#tedxaccd

Maybe because it’s week 9—more than half way through this term—I’m starting to get cold feet about graduation, about leaving Art Center, and about leaving California to hunker back to the East Coast. But because it is week 9, I want to take a moment and thank our leaders, as well as my teammates, for already making this last term so memorable in just these 9 weeks. Eduardo for his great energy and positive outlook, Richard for being a supportive classmate after my public speaking break down, Satin for being my partner in crime in illustration advocacy, Tammy and Eddie for their amazingly crazy creative concepts. Connie for her wise and inspirational attitude, Christina for her love of bunnies, Vincent for his calm demeanor, Taylor for her awesome CAD skills, and Katie for her Mila Kunis voice.  Pearl who has always been on point in everything she does, Lyndsey for being my graduation buddy, DL for his great taste in music, Jess for his jaw-dropping motion graphic skills, Carrie for letting me borrow everything, Kian for coining “squigs”, Elliot who is always working on our website, Jason for his “that’s what she said” jokes, Marz and Aaron gracefully documenting our process, and Jon for being a great partner for the interactive spatial installation.

Why I like this photo reflects how I feel about TEDxACCD.

I see Jessie Kawata, an Art Center Alum, Creative Strategist, and one of our amazing speakers.

I see team work. Eduardo with script in hand while Mars is handling his gear to capture the moment in stunning HD.

I see our rooftop at South Campus. I think it was designed by someone famous. IIRC, it's Frank Gehry. He does some cool stuff.

We all come together to make things move. Through this process I'm learning how to lead in different ways. I'm learning what it means to have an idea and how to execute.

Leaders are those that inspire individuals and groups to achieve more than they thought possible. I learned that from Professor Gerson in my Art Center Entrepreneurial Spirit class.

Looking at this photo reminds me of these connections and reminds me why I'm happy to be a part of the TEDxACCD team.

Time truly flies when you are doing something you love. Being part of the Spatial Design Team, I’m having a lot of fun. As a product design student, it is incredibly cool to learn about the design process and workflow from my teammates in environmental design.

The Spatial team started with wayfinding, actually walking through the campus to discover the ideal pathway for the participants to take. At the same time, we bounced ideas off of each other on strategies to guide people along with major junctions for signage and information. Putting our shoes in the mindset of someone visiting Art Center for the first time is incredibly important in designing the experience of the day. The most important question we ask ourselves is how can we build excitement for the audience along the journey toward the final destination, the Ahmanson Auditorium.

Our keyword is resonance, the complex culmination of a simple concept. The stage and auditorium design is the grand design of the Spatial Team that embodies the spirit of this TEDx event. We then will extract elements and key design language to incorporate into the pathway towards the Auditorium, dropping hints of the things to come and help stringing together a story that unveils on the event stage.

Today, our advisers Sherry and Gerardo starts out our team exercise by asking: “What do you get when you put 19 energetic, enthusiastic, organized, strong-minded type A people together?” 19 eyes widen to the thought. A self-deprecating laughter resounds through an empty Ahmanson auditorium, the hearth and home to our weekly 5-hour TEDxACCD studio classes. We all sit up from our seats, lean in towards the stage where our advisers stood, with our curiosity piqued. What team exercise do we get to participate in this time? Sherry sat cross-legged at the foot of the stage, looking to the front row of 19 occupied seats amongst the sea of empty, red chairs. She continues along the lines of: “Let’s take a few minutes to reflect upon how we want our class culture to take form as we continue to progress from blue-sky thinking to executing tangible ideas.”

Two minutes of silent reflection filled every inch of the auditorium as Gerardo held a Sharpie in his hand, ready to mark the white butcher paper with a mind map of the collective thoughts of the class. As I look down in contemplation, I feel the collective energy of the class permeate the room. Our two minutes are up. Katie Healey (ENV, 7th term), chimed in first: “I like how everyone in this class talks. We’re vocal, and that’s something I appreciate about being a part of this group.” As Gerardo added the word ‘communication’ to the blank, white sheet, one thought after another canon-fired: ‘We are indeed a vocal class!” I thought. Amongst the string of suggestions from each person, key phrases made their way to the forefront as we went down the row: ‘Empathy. Communication. Transparency. Don’t afraid to be honest. Don’t take things personally.’ I scanned the room as each person expressed their thoughts. I spotted generous nods from Jessica, Vincent, Christina—then witnessed a synchronized approval of the room: we were all on the same page. It’s days like these that ignite this indescribable compassion in your heart for your fellow friends who you have the pleasure of sharing this moment in time with.