Blog 3 – Project Reflection
As a creative direction student, I am used to base my designs and creative outcomes on detailed and deep research into the chosen themes. All my work starts with learning about the theory behind design and desk research.
For better lives, I wanted to do something more practical, learn a skill which shows immediate results, so I chose make-up breakdown.
Besides the main themes of better lives, Diversity, sustainability and inclusivity, we talked about the principle of “The fashion mistake”, which means allowing the accident to participate in the project. Being a non-professional in make-up, this concept came in handy, as I was prone to make mistakes along the way of learning and creating.
I was interested in what we define as a “mistake” and why, so I deepened my research in this subject. The official definition of a mistake is “an act or judgement that is misguided or wrong”, although this didn’t give me an insight of who’s the judge of calling something a mistake. In the creative world a mistake is often something that is seen as aesthetically unappealing (keeping in mind that aesthetic values change over time and space).
In today’s western culture we see symmetry, smoothness and levelness as aesthetically pleasing. Interestingly enough, when googling synonyms for “even” words like “unwrinkled”, “undamaged” and “featureless” come up.
This inspired me to create my make-up looks around that subject: The beauty of mistakes.
While watching many of the Vogue make up tutorials on YouTube, I observed the different processes of various celebrities doing their makeup. I paused the videos at random points of the routine, capturing an awkward face in the moment the makeup is applied and not evened out yet. I used these stills to recreate the make-up looks, filming myself while doing them in order to take similar screen-captures.
It was a fun project, a way not to take myself and the beauty world too seriously. I was open to all mistakes I would encounter, including them in my creation.
In these times of Covid19 especially, when we all have to stay at home, being isolated and restricted, it is important to create a fun space, where everything is allowed, including mistakes.
30th April 2020 @ 6:12 pm
In the blog that I have read, blog post three by Alma de Ganay, the student wrote a detailed description of her project outcome and how she arrived there. She explained the concept created for the project and why she chooses to create this. It was interesting to see her previous methods of working and the methods she used to produce this project. This shows the reader how the student creative practices developed during this Unit. Feedback upon the final result was also given, which shows us that she reflected upon the result.
However, the Better Lives themes, diversity, and sustainability were only mentioned in the post as part of the unit themes. The student switched the theme of Social Responsibility for Inclusivity, which is also a very important point to consider when producing public content, however, it is not one of the main themes. Having this in mind, I advise the student to read the Better Lives Unit Handbook, again if already done so, to have a better understanding of what its main themes are and its relevance in the fashion scenario.
Having done so, I recommend her to link more the three main themes of the unit with her project outcome and creative practice. This could be done for example by explaining her concept and why these themes can be identified in it. Another way that could help the student linking the Better Lives themes to her creative practice would be, by explaining her process and in each step linking her choices to one of the themes. As it is a project for Hair and Makeup, the theme of Sustainability could be reflected upon her choice of products. Using ethical and ecologically friendly products would be a way to embed this in the project. Perhaps the products used were sustainable, however, she did not mention it in the reflection, leaving room for doubt.
Diversity could be implemented in the work by choosing diverse celebrities doing the Vogue makeup tutorials on YouTube. Once again, this might have been done while executing the project, but, as the student did not talk about it in the reflection there is no way to know. Social Responsibility could be shown by talking about the relevance of discussing “the beauty of mistakes” in today’s society. Currently, this is a big topic that goes around self-esteem and body image.
All in all, it was a good review. The student dedicated herself to this project and tried something new to push her creativity. I like her idea and how she approached the project brief.
11th May 2020 @ 9:49 am
For my 4th blog post I chose to reflect on the work of Alma de Ganay.
I enjoyed being in the same Better Lives course as Alma (‘Make-Up Breakdown’) and had the opportunity to work with her during the workshop in which we studied contouring. We were shown how to apply our new knowledge in a practical and creative way by working together, using each-others’ faces as the canvas. On this occasion I experienced her working with make-up and her open, interested and creative approach to the subject made me curious and excited about her final project of this unit.
The way Alma describes her approach to projects and her usual work processes as a Creative Direction student is very close to the way mine are.
The workflows are similar in the sense that, as a PR and communications student, a major amount of my work is also based on thorough and intensive research.
Alma also mentioned that the main theme of the project ‘Fashion Mistake and Imperfection’ played into her hands, in the sense that as a non-professional in make-up she would be prone to make mistakes along the way.
I was able to relate very well to this statement, due to my inexperience and limited knowledge of make-up. I really enjoyed using the topic of ‘fashion mistakes and imperfections’ as a narrative for our final projects in this unit. It allowed us to experiment with courage and fun and to learn through the creative processes without being limited by the fear of making mistakes.
I like the fact that Alma has used the Vogue Make-Up tutorials as her main source of inspiration, as I love to watch them myself. Suitable to the topic ‘Fashion Mistake’, I usually enjoy the videos best, in which the celebrities allow themselves to make a few mistakes during their tutorial – it makes the whole process very charming and authentic.
I personally believe that Alma’s idea to rather engage in the process of applying make-up instead of focusing on a perfect finished look, is very exciting and interesting.
Her project clearly shows that anything that looks like a mistake during a work process might as well lead the path to a successful final outcome.
This once again demonstrates that we shouldn’t always dismiss mistakes as failures so quickly, but that even if mistakes happen, we should continue, learn from them and always look ahead.
11th May 2020 @ 1:36 pm
As my peer review I decided to review on the project of Alma de Ganay, Her project outcome was surrounding the theme of makeup and the discussion of aesthetic values, it is really reminded me of the lecture ‘Design and Empathy’, which makes me think the actual reason and value of people putting on make up.
The student creatively creating make up look baed on other people’s unfinished, or aesthetic considered unappealing looks, and visually explores the idea of aesthetic values.
In the blog post, the student explore and gave out their own understanding of what ‘fashion mistakes’ are in details, the student believes a ‘fashion mistakes’ means ‘aesthetically unappealing’, I personally see more definition of ‘fashion mistakes’ from her project, fashion industry as a whole influenced people’s behavior, and it can be quite ‘toxic’ sometimes, and I believe her project perfectly interpreted this idea by using youtube makeup tutorials as one of the creation resources, as people intended get more dramatic and easy having verbal debate over controversy. after reading through the blog post twice, I believe the reason why we (me and Alma) have different point of views is due to our differences of identity as I identify myself as a former makeup blogger and Alma as a ‘non-professional in make-up’ and their research direction is more towards ‘make mistakes along the way’.
I used to participate as a make up blogger myself back in 2017, as a online personality, I often felt the pressure of ‘not appealingly presented’; quote from one of my blogger friends ‘if you never be a blogger, you will never know you have those much problems of your appearance.’ When you be placed under the spot light, every single small portions of your appearance will be looked at and criticize by everyone online, and it can be very stressful, just like how’s Alma finished the project by screenshot the unappealing moment of the make up tutorials of the personnel, to me it is the symbolic representation of the people who overly criticized online personnel by catching the unpleasant moment and exaggerated it, and I think this project raised a alarm in everyone’s mind that, for some certain reasons, the design of nowadays internet structures makes its user which is general public lost it empathy, they will judge and cyber attacks strangers online and pay no responsibility, I think it is vital that we take action straight away to figure a way to improve the situation.
generally, I think this project done by Alma is brilliant, it brings up awareness and makes people thinks, I its blogs I can see in details what their idea and how it evolves, also some general personal interpretations of what exactly better live is, as a personal opinion, I believe that if they could adding some image or videos to help us to understand more of the project it will be better.