Monday, October 10, 2016

ATEC 6389 Week 2 (Vic Simon)

Weeks 1-3 - 3D Modeling

Week 2 Blog                                                                         

Task: (Continue to) Create two 3D object models, one “in the round” and the other “in relief” that can be used to create 3D prints, and as models for other various digital fabrication versions over the course of the semester

Process: 3D Modeling, Digital Sculpting, & (Deal with my own consuming FEAR of artistic Inadequacy!) Thanks ProfScott!

Tools: Autodesk Mudbox


The highlight of Week 2 was my “Come to Jesus” moment/meeting with ProfScott later in the week, to express my crippling (and, not totally un-rational) FEAR of not being able to live up to his expectations of a graduate digital fab student. It was my naked FEAR of failure, a new experience for someone who has successfully navigated over 330 college hours, and multiple degrees of almost purely Left-Brain World. I was deeply worried about not being able to keep up with the creative geniuses who rotate around the ScottSolarSystem (SSS), The young turks whose wonderful art I had been admiring, and who had been inspirations to me -  Denise, Amanda, Mo & PepaRon, etc., not to mention the OTHER talented students in our class.

Basically, I was having severe second thoughts on my ATEC plan and totally stressed out by the uncertainty of whether I was capable, based on my severely limited arts background, of accomplishing his Digital Fabrication class and keeping up with all the amazing talent in the class.

Was I insane to think I could even try to complete the course requirements with my lifetime of mostly ZERO Right Brain artistic activity? And was Professor Scott even MORE insane in allowing a total artistic newbie like me to be a “poser’ in his creative world, creative space, creative orbit????

Professor Scott wisely de-stressed me big time, by offering to make my time in his class an Independent Study and emphasize my relatively prepared artistry and passion for Storytelling.
Sly move Prof!! It worked. As Prof shared, in Art, stress is counterproductive, deliverables suffer.

I still don’t know whether I’m still in ATEC 6389 or Independent Study. At this point, I don’t care.  I’m just excited to have survived to mid-semester !!

I have to say Prof Scott was amazing in his empathetic response to my FEAR of failure. I will be eternally grateful for the time he spent with me that week, and the encouragement that he displayed to me. Thanks ProfScott!!!!!!!!

One of the key lessons I learned from my dance with artistic FEAR was my dominant Left-Brain approach of trying to Impose creative will from above versus accepting the auto poetic formation from below. Paradoxical ChaOrder.

Another very helpful lesson was the invaluable demonstration of ProfScott’s ‘playful’ process
of riffing out outrageous character designs in Mudbox. He demonstrated what I call his “PlayDoh!” digital sculpture exploration process. It really helped loosen me up.  

Another interesting frustrating anecdote for my first three week of the 3D Modeling module adventure was the 10 hour, 10 day fiasco that I invested (& wasted) with Autodesk Customer Support??? trying to get Mudbox 2016 (the school’s current version) on my $3K home iMac. Turns out, unbelievably, Autodesk doesn’t support Mudbox 2016 on the newest version of the MacOS, El Capitan!!!!!  Only Mudbox 2017. WTF!@#$#@! YGTBSM!

Here’s a screen capture from Mudbox of what I calling my ‘AlienArtist’ bust character.



 

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