Author: CDVL

The overall concept for our climate justice project centered around the creation of a climate justice education campaign for children. Allison and I began our process by conducting our own research to familiarize ourselves with themes related to climate justice, and then we turned our focus towards learning how we might be able to involve children in climate justice education and activism.

We strove to uphold the following values throughout the project’s entire development:

• Empowering children to take part in collective action for climate justice by providing them with the education, resources, and support they need in order to do so
• Respecting children as intelligent, capable, and caring individuals
• Prioritizing child-centered pedagogy through learner-led methods such as inquiry, open-ended questioning, and hands-on exploration
• Amplifying children’s voices by providing a platform for them to share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences

Our final product pitch can be summarized as follows:

We envision the creation of a web-based platform on which children, caretakers, and teachers can access educational resources to learn about climate justice. This website would include guidance for people to participate in a large-scale collaborative project in the form of a children’s art and writing exhibition. Using a collection of themed prompts and instructional videos on the website, children could create work through which they share their observations, thoughts, ideas, and experiences regarding climate justice. They could submit their creations digitally or physically to be featured in a traveling exhibition, accompanied by an exhibition archive which would be made available in both print and digital formats.

Here is a link to my previous write-up with photo documentation of the earlier stages of our process, along with some reflective analysis.

Below are some example slides from the presentation where we fleshed out our ideas for this project.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here is a link to the complete slide presentation.

Below is some visual content I created to help communicate our project ideas.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Below are some examples of resources made by Allison for bookmaking that could be featured on our online platform.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Below is a sketch I created with some ideas for how we could expand beyond our currently envisioned format.

Below are images of a mock-up webpage that Allison and I created (first two images by Allison, third by me).

This project proved to be a simultaneously challenging and fulfilling experience. I believed that Allison and I achieved our goal of creating a concept that is both relevant and realistic to current global conversations and circumstances.

What I witnessed this semester while working in a partnership with Allison is a microcosm of a broader universal truth: we can accomplish more together than we could ever do alone. I would love to see the ideas we developed for this project evolve, grow, and eventually come to fruition in a way much bigger than either of us could currently imagine—through the power of community, connection, and collaboration—in a way much bigger than either of us could currently imagine.

I am glad for the time that I’ve been allotted to spend within such a supportive, energetic, and creative virtual classroom environment developing these concepts with Allison. I intend to use the work we’ve done thus far and continue building upon it in my own practice in coming years. My future plans include postgraduate research and an eventual career in the realms of public environmental, arts, and literature-based education in school, museum, and library settings. I believe that abundant opportunities will present themselves to expand on this work and bring it to life.

As the end of the semester approaches, I have a meaningful opportunity to look back over the past few months, notice how I have progressed, and set intentions for continual growth. I usually write these types of reflections through stream-of-consciousness style paragraphs which I later edit and refine; this time, however, I would like to take a more list-like approach so that I can easily skim over and reference this post in the future. I have provided some links and visual documentation towards the end for additional reference.

Reflection: analysis of my development in Advanced Digital Processes

What skills have I developed through working on solo projects this semester?

Research

• Collecting images, artists, articles, videos, and other resources to inform my process
• Making connections between the topics I am researching (or have researched in the past) for other academic and personal projects; determining when and how to utilize supporting materials and apply them in new, relevant ways

Self motivation

• Practicing time organization and prioritization
• Paying attention to the natural ebbs and flows of creative energy; learning that I do my best work when I honor those rhythms intuitively
• Embracing the pursuit of the pleasure of making and doing; letting that sense of joy and satisfaction serve as the central catalyzing agent to my process

Self reflection

• Cultivating more attentiveness to my practice through observing and documenting the way that I work and tracking what methods serve me and which do not
• Thinking about which areas I would like to focus on as centers of growth

What skills have I developed through working on partnered projects this semester?

Collaboration

• Witnessing the magic of building something together that extends beyond the capacities of what I could have accomplished alone
• Watching how ideas interact when brought in conjunction with one another: meshing, shifting, and evolving organically
• Learning from the ways that other groups worked together and delivered their project presentations; analyzing their approaches and applying affective methods to our own work

Compromise

• Learning how to let go of some of my personal ideas and desires to better make room for those of my partner and honor her unique interests, skills, and creative vision
• Recognizing that both the process and the end product are strengthened through the inclusion of multiple perspectives

Communication

• Listening to the needs and wishes of my partner and adapting my actions accordingly
• Advocating for my own feelings and goals to my partner through respectful, open dialogue
• Making sense of my ideas in a series of communicative iterations: first in my own head, then on paper, then to my partner, then to the class, and eventually to a broader audience

What skills do I still need to cultivate, based on my reflections?

