I had the worst problem getting started on my media project. Well, to be more specific, I had the worst problem getting started on the media portion of my media project. I'd had my idea, a branching dialogue customer service simulation in Udutu, solidified since our first week. I had the whole idea all mapped out, but when it came to actually creating it in Udutu I had the most terrible time getting started. I hummed and hawed and vaguely poked in its general direction until just finally getting it properly rolling and working today (status update: got a great chunk of it in order and I feel confident about having it more than 75% done by the time I do my presentation).
It's not that I wasn't excited about the media project; in fact, I was kind of elated to be putting my thesis materials into practice finally. It's more that I'm starting to just get TIRED.
I've been pushing myself in both my school and work life for the past 11 months and it turns out pushing myself past exhaustion is finally starting to catch up with me. I just want to crawl into a fetal ball and sleep for a month or so to recover. Alas, there's still 5 more weeks to go, so no recovery hibernation for me just yet.
I thankfully hit a second wind (or, well, maybe eightieth wind to be more accurate) today and getting the project to work finally will definitely get me through this week at the very least (although I'm hoping the delight of finally getting a breakthrough will boost my energy for longer).
I'm hoping this will all work out like the exercise class I took the other week. It was my first yoga/pilates/tai chi-style class in a long time and around the middle I honestly thought I couldn't go any further. Not long after that, though, I caught a second wind and by the end of the class I felt fabulous.
So here's to us ALL catching that second wind, making it through the rest of the program, and coming out the other end feeling amazing and refreshed... or, at least surviving the next 5 weeks. Yes, just surviving would suffice ;)
(Anime self portrait made with the help of the Anime Face Maker v1.0 by ~geN8hedgehog, which is an excellent stress reliever, might I add)
4 comments:
I think we all understand your pain and your enthusiasm about the media project. Quite often a labor of love is beyond what we can handle without curling up into a fetal position. I suppose that is where the LABOR part comes in.
After observing your work and being in Wimba with you over the past 11 months, I have no doubt that your project will be amazing and will meet all your expectations once it is finished. You settle for nothing but the best in yourself and have always been supportive of the rest of us in this program as well.
I always hear a sense of humor in your voice and in your work, even though you are a bright, serious student. Hold on to that positive attitude and I am sure your project will mature nicely. Survival of the fittest!
Kudos to a job well done. I can't wait to meet you and everyone else in this program in May. I am sure that you will finish with flying colors. Look at it as practice for wearing those odd sleeves on our graduation gowns!
Bianca, the colorful graphic you chose said it all. I think we all faced the same issue, from where to start, and how to convert your thesis words into a digital solution. It wasn’t easy at all. Between work, assignments, and planning for my project, I have been lacking sleep for months. I think I will be walking in the graduation ceremony like a zombie.
The good news is, we are almost done. As they say “Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow”.
Regarding your media project, and based on your previous projects, blogs, and discussion board, I believe that you will present an excellent media project.
This is definitely a feeling everyone has at some point no matter what they are working on. It happens generally in life, in work, and (in our case) grad school thesis projects. I have hit this wall often in the past with various projects. I was in the Monday group to share projects. This was both the dumbest, yet smartest thing I could have done. I pushed for three weeks to complete the paper and get the project started. My project totally turned around from what I had envisioned a month ago but I sprinted to the March 21/22 deadlines.
The good news is there was success. I managed to meet the goal and hit the breaks a bit so I can tweak the project and work outside of the whole to get the pieces well developed for next month’s presentation. This week has been tough after Monday, as the let down of some of the stress left me a bit unmotivated to do other things (that and life issues got in the way as well). My attitude adjustment was filling out graduation paperwork. We are there. Only one more hurdle to jump over to bring all of our hard work together. As I have been looking forward the past 11 months, I can’t wait to look back and see what I actually did. See you on the other side:-)
I had a terrible time starting my project as well. I think we all deserve some serious relaxation after we graduate. Just one more month, and the good news is that we get a spring break during that last month. I'm really looking forward to that. Not so much to rest, but to have more time to complete all the other tasks I have. Mow the lawn, tear down wallpaper, taxes, etc. I saw your media project Friday night and it looked amazing. Keep up the good work, and hang in there.
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