Where are my directions?
Posted by CCA LiveE January 1st, 2010 
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By Samantha Wong
We are all made up of many different fascinating components. Each piece is an important and integral part to who we are today. We must call on certain strengths to accomplish certain decisions, tasks or questions. And when we only utilize one or two of our strengths, we lose the greatest aspect of ourselves, that the sum of who we are is greater than our individual pieces. It is a balancing act to manage and express each part of who we are together as one.
There are certain strengths that I have relied on to get me where I am today. I received a digital arts degree from UCSD because I had a creative passion for arts and programming. However, I hid behind a screen of visuals without emerging to communicate out loud what I had to say.
Professionally, I worked in different marketing roles from analysis to media research to project management. I pursued marketing because I enjoyed the puzzle of numbers and the story that research presented. While this suited a certain niche, I felt empty at the lack of creative thinking and the inability to express my ideas and thoughts. Since I was eight, I swam recreationally and competitively. My love of swimming opened the doors to coaching and competing at nationals during my collegiate career. The pool has always been inviting to me and is the one place that I know I am always me.
I have been able to rely on my passions and strengths to reach amazing feats in my life. Despite these successes, I realized that I was ignoring another aspect of me. My story was not in balance.
The Accidental Environmentalist: CNG in Pakistan
Posted by CCA LiveE December 29th, 2009 View Comments
Summer in Lahore, Circa 2005
As my friend, Mohammad, opened up the truck of his car I noticed something rather strange. Inside was large metal canister with a gauge and pipes sticking out. Obviously seeing something that looked like homemade rocket attached to inside of your car was a cause for concern. As it turned out it wasn’t an explosive but something far more subtle at work.
“What’s that?” I asked Mohammad stepping back a little from the car as he started fiddling with the pipes.
“Yaar, it’s CNG. We had kit put in last month!”
During the years I had been away at University learning about art, design and innovation people in Pakistan had been hacking their cars to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Natural Gas, basically Methane, is an alternative to fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel. While not zero emissions, CNG produces significantly less pollutants than petrol. If coupled with electronically controlled stoichiometric engines Natural gas offer the lowest emissions with relation to the highest possible power output.
Creation of An Agency – “As Is”
Posted by CCA LiveE December 25th, 2009 View Comments
By Michael Fox
I am an artist. I was attracted to the DSMBA program at the California College of Arts in my efforts to conceptually frame my artwork as a practice. The DSMBA program has given me the opportunity to be creative utilizing the core values of innovation that are taught as my approach instead of remaining a manufacturer of goods; or in other words, a “starving artist” hording needless inventory, which represents the fluid, fictitious market value. In the future people will have to take the reins and become leaders of their own career, instead of waiting for someone else to do it for them. The DSMBA program aligns with what an artist’s goals should be – ideas and thoughts that are in themselves tangible forms. The MBA is really the new MFA.[1]
Art schools ought to be platforms for free thinking and creativity without setting boundaries. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. There is potential to engage in education, in which giving away of ideas falls under the egis of a relationship established among an idea, the artist and the community at large. By focusing on the context of a specific project, rather than pure outcome, the relationships established between the various people involved in it will be stronger and more effective in planning, organization and carrying it out. The success involved with this kind of perspective should outweigh any risks of failure, and renders the experience worthwhile.
For many years, artists have been trying to restructure the traditional hierarchy between artist/teacher and students. There has also been a struggle to break away from specialization, as students try to create a more multidisciplinary academic experience. This is true in art schools, as well. This was particularly strong four decades ago, resulting in the establishment of groups like, among others, the Artist Placement Group (1966) and the Free Open University (founded by Joseph Beuys in 1971). The position of the artist is somewhat marginalized, and this is an occasion to take the artist outside of the institution, in order that the boundaries of what would signify visual art can effect change and engage creatively more freely.
In 2010, an agency called “As Is,” is being launched. “As Is” will be a think-tank of ideas and projects conceived by one individual but will give these ideas away to projects curated by other parties. The ideas and projects will become commoditized intellectual property that is shared openly and willingly. The types of projects will vary and not be limited to installations and events only. They will be designed for site-specific locations. The concept recalls the notion that home is inside the self, and inside the other, and the potential for multilateral relations with other creative industries is at the heart of the agency.
The name of the agency, “As Is,” is an index, signifying the paradox between the openness of creating a group of talent that work together for the purpose of initiating intercultural dialogue and exchange through art, and the complexity in the actual realization of such an undertaking.
