Blog Reflection

Since January, I've been working with my mentor Lisa at Gallagher and Design in San Francisco. I've learned many aspects of a designer's job by watching what Lisa and her office do, and most significantly I have become familiar with the concept of sustainability. Learning about sustainable design has shown me how society, economy, and the environment are interdependent upon one another. Through the course of my Capstone project, my research on sustainability has been my most important learning tool.

While working with Lisa I learned not only how product life cycles and other design factors work, but also how to better myself. I have developed new values concerning the natural resource protection, fair work, economy, and a host of other political issues that I had previously been oblivious to. I have also gained the social  skills needed to operate in a business setting, which will undoubtedly help me in my future career, whatever it may be. On top of these realizations, I am still convinced that I am interested in this field of study- this project has reinforced my goals.

Some parts of my project's journey were stressful. I had some trouble seeing Lisa regularly because I was dependent on both my mom and Caltrain for transportation, and because I had to attend school until 3:00 every weekday my time with her was limited to about three hours each time. Despite the difficulties, I was able to learn a good deal about what truly interested me during my project hours.

Finishing Up

On Wednesday, April 10th, I went into Gallagher again to organize the closet catalog. The last bin I sorted was full of fabric, which made me want to go home and sew. Lisa gave me some more products to research, and I researched them to see which sustainability certifications they had. We started to compile a list of the eco-friendly materials so we can explain to her office how to build more consciously and sustainably. I felt about the same as I have been for the last month.

My project hours are 13.5 and counting.