So, what is mdef?
It’s the first “real week” of a new step in my educational and professional journey in a new city, with a new culture, new friends, new distractions, with a million new things to take in. The week was full of different types of information each day. Many times I had the feeling: wow, I don’t know anything. As scary as a feeling that it might be, it shows the opportunity of how much there is to learn, which is what drew me to the master’s in the first place. Each professional and educator we have been introduced to this week has inspired me in one way or another, and I feel that as a class we will be well equipped on our journeys with the wealth of knowledge the individuals hold separately and how that information blossoms when they interact. It was great getting to see Elisava. Even just being in the building gets me excited about design possibilities. Walking around Poblenou a bit, I got to familiarize myself with the types of spaces and people populating the neighborhood.
Personal development plan
This week, I’ve gotten to know myself and my classmates a bit better. By reflecting on my own aspirations and getting to do some “speed dating” to find out the skills, knowledge and attitudes of some of my classmates, I was better able to map out my own professional identity plan. From talking with George, I liked his attitude of having a collaborative mindset, working with different types of media, and striving to be more dynamic in social settings.Talking with Jose put me at ease, perhaps because he has been an educator. I appreciated that he wanted to be positive and transparent about how he was feeling, which I believe is both beneficial for yourself and those around you. Didac’s skillset inspires me as I strive to learn and improve my digital fabrication skills through the program. I think a strength of MDEF is that people have varying skill sets and we can all learn from one another. Conversations with Anna are always engaging because of her lively energy. She is analytical and a quick thinker. Like Anna, I think my brain is a bit all over the place sometimes and I want to practice focusing it. I hope to get to know all of my classmates on a deeper level. There is so much creative, innovative energy, and powerful perspectives I feel when we are all in a room together and I can’t wait to tap into it further.
Given what I currently know about myself, inspiration from others, and the tools I am going to be learning with MDEF, I have developed a personal development plan which is speculative and may shift and change as I go through each week. Since the first term offers a variety of topics, I hope that I will be able to take something different from each one, internalize it, and use it to guide me on what my own personal project will be at the end of the year. Beginning in the first term, and throughout terms two and three, I hope to hold all of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are indicated for the “future me”. My main objective this year is to learn, in every aspect possible. With the hard and soft skills I develop, I am confident I can emerge a stronger version of myself with a clearer idea of where that person is headed.
