Final Reflection: Sutton

Taking the Dioramas and Shadowbox J-Term was the best impulse decision I have ever made.

Approximately three minutes before the submission deadline for the J-Term preference form, I clicked on this J-Term and pushed "submit." My indecisiveness was in overdrive and I was not overly drawn to or excited about any of the 2021 J-Term options. Why I chose this, I have no clue. Look at me - are the first words that pop into your head "power tools" or "wood working" or "Adobe Illustrator"? I don't think so. I had minuscule laser cutting experience and zero idea of what I wanted to create. The people who I had thought typically did this J-Term were all super techy, really smart, and extremely artsy. I was shocked and puzzled as to why I had selected this course.  

The first day of J-Term, I thought I made a massive mistake. I was overwhelmed by Adobe Illustrator (I had forgotten pretty much everything since taking Design Tech freshman year) and hated the hours on end of screen time. I didn't love the way my design was turning out and was bummed when Andy had fawned over his Golf J-Term the whole drive home from school.

The next morning, I decided to put on my happy face and go into the day with a positive mindset. I was shocked to find that my Adobe Illustrator skills had suddenly made a massive improvement, and that I was starting to feel very excited about my design. Over the next few days, I fell in love with the J-term (not in a weird way). I loved the people in our group and how small it was (6 of us total!). None of us knew each other very well (besides Josey and I, of course) but we worked together perfectly. Aiden was miles ahead  on his project, so he was able to help those of us who were not working at light speed. Ariana was pushing us to improve our project designs because hers were so incredibly amazing, detailed, and truly unbelievable. Josey was helping me whenever I was losing things left and right or making some silly mistake. Mr. Grisbee was extremely supportive despite my many "slight issues" and gave us really detailed and meaningful feedback on how to make our designs even better. And Tyler was, on the dot, always there to remind us of lunch and snack breaks. Through laughter, fun music, and power tools, our group really bonded.

The second week, things somehow became even more fun. We started to see our ideas come to life as we printed on the laser cuter and began frame assembly. Working with power tools challenged me because I tend to "push down too hard" and "not keep the wood pressed against the fence." I ran into a few issues with my wood but these challenges pushed me to ask questions and approach my teacher (which I am typically shy about) and to conquer adversity. 

I chose to be very particular about my work - being that I cared about producing a piece that I was proud of and that I felt represented my best self. If my wood was curved, I asked for a new piece of wood. When there was still glue stuck on my piece, I went back and sanded it again. When the watering hole of my safari shadowbox didn't feel or look right, I took the time to design something different. 

All of these decisions that required taking the long road ultimately paid off. I am SO proud of what I have created. Comparing my sketches that I made on the first day with the final product, my mind is blown. Speaking of minds being blown, I brought my projects home to show my family today. They freaked out.  Like FREAKED out. My mom hasn't taken her eyes off of it. I have to come by every 5 minutes to whisper in her ear and remind her to blink. Haha, just kidding. But they do adore them! I am so so so excited to give my safari shadowbox to my grandmother. I know she will love it. 

As I sit in a very slouched position and write this blog tonight, I am feeling a bit sad. These two weeks have brought me so much happiness and have made me so proud of myself and my classmates. I now have such an appreciation for every piece of wood that I see in a store because I realize how much work goes into its creation. While I am excited to present my J-Term experience to my classmates on Friday, I realize that they won't quite understand how much fun or how much work goes into these projects until they do it themselves. I am walking away from this experience with various lessons that can be applied within the Tinkeria and beyond. I feel a lot more confident asking questions to Mr. Grisbee, which I should probably start doing more of in math class. I now have an urge to laser cut everything I might need (a charging station, a coaster, a new toothbrush). And I now know that making an impulse decision can be okay sometimes. It can lead you to something different, something that you never thought you wanted. 

Thank you to everyone who made this J-Term so amazing! I will miss this!