Poverty Exhibit Process Post #10 (reflection)

When first getting assigned this project, I was unsure about a lot of things, but it ended up being a really good learning experience. In comparison to the typical in-studio projects, this project seemed to be a little more hands on and realistic than any other project I've done in school. I liked this because it really forced me to think about how things would actually play out in real life, and I've never really been forced to think about that so intensely other during projects. 

The realistic nature of this project definitely impacted my work in a positive way. I felt like I really had to go the extra mile to make sure everything in my head made sense and would actually work in a real life setting. At times though, I found myself frustrated because I really had to think things through to make sure that what was in my head could actually be implemented, which isn't a bad thing because it made me step outside of my comfort zone many times. Budget and other constraints weren't bad. They just made the project a little more difficult and gave the class a good idea of what we could and couldn't do from the start, which is something we definitely needed. 

I find myself thinking about the content of this project a lot more than I used to. I have a much better understanding of poverty, and I think meeting with Erika and hearing her side of things is what sparked my interest from the beginning of the project. If I wouldn't of met Erika, I don't think the content of this project would have felt real. It wouldn't feel genuine  getting all of our content off the internet. Erika really helped me understand that poverty is a real problem and it's literally right in front of me. I wouldn't of gotten that experience from a random article online. 

Overall, this project was a huge learning experience. It was frustrating, yet rewarding, at times. I think my favorite aspect of the project was that everyone in the class was forced to work together. I think our class really bonded over that aspect of the project, and maybe that's why our class's work was chosen. We all worked together really well. Sometimes during typical projects, it feels like my classmates and I are in constant competition against each other so it was really nice to work together as a team, using everyone's strengths, to develop a successful project. That was, by far, my favorite part of the project.