Though there are countless things I can work on and improve, I would especially like to focus on the following areas:

• Organization: maintain more effective systems for cataloguing materials, resources, physical and digital notes, and process documentation
• Self motivation: adopt healthy and sustainable habits that help energize myself to do work when and how it needs to be done (specifically during times of fatigue and overwhelm)
• Collaboration: gain more experience meshing the pace and methodology of my own work style with those of teammates

How might these skills play a part in my future beyond this class?

My intended academic and career pathway in interdisciplinary education will include many situations that will require the skills I have discussed. There will be times when I will be responsible for self-directing my work, and times when I will need to work in cooperation with fellow students, coworkers, community members, and friends. The experiences I’ve had during this semester, along with the technical prowess I’ve gained in digital software and design methods will serve as a useful foundation for me as I continue learning and creating throughout my life.

What themes have I explored in my research this semester? How might these themes inform my future work, study, and personal life?

As I’ve stated in previous posts (here, here, and here) this semester I have become increasingly aware of my interest in the intersection of social and natural/environmental ecologies. I have enjoyed exploring the notion of art and design carrying multiple functions, including as tools for pedagogy, communication, collaboration, togetherness, and play.

In this class and others, I have spent a lot of time this semester researching artists, makers, educators, ecologists, and community organizers. I am fascinated by people whose work creates opportunities for social and environmental engagement, learning, connection, interaction, participation, and pleasure. I loved getting the opportunity to take what I’ve learned from the self-directed research I’m conducting about these folks’ approaches, and integrate it into the projects I’ve done in this class. I am excited to continue that pattern of inquiry and application through all modes of my future creative work.

I hope to spend the course of my career developing and facilitating accessible, engaging, and educational programming for the public in museums, libraries, schools, and other community centers. I believe that no matter what capacity or situation I am working in, artmaking, researching, and design thinking will always play an integral role in my practice.

Additional documentation: visual insights into my process towards the end of the semester

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here is the link to my and my partner’s climate justice brainstorming document. This shared online space where we poured out all of our thoughts was super helpful in letting us communicate our ideas to each other at times that worked for us individually. (When we needed to have conversations in real time, we spoke over the phone or through Zoom).

Here is the link to our climate justice presentation. We chose to rely on the familiarity of Google Slides as our platform so that we could spend more time working on our content rather than figuring out how to operate new software. My partner and I naturally gravitated to adopting our own team roles and responsibilities as we created the presentation. We both helped with each other’s “assignments” when we needed extra support.

One major way this class has aided my practice as an artist/maker/educator is that the open-ended projects have allowed room for me to further develop and realize my interest in the intersection of social and natural ecologies. 

Our first focus area this semester was the Press Here broadside project. The research I conducted for this assignment allowed me to spend time focusing on social ecology, especially the ways that cooperative artmaking and collective workspaces can cultivate connection, education, and communication within communities and social movements.

Below is a link to more information about my development process for the broadside project.

http://elizacrofts.agnesscott.org/blog-page/

Our second project was about system mapping. This was a useful and enjoyable exercise for me to refine, or define, some of my vaguer, broader ecology-related interests into a clear, accessible format meant to be engaging to others. The process of sifting through my many, many related interests and finding the commonalities between all of them gave me more clarity into the directions I want to take my life.

Below are some images showing the conceptual and visual development of my system map.

Now, as I begin the climate justice project (with the valuable chance to gain experience collaborating with a partner) I sense that I will learn even more about the interests and intentions that I have surrounding my creative practice. 

In addition to the actual creation of these three projects, the act of verbalizing my concepts to my mentors and co-learners has been deeply beneficial to me. As someone with a head constantly full of what feels like a million different ideas swirling around and bumping into one another — often more rapidly than I can ever hope to keep track of — it can be challenging to render these abstract notions into a format which can be understood by myself and especially by others. I appreciate the chances that this course has given me to practice idea synthesis and communication, and I look forward to having more of those opportunities as we go along.

I also appreciate the generous amount of time and space that we are allotted as students to develop our ideas and work on them as deeply as we need to. This course has managed to simultaneously prepare us for real creative work environments with deadlines and quality expectations, yet without the type of pressures that stifle creative growth, experimentation, and joy. I love healthy challenges that still incorporate learning, playing, wondering, and exploring. Those are all things I feel so lucky to be able to access in this class.

Here begins the “messy process log” entry for the Press Here broadside project!

