Composite the World

An excerpt of my thesis project journal I felt useful enough to share:

There are two kinds of proud moments I’ve had on this project. The first is when everything works just the way I thought it would. This is the moment when my careful planning and thinking through ideas paid off. I was able to anticipate results, so all problems were basically solved during the planning process.

The second kind of moment, though less desirable than the first, is probably the most important learning experience. This is the moment when everything went horribly awry. Nothing worked out the way I thought it would and knots swell up in my stomach. I try my damndest to make it work the way I intended, but it just doesn’t look right and time is swiftly running out. This was a moment I had this weekend, after hours of attempts and the knowledge that my final review of this project could be in as little as two months.

However, it’s in this moment of defeat when minds start to break from the original plan and get into troubleshooting creative solutions. Its time to outsmart a skill you’re weak at with a better idea. Stop, take a step back, and reevaluate what minimally this shot needs in order to be successful.

It’s hard to do when you’re married to the original concept, but the judges of this piece are only going to see the results. They will not see the long, wasted hours you spend attempting a complicated matchmove, they’ll only going to see that it doesn’t look good. It doesn't matter what you were trying to do if you don't have the results to back it up. So if thats the case, get cleverer, get simpler, and use the skills you’re best at.

It’s amazing the feeling you get when a small revision changes everything; fixes all the small problems you've been desperately agonizing over and it just plain looks better and is more dynamic with the change. All the struggle to get to this point suddenly doesn’t seem to have been a waste. 

Would I have gotten the shot done faster if I had just realized this solution sooner? Of course, but I don’t dwell on it because I learned something from it. Besides, the best solution is not always obvious and the struggle is sometimes just part of to path to getting to it.