I would like to reflect on my year of study at CSM, a period of great importance to me. Firstly, studying fashion design at LCF ten years ago laid the foundation for my life plan. I deeply appreciate UAL’s teaching methods and believe it offered me numerous learning opportunities, often surprising and always engaging, like an adventure. Secondly, before joining CSM, I had already spent seven years working in fashion education and the industry. I came with specific questions and a purpose, aiming for deeper exploration in my areas of interest to benefit my future career. Thirdly, throughout this learning journey, I experienced significant personal growth, notably in enhancing my initiative and communication skills.
- Study of Body and Body Image
Throughout my studies, I have focused on the topic of body and body image from the start. Over my decade-plus in the fashion industry, I dedicated myself to clothing and styling to make individuals look fashionable. I vividly remember my undergraduate instructors emphasizing the role of designers in educating others about fashion. However, I gradually realized that fashion is not solely determined by the clothes themselves, but by how we perceive and accept our own bodies. Therefore, this year, I chose to study the body, especially women’s body image, moving beyond mere discussions of fashion. I see fashion as an external layer, whereas the impactful factors are internal. This approach has not only highlighted the importance of body image but also clarified the perceptions of body image in the context of Chinese culture and society. This insight has inspired me to pursue lingerie design in the future, aligning with my background and offering a new, meaningful direction. My goal remains to enhance people’s lives positively through my work, making this research on my project significant for my personal career development.
- Enhancement of Thinking Patterns
I place great importance on my way of thinking. I have a personal model for approaching projects, which allows me to process various content and ultimately produce results through a series of thought processes. This learning experience has significantly refined my thinking model. Initially, my model was more suited for design work, focusing on continuous experimentation based on technical creation rather than action and interaction. Practically, it was akin to working in isolation, with actions based on individual effort, from research to repeated experiments, lacking interaction and thus universal applicability.
In the MAAI course, each project helped enhance this model. ‘The Box Uncertainties’ project, for instance, taught me the art of asking questions. I learned that asking questions is not straightforward; it involves developing them, a process similar to developing a design. This approach led me to discover true uncertainties, pushing me out of my comfort zone into genuine exploration.
Another impactful aspect was the WHAT-WHY-HOW-WHAT IF framework. The ‘WHAT’ stage made me realize that a project impacts not just me but also society and others. It’s about finding and developing questions in multiple dimensions. ‘WHY’ allowed me to delve deeper into issues, rather than staying on the surface. The ‘HOW’ stage, crucial for action and interaction, involved repeated testing and interventions, clarifying problem-solving approaches. This is similar to design logic but fundamentally different. The ‘WHAT IF’ stage provided a target, guiding my problem-solving process towards a clear goal. It showed that even in design, outcomes can be open-ended, but the ‘WHAT IF’ forms the foundation and direction of the creative and logical thought process. Therefore, refining my thinking model has been immensely valuable.
- Understanding My MBTI Type (INTP)
At the beginning of UNIT 3, I seriously evaluated my MBTI personality and discovered I am an INTP. This means my strengths lie in logical thinking and generating ideas. However, it also revealed my weaknesses: poor communication and interaction skills, and a lack of initiative, as I previously mentioned about my thinking model. Consequently, each intervention during the learning process was a significant challenge for me, not due to a lack of ideas, but because of my uncertainty in interacting with others. Additionally, I rarely used social media; it was merely a search tool for me, never a platform for socializing. Initially, I was unsure about writing blogs, despite having many thoughts, making it difficult to express them online.
Fortunately, with my tutor’s encouragement, I stepped out of my comfort zone. I started using platforms like TikTok and XiaoHongShu, engaging with strangers on TikTok and publishing articles about body image on XiaoHongShu. This was a considerable challenge and breakthrough for me. It also opened up my horizons; through interactions on TikTok, I quickly learned how Gen Z engages socially on the internet and about their online lives. Using XiaoHongShu, I gained insights into the current state of female body image in the context of Chinese culture and society. I found that interacting with others online was a suitable method for me, successfully engaging without the anxiety and discomfort I usually felt. Now, I often communicate with others on social media, like when I contacted four men via TikTok to participate in a focus group on males. A few months ago, I couldn’t have imagined inviting strangers from the internet to join my project. I am truly grateful for the changes this course has brought to me and for the encouragement and support from my tutors.
- Social Media Usage
Discussing social media, as I mentioned earlier, using it marked a significant breakthrough for me, particularly considering my personality traits. The changes it brought about are even more crucial. Social media has reshaped my understanding and planning for my future career. Initially, I viewed it as a waste of time, promoting thoughtlessness, dependence, and addiction among people. However, between August and September, spending 6-7 hours daily on social media led me to a profound realization. I now see its rational existence in the rise and popularity. It dramatically expanded my knowledge of the world, society, and humanity, as if I had read a thousand books. It opened new doors of perception for me. Before engaging with social media, I had a sort of ‘strange spiritual nobility’; now, I’m more practical and understand how to implement and take action.
I still hold the belief that it’s important to adapt and identify problems within set rules to resolve them. This approach makes tasks more interesting and challenging, much like playing a game. In the future, I plan to use social media in my own way to achieve my goals.
These are the four most crucial points I have identified.
In conclusion, I am deeply grateful to each tutor for their contributions to this course. Their dedicated involvement, from the curriculum design to each patient tutorial, has enriched my year tremendously. MAAI has been like a major intervention and a successful change maker for me, providing a vital piece in the puzzle of my life, making me feel more complete.
