#designblr

28.05: planning a three month long break; using a mug that's been lying on my shelf unused since forever; making some progress on my reading; creating my portfolio

Still processing the fact that stunning pieces of art turned out to be genuine curios within this institution.

Hi, there is always an open space on the web where you can start again. At least, that is what I think. And, to be honest, I need to think that way, because if I wouldn’t, I couldn’t change myself in any way.

And what I need to start again, is to simulate my own graphic design study. I say simulate because I already have a degree for my thesis about how one could structure symbols and semiotics in space for living on Mars. One of my wilder things I have been up to in the past years.

So, it did take me around six years to actually get my degree, due to what turned out were physical, rather than psychological health issues, and I actually wonder about how I even got a degree in the first place (looking back, I didn’t feel precisely conscious at the time).

Why I am telling you this? Because I have been building a system for myself to go beyond what I have actually learned (and still recall) in my graphic design study, and in order to do that, I sort of need to “simulate” a study I did not have in the first place. Well-rested, not distracted, that sort of foundational situation, a foundation I did not have between 2017 and 2023. So, if you should have health issues, you should get help if you can, health seems to be a holistic state, a broken part affects the whole, as well as all the other parts, if you can get that.

The system I came up with is really simple: you take ECTS and GURPS as your basis, add in the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition, Bloom’s (revised) taxonomy, and deliberate practice research by Ericsson et al.

And, what you might end up with, can sort of look like this: something sort of an RPG system for skill advancement.

Level 0: Novice

Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom) No systematic knowledge; relies on rules or external guidance Typical Practice Focus Orientation, following instructions, foundational knowledge Typical Hours for Breakthrough* 0–20 hrs

Level 1: Advanced Beginner

Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom) Recognizes patterns; starts applying basic principles; low situational judgment Typical Practice Focus Guided exercises, rote practice, structured examples Typical Hours for Breakthrough* 20–100 hrs

Level 2: Competent

Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom) Can plan and troubleshoot; applies knowledge with some independence; moderate judgment Typical Practice Focus Deliberate practice on specific skills; small projects; self-correction Typical Hours for Breakthrough* 100–300 hrs

Level 3: Proficient

Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom) Holistic understanding; intuitive decision-making; adapts principles to context Typical Practice Focus Stretch projects, problem-solving in novel contexts; reflective practice Typical Hours for Breakthrough* 300–700 hrs

Level 4: Expert

Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom) Deep tacit understanding; high adaptability; can innovate; self-directed Typical Practice Focus Advanced deliberate practice, cross-domain integration, mentoring others Typical Hours for Breakthrough* 700–1500 hrs

Level 5: Master, or Authority

Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom) Recognized innovator; internalized skill; creates new paradigms Typical Practice Focus Leading projects, high-level synthesis, research/teaching others Typical Hours for Breakthrough* 1500+ hrs

*Hours indicate target deliberate practice hours; total invested time may be higher due to passive learning, casual exposure, or repetition.

If you check out what I have written about that before, I was musing about how you can get a bachelor’s degree in the same amount of time it took me, using self-study, you can see what the flaw was, or rather is: that just putting in the hours does not guarantee progress.

You need deliberate practice, DP for short. But how much?

Well, way I figured it, for each level you are looking at the following target deliberate practice hours, and monthly DP goals, as a rough guide for everyone, especially the people stuck in /beg/ hell, like me:

Level 0: Novice

Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus) Remember/Understand; follows instructions Deliberate Practice Focus Foundational rules, definitions Stretch Task Focus Simple guided tasks Target DP Hours 0–20 Monthly DP Goal 2–4 hrs

Level 1: Advanced Beginner

Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus) Apply/Analyze; begins pattern recognition Deliberate Practice Focus Structured exercises, error correction Stretch Task Focus Small independent projects Target DP Hours 20–100 Monthly DP Goal 5–10 hrs

Level 2: Competent

Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus) Apply/Analyze/Synthesize; plans work Deliberate Practice Focus Targeted practice, self-correction Stretch Task Focus Moderate independent projects Target DP Hours 100–300 Monthly DP Goal 10–15 hrs

Level 3: Proficient

Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus) Analyze/Synthesize/Evaluate; intuitive problem solving Deliberate Practice Focus Complex projects, deliberate reflection Stretch Task Focus Novel, high-risk projects Target DP Hours 300–700 Monthly DP Goal 15–25 hrs

Level 4: Expert

Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus) Evaluate/Create; deep tacit knowledge Deliberate Practice Focus Advanced skill integration Stretch Task Focus Cross-domain innovation, mentoring Target DP Hours 700–1500 Monthly DP Goal 20–35 hrs

Level 5: Master, or Authority

Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus) Create; paradigm-shifting Deliberate Practice Focus Leadership, teaching, R&D Stretch Task Focus High-level innovation Target DP Hours 1500+ Monthly DP Goal 25-35+ hrs

This is a community project, so you absolutely can add your own ideas, comment whichever way you like, use or not use this system. I even added double spaces so that copying is easier, lol.

Below is essential reading material, if you want to read for yourself:

A Five-Stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition

A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview on JSTOR

Deliberate Practice and Acquisition of Expert Performance: A General Overview

ECTS User's Guide 2015

Mechanisms of Skill Acquisition and the Law of Practice

Repealing the power law: The case for an exponential law of practice

The European Qualifications Framework: supporting learning, work and cross-border mobility, take special note of the spread on pages 18 & 19

The Influence of Experience and Deliberate Practice on the Development of Superior Expert Performance

The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance

Why expert performance is special and cannot be extrapolated from studies of performance in the general population: A response to criticisms

So, that’s what I’m going to do now. Better six years late than not, if you ask me, life-long learning and all ;)

I better update my journal now.