It is all about taking risks and moving forward, and as the art critic Julian Stallabrass rightfully said: “The art world would be a much healthier scene if people would be prepared to stick their necks out.”[2]
[1] Daniel Pink. Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future. (Berkeley: Penguin Publishing, 2006)
[2]Richard Marshall, 3am Interview: The Artist as Marxist. 3am Magazine, 2004, Web, 24.10.2009, http://www.3ammagazine.com/artarchives/2004/may/interview_julian_stallabrass.html
Cultivating Creative Teamwork
Posted by CCA LiveE December 22nd, 2009 View Comments
By Tane Ross
Many students enrolled in the CCA DMBA program come from creative careers. These careers often require teamwork and collaboration which involve collective problem solving, applications of specialized expertise in visual and conceptual realms and communication skills. However, many teams that we encounter in more traditional businesses feature a hierarchy of leadership and defined processes. Through my recent experiences in the DMBA program, I’ve become interested in defining a method that stimulates and fosters design thinking in teams to generate outstanding outcomes.
On the first day of class, our professor had us self organize into groups for our Innovation Studio course. We had only known our classmates for a couple hours, yet we seemed to gravitate toward certain people. I was lucky to match up with three positive and fair classmates. For the rest of the semester, we were charged with creating an innovation around General Motors by imagining the company’s future. The possibilities were endless.
Is There Such A Thing As Sustainable Gift Giving?
Posted by CCA LiveE December 22nd, 2009 View Comments
The holidays are finally here. Turkey leftovers, the smell of pine and baked apple pie, families snuggling up in warm winter homes. And who can forget that important part of the holidays – the sacred ritual of gift giving. Or more specifically, our annual obligation to support the myth that possessing more material items will make you more complete. Americans of all religions and ethnicities participate in this love affair with consumerism as a patriotic rite of passage. Who wants to be the Scrooge who ruins Christmas with talk of toxic imported toys and overflowing landfills? And who wants to ignore how important this holiday season is to the countless retailers and businesses who count on our shopping fervor to boost their sales into the next calendar year?
Now don’t get me wrong – I love gifts just as much as the next person. But I can’t help but feel this sneaking suspicion that there must be a better way to show our love of family, friends and country. Now that I am becoming involved in the “Design” community through MBA Design Strategy, I begin to question my blind allegiance to this consumer driven pseudo-religious ritual of department store sale celebration and credit card ringing. I can only imagine the massive volume of discarded “gifts” that end up in a landfill year after year. Americans throw away a shocking amount of waste a day – over 4.6 lbs of a day – the majority of which cannot be recycled.
My Learning Equation: Simplicity + Enjoyment = FUN
Posted by CCA LiveE December 22nd, 2009 View Comments
By J Fristad
The life of an individual pursuing a Master’s Degree parallels anyone taking on a complex professional endeavor; there can be many competing demands for attention, time, and energy. This is knowledge I am gaining first-hand as a student in the MBA in Design Strategy program at CCA. Juggling the competing demands of work, family relationships and school is a serious challenge.
It is also a lesson in time-management, with an even greater inherent challenge – how to have a fun time while doing it! This is a learning experience that reaches beyond just graduate studies and into professional life as well. It applies to anyone who finds their daily experience becoming less enjoyable as their responsibilities increase.
Often, those individuals who pursue a Master’s degree already have many years invested in a career. Many have spouses/significant others, children, financial commitments such as a mortgage, car payment or undergraduate school loan. Whatever the particulars, each requires significant attention and resources that have the potential to distract from graduate studies.
Noise Pollution Etiquette (or Reflect and Respect!)
Posted by CCA LiveE December 12th, 2009 View Comments
Waiting for the A train at the 34th Street subway a few months ago in New York City, I was assaulted by the amount of noise on the platform. Chirps, blips, clicks, squawks and music encircled me like ten thousand migrating geese.
I was unintentionally invited into: The very private argument of a young woman and her boyfriend, the squawking swap between two Nextel Direct Connect users, an ear-shattering concert through an iPhone speaker and the assault of a thumping ring tone from a teenager.
The technology landscape has changed the way we communicate with one another but what’s missing is the etiquette manual. With the enthusiastic embracing of new devices, people have lost awareness of the impact that their conversations have on those around them. Physical walls have vanished along with the technological umbilical cords that connected us to the outside world. Welcome to the new world of the personal “mobile home” office, one without boundaries or rules for airing your personal laundry for public consumption.
Beyond the Tangible is Where Learning Begins
Posted by CCA LiveE January 2nd, 2009 View Comments
by Erin Jacobs
Beyond the tangible work we construct as individuals and in groups, is an emotional being connected to learning experiences in very unique and personal ways. Though most of us grow up thinking it’s the logical and concrete things that validate us as successful human beings, it’s actually the emotional being that makes anything and everything we know come to life. The DMBA graduate program embodies this perspective, but for me, the experience only actualized itself once I learned to embrace it.
