Blog 4: peer review
At the beginning of this week we finished our Better Lives projects´ online lectures. In this last session, we looked through all the students concepts´ designs. Throughout the rest of this week, I have been considering my peers´ works and reading through several blogs from another projects students. After all, I have been fascinated by some of the outcomes, being Annie Foo´s blogs and design the most oustanding development to me.
Regarding what I read from her first blog, Annie was fascinated by the `Well-being´ concept due to have attended to Jekaterina Rogaten´s lecture. I found particulary interesting the way she explained the two different well-being theories (Hedonic and Eudaimonic) Hedonic alludes to have a large number of pleasures, while Eudaimonic is based in building up self-actualization. Another point of interest was the relationship between consumption and well-being, through the `Hedonic Treadmill´ theory, which consists in consuming in a big scale just to maintain the levels of happiness. At this point, I should mention that in fact, I attended to Rogaten´s lecture myself and looking through Annie´s reflection has allowed me to understand some aspects more in deep.
Moving forward to her second blog, I discovered that `Fast Fashion´ is one of the sustainable issues that has particulary concerned her throughout the unit. This is directly connected with the `Hedonic Treadmill´ theory that attracted her attention previously. I consider a good point the connection and the development of thoughts she has considered about it. The fact of knowing that the `Fast Fashion´ issue´s roots come for a pursuit of happiness and well-being, can help the individuals to reflect about it and try to find ways to avoid it. As Annie has also mentioned on her first blog, creativity is directly connected with well-being. Personally, I would suggest as an alternative of those compulsive shopping the use of creativity and art as ways to achieve that happiness.
On the other hand, she has also shown a special interest in diversity, particulary within the make-up industry. This is one of the themes that also stuck me the most as some brands are still in need of doing a big change within this field. As a measure that could be in our hands as make-up practitioners, I would suggest Annie to purchase just products from brands that support the diversity like `Danessa Myricks´ of `Fenty Beauty´ when possible.
Finally, she has come up with a creative concept design within the `Developing a Character´project. Her idea is based in the sustainability theme. It consists in a character living in a world where the fast fashion has become out of control. The planet has turned into an apocalyptic landfill site so her character has been injured due to the impact on the human´s health.
Overall, Annie´s blogs and outcome have a good development of ideas and knowledge throughout the unit. I could observe a really good connection from the beginning until the final design and it has helped me to understand the Better Lives unit and themes from a different point of view.
References:
https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/03/28/better-lives-blog-2/