Wednesday, June 10th

Today we tried "kitbashing", which traditionally came from people who made model trains and would combine different "kits" to create unique trains from the stock models. In this case, we had access to a bunch of different supplies, and I found myself struggling from beginning to end.

Barrington observed that I must be a planner, someone who needs direction to start, and I agreed. I have a hard time ideating without a clear vision, because it feels like a waste of time otherwise. What's the point of making something I don't care about? It just takes up space and time that I don't have.

I find it ironic because in my pedagogy, I emphasize playing and experimenting, much to (some of) my students' chagrin. Here, today, I felt that same pressure, not because I am not skilled, but because I didn't want to waste supplies or time creating something I wasn't going to keep or be proud of. Also, I wasn't sure how to make it look "finished" (removing hard lines, painting, etc).

Barrington suggested superglue and baking soda, or foam clay, or airdry clay, all things I do not have and do not have the $$ to go get. I'm not sure that I want to do any more with these.