about others quickly?

Yes but they can change over time after getting to know them more

12 – What percentage of your judgments about others talents are right?

50/50. Everyone has talents in different areas. For every single thing someone is not good at, they are dynamic at something else and vice versa.

A lot of people with egos are in denial

Reference (Image above): ego banner

http://rlv.zcache.com/big_ego_postcard-p239051841895112044qibm_400.jpg

Blog Exercise – Idea Evolution

In regard to creative collaboration:

Discuss these questions - write a paragraph on each and use examples

1 . Do you have a strong belief in your personal ideas?

Sometimes. It depends how strongly I feel on certain topics or my original ideas that I really am proud of.

2. How do you evaluate your personal ideas over a period of time?

Yes. I see where society is heading. I compare it to changing values. I talk about some of my ideas with others to get their opinions. I look back and see whether I need to tweak my idea to suit current trends.

3. How flexible are you in changing your mind about the value of your ideas?

Quite flexible as I like to adapt to different situations. The root of the idea can be the same but applied to certain situations.

4. How flexible are you in changing your mind about the value of others’ ideas?

Other people’s ideas are important to me so I can gather a sense of whether mine are on track or they may inspire me in some way. I may have a weak belief about someone’s idea but when I see an avenue for it, my opinion can change.

5. Does hanging on to your old ideas block new ones?

Maybe it does. But if you don’t hold on to the really sound ideas then you constantly be moving from idea to idea without giving time to develop the good ones. On the flip side, if you stick to just one idea, you can miss out on a whole new range of ideas if it becomes stagnant over time.

6. Are you slow or fast in moving on when an idea has burnt out?

Once I have confirmed an idea is no good I will move on but my sub-conscience may still look into other avenues of the same old idea just in case there is another way of executing it.

Ego in the workplace

Reference (Image above): Workplace ego http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mfl/lowres/mfln1761l.jpg

YouTube Clip

Pride comes before the fall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CErX8rz5dg8

Commentary

In this week’s video we look at an example of pride coming before the fall. The Student complains about how they got an “F” in writing class when they are so good at it. At about the one-minute mark we can see the conclusion where the realisation of what if you’re actually not that good as you think you are in reality, becomes apparent and the lesson is learnt. This is a good video to grasp the meaning of the old saying “Pride cometh before the fall”

Reflection

Today the class was about egos, judging others and pride. We discovered we all had similar ideas about how we judge others. We can learn to be proud of our work but not lose touch of reality. I like to think I have a good balance of ego but is my ego too big about having a balanced ego? There's one to ponder about!