Modual and Collaborative Practices: Some Thoughts.
With a collaborative project coming up, I wanted to reflect upon my Modual experience. Prior to Modual, I had always approached collaborative work with reluctance. Coming from a Fashion Photography background, where collaboration is key to the success of any project (most shoots require teams of at least three to four people with different skill sets - photographer, model, make-up artist, stylist), this may come as a surprise, but I have always found group work difficult. Beyond the project itself, working as part of a group is a constant process of compromise and negotiation - of handling not only ideas and opinions, but also personalities. It’s about trying to find a balance between efficiency and empathy (which is not always easy).
During Modual, I had the good fortune of ending up in a small group of likeminded individuals, which made the process not only infinitely more efficient, but also more enjoyable (and I got more out of it, both professionally and personally). I think the process of how the groups were put together - by looking for commonalities within our wider group - was vital here. Aside from establishing shared passions and interests, it gave the project its initial focus, which would develop, over the next few days, into our research question (how can we take advantage of a child-like mentality to get people who have lost their creative spark to re-engage with it?)
I found the sorting process interesting, also, because it took into account neither our professional backgrounds, nor our proficiency levels at specific skills, nor, even, if there was any overlap in our own personal visual language. Despite knowing from the start we would have to produce a kickstarter film to be shown at the launch, for example, (a medium none of us were particularly comfortable in) the focus was never in creating balanced groups. This was more positive than negative as it pushed all of us to learn new skills (such as teaching myself some After Effects basics overnight to edit the film to a high-quality standard) in order to achieve a desired outcome, rather than being limited by what we could immediately do as illustrators and graphic designers.
With Modual, there was also the consideration of time. Because the workshop only runs for eight days, being able to communicate within the group and to meet deadlines became more important than ever. Having to pitch every day to different clients, showing progress from the day before, meant we had to develop a sound organisation system which considered the day’s objectives, and the tasks we would individually be responsible for within the group (designing logos, mock-ups, conducting interviews and compiling information, generating and uploading social media content, etc). This system also allowed us to set aside enough time early in the day to prepare the content we would be presenting as part of every pitch.
When it came to generating content for the project itself, there were various techniques and methods we learnt throughout the workshop (such as using positive reiteration to further a concept, and Edward de Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats’ system for thinking critically about an idea’s potential), which, as I approach my second collaborative project this year, I know I will find myself using.
On a final note, I would like to reflect upon what I have personally taken from this workshop. Despite Modual being the exact opposite of the sort of activities I usually embark on (individual, small-scale, painstakingly-considered long-term projects), I am both grateful and proud to have been a part of this workshop. Because of the way it was set up, I have learnt how to work faster, and produce high-quality results in a very compressed period of time, which I did not think myself capable of. I have also had to push myself technically, mentally, emotionally, and to trust myself to produce better work as a result of this. Furthermore, despite my initial reservations about working as part of a team, I have discovered the advantages of working with other creatives with completely different skills and personalities, of learning from them, of understanding the nature of our collaboration as one in which we simultaneously support and challenge each other to bring out the best of ourselves. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I have learned to design with a mind to positive change (rather than personal satisfaction), which I am eager to apply to future projects.