Working in teams is no easy task, especially when members have just met. Deciphering personalities is challenging enough without the added pressure of trying to excel in a graduate program. In school, the pressure is on. Our work must be perfect if the professor is to assign the respectable grades high-performing students desire. Having recently graduated from undergraduate studies at UCLA, it is logical to think that professors only know us for what we turn in, for the tangible things we produce. We think it’s up to us to make sure that everyone in the group is meeting expectations and working with high standards in order to receive desirable grades. After all, the work of the group directly reflects each individual and how the professor will perceive us.
Lost and Found
Posted by CCA LiveE January 1st, 2009 View Comments
by Jennifer Pechacek
For the past 7 years—through a very challenging journey—I have been groomed within a professional context to provide leadership in project and team management working within architecture, planning and urban design. Communication techniques and skills are imperative to leading teams through the development of multiple projects. Communication helps sustain the outcome and so becoming a better communicator is of particular interest to me. LiveE as a course is designed to address the significance of “effective communication” within professional practice.
I chose to go back to school to break down my “me house”. Attending the dMBA program at CCA has presented me with the opportunities to free my hindered mind, engage in provoking thoughts, provide space for self-reflection and time to question my true self, as I see myself—not just in terms of how others view me. The pressures of professional business practice consistently remind me to remain “strong” and to never reveal my fears. However, during this first semester of dMBA I saw how I own my image. Returning to school has given me the wonderful opportunity to start a difficult conversation with myself.
Leadership by Design
Posted by CCA LiveE January 1st, 2009 View Comments
by Erica Frye
The business world has started to recognize something I’ve thought for a long time — designers have exactly what it takes to be great leaders. Here’s why:
We turn vision into reality.
Arguably the most powerful design skill (and the most underestimated, even by designers) is the ability to take abstract concepts and express them tangibly through visuals, messages, and models. We’re innovative at heart, and we bring the new and unusual to life in inspiring ways and show people things they couldn’t have imagined themselves.
We play well with others.
Designers work well independently, yet we also have the emotional intelligence and curiosity it takes to thrive in collaborative groups. We welcome input from those who will show us different perspectives, give us inspiration when we are stuck, criticize us when we can no longer see clearly, and push us to improve our work in ways we cannot achieve alone.
We see the big picture.
The best designers have a broad understanding of history, culture, and people, which gives us the perspective needed to see the long-range vision and give it context. We explore connections between unlikely things and weave those threads together into compelling stories that resonate.
We sweat the details.
I’ve never met a good designer who wasn’t obsessed with details! That level of attention can seem over-the-top, but consistent details are what provide the depth necessary to build up an idea and turn it into a rich, seamless experience.
We take work personally.
Regardless of what people say it’s rarely “just business”, especially when your business is creation. We are passionate about ideas, and the emotional investment we have in our work drives us to improve and learn constantly.
We are committed to sustainability.
Designers are on the front lines of the green revolution, perhaps because we have designed, built, and packaged so many wasteful things. Through communities like the Designers Accord, we are using our unique position to make a positive impact on the world.
I Am an Artist. I Am Getting an MBA. I Am Not a Sellout.
Posted by CCA LiveE December 31st, 2008 View Comments
by Erica Meade
Many studio art majors at my undergrad institution had negative feelings about the business world. The common thought was that the corporate machine was stocked with money-hungry egomaniacs, representing everything wrong in this world and the inverse of the motivations and goals of an artist. That’s somewhat of an exaggeration, but nonetheless, “commercial” and “corporate” were bad words in the art studio.
In one of my harshest critiques, I was told that some of my work was too commercial and that I should get ready “to go to Madison Avenue” or “design greeting cards.” I was upset, but more than that, I was confused. My goals as an artist were – and are – to express my ideas to a wide audience, make people think about what they see, and perhaps even influence change. So what’s wrong with art that is applicable and accessible to a broad audience? Why does commercial appeal equal the death of true art? And how are those two things mutually exclusive?
Towards the end of my college career, I wondered what my life would be like if I were a traditional professional artist. I imagined that I’d be struggling to get gallery representation, living in a tiny studio apartment in Brooklyn, yearning for my big break as I waited tables or worked retail. The starving artist persona seemed like an ineffective way to get my ideas out in the world and make a difference. So I looked into other outlets for creative expression and found design.