Basic project requirements:

• Create a broadside design to promote the Dalton Gallery art exhibition “Press Here: Atlanta Printmakers Process 2020”
• Dimensions to be 11×17″ at 300 dpi
• Image should incorporate a functional QR code for the Press Here exhibition
• Finished design should represent the feeling of texture and tactility
• Optional: may include the phrase “Press Here”

Our class began a collective brainstorming process by looking through a collection of broadside images assembled by our professor, Nell Ruby, and learning about the history and purpose of broadside designs. We discussed the central themes of

Here is a link to Professor Ruby’s slideshow about broadsides:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ov2E0HFt2VGZYUkDnuq59xUNEXEADtdqn09ppewdnWc/edit#slide=id.gb89208bdad_1_16

Here is some information about the Press Here exhibition:

Press Here: Atlanta Printmakers Process 2020

I began my own process by doing some conceptual brainstorming. These are some of the questions I asked myself during this part of the project:

• What are some of the socio-cultural and historical significances of printmaking as a medium? How can I communicate these in my design?
• What themes from 2020 do I want to express in this design? How will I go about this?
• What could the phrase “Press Here” be interpreted to mean? What meaning(s) do I want to incorporate into this project?
• What feelings/impressions do I want the Broadside to leave on people who might see it on the street and not know what it’s about? How can I make it appealing and intriguing enough for them to investigate it further?
• What types of symbols, motifs, objects, and people do I want to represent?
• How will I treat text? How will I treat the QR code?

(Note: more specific writings on my concepts can be found in the Press Here broadside end post on my main page. I will insert the URL here when it is published.)

I arrived at clear focus on my conceptual intentions mostly through discussing my ideas verbally with my class and with my partner at home. After deciding on my main concepts, I thought about what sort of aesthetic I would want to utilize in order to embody my ideas. Here are some key words I settled on after doing a lot of research and brainstorming:

• Playful, fun
• Illustrative, storybook-like
• Appealing, inviting, warm
• Folk art reminiscent
• Rustic; emphasis on the hand of the artist
• “Printerly”
• Accessible

Here are some of my initial notes and ideas from when the broadside project was first introduced.

One of the most influential parts of my process was image-based research. I used Pinterest as an organization tool to catalogue artwork which had elements I was interested in (textures, line quality, detailing, printmaking techniques, rendering styles, themes, content, color schemes, etc.).

Below is the link to my Pinterest collection of over 80 images which I used as research/inspiration (I recommend scrolling through to get a feel for the types of images that informed my project).

https://www.pinterest.com/elizacrofts/broadside/

Early on, I envisioned my broadside design being printed in black and white with the QR code being in color to help it stand out. I eventually decided to use a somewhat limited, yet rich color palette throughout the design and leave the QR core in black and white. But before I made this decision, I did a few color changing tests in Photoshop to see what levels of value contrast are necessary to achieve a functional QR code. I shared my findings with my classmates to assist in their own exploration.

Below are the two initial sketches I drew in Procreate to act as the foundation for my image, building upon the initial thumbnails I made earlier in my notebook. I tried to focus on forms and composition, but at the same time stay loose and work intuitively, not thinking too hard about making it perfect.

After completing the rough sketch as the base layer, I started building new layers with linework. Below is what the final linework layer looks like with the underlying sketches removed.

After completing most of the linework, I started adding more layers with flat washes of basic color. Again, at this stage, I was working more intuitively, knowing that I would return to refine everything later.

After I laid in the basic color scheme, I created more layers to fine-tune the lighting and shadows to create depth and tonal subtleties. I tried to make the scene feel inviting and lifelike through the use of soft, warm lighting and a more cohesive color palette. This stage was the one that took the most time and was the most challenging, but it was also the most satisfying to complete.

During this phase of the project, I went through a period where I felt conflicted about adding details like dimensional shadows, reflections, backlighting, and other types of surface illuminations because I felt like the overall effect was departing from my original “rustic-looking” goal. The colors began looking more obviously digitally-rendered rather than like they were made using traditional printmaking techniques. But I decided on a happy medium that looks like maybe it could be hand-colored, perhaps using a blend of watercolors and chalk pastels. Of course, a discerning eye can tell it was created digitally; but that’s okay because I am not trying to deceive anyone with how it was made. My intention was to capture the feeling of the artist’s hand being present, and I believe that it is there. I made sure to leave a lot of textural marks, color smudges, and other “imperfections” to embrace that handmade feel. Below is the final result.

Last fall was my first semester attending Agnes Scott. I had just transferred from a larger university with a very competitive, often elitist environment; I had no idea what an utter world of difference I would find in the Agnes Scott community. I entered the Digital Processes course expecting to gain some skills in software and design, but little else. I came out of the class with a whole new understanding of the importance of exploration, a renewed passion for generating ideas, a deep sense of support from my co-learners and educators, and a thirst to learn more. Rather than depleting my creative energy, the coursework (and “courseplay”) nurtured it. I decided to enroll in the next semester of Digital Processes to keep that invaluable source of creative energy going. I am excited to continue experimenting, researching, playing, thinking, making, growing, and developing clearer insight to the person who I want to be.