I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

Image result for i will sleep when i'm dead documentary

I found this documentary on Steve Aoki’s life on Netfilx this week. Steve Aoki is one of the most popular EDM DJ infamous for throwing cake and sushi during his concerts (I have been caked by Steve Aoki). Unexpectedly, this documentary was one the most relatable movies I have seen in a long time.

Like any other documentary, it talks about his rise to success but I think the most interesting part of this movie was the focus on his work ethic which he got from his father, Rocky Aoki “the man with 9 lives”. He cracks over 300 shows a year, is the most travelled artist and is constantly generating new music.

The concept that resonated with me the most about this documentary was when Steve says that he has been given an amazing opportunity and he does not “want to sleep on it”. We all want to be successful and have a big name but we often forget that it requires going the extra mile to get there.

Personal Inventory Response

Three things in Diego’s inventory are – Uniball pen, a cardigan and a notebook. I really like his approach of talking about 3 things that he uses on a daily basis and always has on him. I thought his approach was very similar to mine as all his objects were very practical and realistic. Judging by his video I would say Diego is a practical and minimalistic person.

Chaoyue talks about his boots, watch and picture of his girlfriend as a part of his personal inventory. His explanation to each item was very detailed and explores very different aspects of his life. He used a more more emotional touch to this assignment than I did. I really enjoyed Chaoyue’s video, mainly because he really differentiated between these objects, and gave great detail with montages for each one of them. I wish I used some these techniques to make my video more interesting.

https://youtu.be/KtF3hGCzkvs/

Tina took a very different approach to this assignment and instead of talking about items, she talks about 3 activities that she does the most – workout, eating and exploring new things. I really enjoyed how she shot and edited the video, it definitely caught my attention. I wish I had used different shots and music like she did in her video. However, she does not give enough details about each of the activities, and how they define her personality. I think in comparison to her video, I did dive a little more in depth of why the three objects define my personality. Judging by this video I would say Tina is a very active person who cares about her health and likes to explore new things.

Vlog your was to success

Image result for ace family vlogging

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s98lnpTFY50

I have seen clips of people vlogging their lives all over Instagram and Facebook but I never realized massive empires some of these Youtubers have built in just a couple of years through this process.

My research on this topic began with watching videos of Youtubers called “The Ace Family”. I was attracted to their channel because their videos were about pranks and internet challenges. But as I got deeper into the endless loop of their videos, I realized a lot of their vlogs were just about them doing daily tasks of life with million views. This led me to investigate the trend further and what took me by surprise was that there are thousands of channels on Youtube dedicated to people recording their everyday lives as a part of entertainment. Their popularity not only leads them to make millions through their videos but also opens doors into acting, music and fashion businesses. However, this success comes at a price. These vloggers get stalked, robbed and see a lot of hate through this process.

It was interesting to see where entertainment has reached and how people have found unique ways to make money. Having said that, I have mixed feelings about the vlogging career. Yes, it can be super lucrative and can be a great platform to get exposure but it also can become a dangerous job due to the lack of privacy especially for children who might not have signed up for this life.

Reading Responses Week #1

The Miseducation of the Doodle by 

I loved the concept of ‘strategic doodling’ discussed in this article. It’s like a language of with its own creative letters and images. Even though we all probably know how to doodle, putting a structure makes it much more valuable than “to make meaningless marks”.

I personally found the concept of ‘group doodling’ an interesting exercise and it would be a great tool to help designers look at the bigger picture. As a designer we often find ourselves focusing on minor details and loosing track of the problem we’re trying to solve. This concept of group doodling actually helps us get out of our rabbit holes, and create wholistic solutions.

I have always been called out for doodling during conversations or projects. It was hard for me to convince people that doodling helped me focus better and in my own way I was taking notes of the conversation. This article is a great response to my behavior!

Sketching: the Visual Thinking Power Tool by 

I completely agree with Mike Rohde that sketching is a visual thinking tool. It becomes an essential tool when talking to product managers and engineers. It provides a perfect middle ground, giving us an opportunity to brainstorm ideas together.

I’m a big advocate of visual learning, and I believe that it’s much easier to forget words than pictures. However, I often refrain myself from showing people my ideas until I add a layer of UI to it. But this article has encouraged me to get my ideas out in raw forms. I don’t have to be da Vinci to use sketching as a tool to communicate.