Leaders and Clown Hats
Posted by CCA LiveE December 31st, 2008 View Comments
by Henry Liu
Every morning prior to work, we’re faced with a flurry of decisions pertaining our office wardrobe. What shirt am I going to wear? Do these pants go with those shoes? Are these socks even matching? Face it, these fashion decisions reflect who we are in the office, they’re what make us unique. Appearing proper to our superiors and peers may provide us a sense of security, but there are times where stepping forward to offer the contrary opinion delivers something more valuable than adhering to the norm.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably sat in countless meetings listening to your boss make statement after statement while you offer continuous affirmation to every request and whim. As you glance around the room, you may even notice your peers doing the exact same thing. What the meeting really needs is the presence of a corporate jester to challenge the leader’s unilaterally accepted dispositions.
On Water Bottles and Identity
Posted by CCA LiveE December 30th, 2008 View Comments
Mattia Nuzzo
So I just got this water bottle. Pretty cool, right? It definitely took me a couple weeks (maybe months?) to find it among the Siggs and Klean Kanteens out there. While it does meet most of my requirements – portability, aesthetics, drinkability – I began to wonder what the image of myself armed with such an overdesigned water holder might present to people.
I initiated my search for the coolest water bottle I could find by doing just that: typing “coolest water bottle” into Google. I came across articles about the need to ensure that the container was BPA-free, and how the Siggs actually don’t call out the composition of the interior lining of their bottles. After a bit more research I threw caution to the wind and ordered a shiny new Sigg from Amazon. Unfortunately after receiving it I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. It just seemed too “meh”; too pragmatic. Back it went, and after returning to my “cool” search results I happened upon the Kor One.
The website hosted by Kor has all the trappings of a brand that’s trying too hard – a blog, a flickr page, videos, etc. All this for a water bottle. I can’t help but question if the identity they seem to be so carefully crafting actually gets in the way of the piece’s primary role as a utilitarian object. The bottle’s cap contains a slot for customers to insert images or tags provided by the company, with cheesy slogans like “Better Me, Better World” (what does that even mean?). Still, it was the best overall design I’d seen so far, so I went ahead and plugged in my CC info and patiently waited the 5-7 business days.
Building the ‘Me Muscle’: Six Essential Exercises
Posted by CCA LiveE December 29th, 2008 View Comments
By Mei Lan Ho-Walker
I must confess I thought a communications class would be a piece of cake. I would read some books, practice public speaking and viola! instantly emerge as an ‘effective communicator’.
I was dead wrong. The class LiveE was a mental bootcamp that turned my world upside down. It rocked my core – in a good way. I often questioned what we were doing, from the paper airplane exercises, to writing about energy leaks, to reading a book called Difficult Conversations. I went through the motions because I was unsure of where we were going. There was a level of ambiguity that made me very uncomfortable, and I couldn’t see the big picture.
The moment of clarity came when I realized there was no predetermined end result. I essentially surrendered myself to myself and making this shift made all the difference. I embraced the ambiguity as an opportunity to define what I wanted to learn. It wasn’t about the professor, getting good grades, or coming up with the right answer, it was about me.
This class became a personal journey in developing my own sense of self to help me navigate, communicate and succeed in the situations I found myself in. I was and still am building this self-knowledge or what I call the ‘me muscle’.
I had this idea of what a good communicator was supposed to be based on expectation of others. But this experience revealed that effective communication begins from within. This ‘me muscle’ represents the driving force helping me make decisions, build confidence and gain control. Through practice and reflection, we can all develop our own sense of style.
To help keep my ‘me muscle’ in shape, I’ve compiled a list of daily exercises. It’s hard work, but remember some pain is good. It means you’re building muscle.
SPECIAL PROJECT
Live Exchange: Communication, Collaboration and Creative Capital
Linda Yaven
In a course I teach one of my students, Ahmed Riaz, said “communication is like air”; indeed, it so ever present it disappears as a domain of inquiry. Yet communication and collaboration are the back story of work.
The articles presented here were part of the course work for “Live Exchange” the foundational course on communication for The MBA Design Strategy Program at California College of the Arts. Students were asked to write a 500 word post on an aspect of communication, creativity, design, sustainability and/or business of compelling interest.
These writings lean into business as usual: blending the personal with the professional, articulating “studio ways of thinking”, surfacing team work, sustainability and an ethos of “we are in this together” thinking.
We live at a time when those in fiercely competitive environments are called upon to invent missing conversations, walk over the bridge of trans-disciplined communication, steward meaning-making in communication or speak for those without recourse to human speech.
With appreciations to Nick Aster for his inspiring invitation.
Linda Yaven,
Associate Professor, "Live Exchange"
MBA Design Strategy Program
CCA, San Francisco
elle@lindayaven.com
Lindayaven.com
