I’m noticing this more and more in my own life, and now more than ever. Just like that of last year, almost a month and a half has passed by faster than I can believe, and I didn’t take time to write a posting or take very good notes of what was going on. So I think this posting will be much shorter than it should be. It's been a long time coming, but that’s how it goes. The following is what I can recall.
Last month’s first week of classes and the memory of a scholarship I could apply still apply for (and the subsequent essay questions I needed to answer to apply for it) took me on a journey of mind-exploration that led me to discover some of the answers to the questions I had in the last posting. I pieced some of my thoughts together on paper, and it went something like this:
My dream now is no longer to redesign the car, rather, it is to “redesign” the use of the car. To provide support for other options of getting around. To influence where and how people live, rather than improving a single product’s lifecycle. Something that deals with the movement between spaces, both public and private, interior and exterior. To deal directly with the various stakeholders around local urban mobility systems to create effective business models and policy recommendations that support the use, maintenance and extension of these systems. In other words, urban planning.
I’ve also thought about this before, but now here’s the latest problem: I have next to no formal background in subject. And on top of that, I’m not willing to do any more formal education outside of work once this masters is complete. Maybe I’m just too stubborn, but that’s my stand.
If I didn’t make the link between cars and urban planning clear, the following thoughts definitely won’t be, but here they are:
The promotion and facilitation of plausible and articulated “system innovations” (innovations that affect technological, sociological and ultimately cultural frameworks). The need to look at industries as cultures, and that like them, none of them want to die or completely change. Working in policy/research gives the opportunity to deal with how these different cultures interact. Business models, laws, relationships… facilitation, communication, promotion… something I can do! Shanghai Expo 2010? Yes? The theme is “Better city, better life”. A showcase of urban dreams from around the world (http://www.expo2010china.com/expo2006/liveshow/index1.html). Theres got to be something for me there! So is it back to Shanghai afterall? Is that still my “right” road? I really don’t know anymore, but it’s great to dream.
On February 16th, I took a trip up to Como Lago (a lake 1 hour north of Milan) with the Chinese girl I got lost with in Venice. We had a great time exploring the town of Como and the southern part of the lake. We talked a lot about our pasts, present and ideas about the future. It’s been so great to find someone here I feel I can relate to and talk with so easily. Along with this, we got to sit in a seaplane (with permission), wander around a private mansion ground (without permission, but used the excuse that we were looking for a restaurant to avoid any conflict), and threw confetti on a merry-go-round (don’t ask).
For her, she said it was her happiest time in Italy. I was happy to know that.
From February 20th right up until yesterday, the majority of my time was spent trying to balance between doing technology research for the company I am working for, and doing groupwork for the latest school project: retail design for a mosaic manufacturing company in Vicenza (a few hours drive east of Milan). It was an interesting project to work on, but as with all the groupwork I’ve been involved in so far, the major lessons were in the relationships within our group, and later as it would prove to be, with the other groups, the professors and the company itself.
Some of the lessons I learned are as follows:
- The facilitation of communication really is important for groups.
- “Feelers” (a term we used back in APIRG to mean somebody who’s priority is to gauge how people are feeling) are also really important.
- Non-personal communication, especially those based solely on text (including blogs…) are not really good for communicating feelings or plans.
- If you’re in a group, it’s really up to you to declare if you feel under- or over-used.
- If you’re going to be working around other groups, be wary of copying or accusations thereof.
- If a group, professor or company can’t give you a clear answer or sense of direction, you HAVE TO become pro-active and define your own answer and path. To make a proposal rather than a question. (I think this last point is especially important for me and my life).
During this period, I was also told that I have a “scientific-mind”, that the past project didn’t go so well because of “a lack of coordination, orientation and coherence in following its own guidelines” (another lesson I think applies to my life), and heard the opinion that “America will go down because it doesn’t have any pain” (Again, don’t ask).
All of our final presentations for that project were on March 6th. We took a trip out to Vicenza for the second time to present our concepts directly at the company’s headquarters. Now, I don’t really know what happened in the few moments before our group went up to present, but thanks in part to some tips from the guy from Vancouver (still in Shanghai) about presenting, I felt really comfortable and confident. Despite the fact that we were presenting in front of the heads of the company there in Vicenza and those in Miami (thanks to the magic of video-conferencing), I had no problems with it. When the presentation finished, I had a rush of enthusiasm about our work, and was given compliments by some of my fellow classmates. It was a great experience.
Of course, I also tried to get in as much dance time as I could, wherever I was. Whether in a group meeting, on the street or in a discotec. On the 22nd, I went out with my dancepartner and the Chinese girl who went with me to Como. I was the one to introduce her to the salsa scene, even though she was already taking Flamenco classes. It was another great night. The three of us even got rides back to each of our homes from some fellow salseros, despite us living in different parts of the city. For my Chinese friend, it was her happiest time in Milan.
…
On March 11th, I finally got to do something I had been waiting for since my first trip to Milan in 2006: talk with Ezio Manzini one on one about sustainable development.
I waited outside his office for more than an hour, until I was finally welcomed in after he had finished explaining a lot of design theory to two students. I started our conversation off by telling him my story from the time of the workshop he gave in 2002. He gave his compliments to me for what I had managed to accomplish and experience for my age. Once I completed my story, I asked him what I could do now. We talked a lot about different ideas about work, “downshifters”, why I shouldn’t be an urban planner, and the need to “find out who is doing what, and what their background is”. However, in the end, his final advice was: only you can answer that. No real surprise for me.
Towards the end of our meeting, I brought up the topic of strategic design, and the course I am taking on it (founded by Ezio Manzini). I told him my impression of it so far, and for better of worse, told him using the music industry metaphor, that it seems like there’s a lot of “filler”. No offense.
Our conversation ended with him telling me to look into the Torino World Design Capital Project (http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/), and to learn Italian. Points taken.
The 11th was also the end of a mini-workshop that our class had on fashion. The only thing I felt I got out of it were some good model-like pics of myself. I guess that’s not so bad afterall.
How are things in the apartment? Well, it’s a little tough to summarize here, but my best description of it would be like a volcano. Some days active, some days not so. Yesterday we had a sort of impromptu Easter dinner together, where I attempted to make German Knoedeln. Not the most successful attempt, but it was another learning experience nonetheless.
Today it's off traveling again. Happy Easter.
