Reviewing Techniques, & Drafting

 12/13/21, 2:16 pm - 6:58 pm, 4.7 hours

Planning for Today: 

In looking back at chapter 8 of my textbook, I can see I’ve used several techniques or “active ingredients” so far in this creative project. 

• Abstracting - rather than viewing the problem as just “I need to reorganize my office” I recognized the broader picture was a need to craft a personal space and to invest in myself/my mindset/my creativity. 

• Block Removal - At the onset of this project, I identified several barriers to my creativity. The first being the “clutter” and stuff just everywhere in the office. So, I removed this barrier by clearing out the entire office ensuring that I had a “blank slate” to work with. 

• Bootstrapping and Concrete stimuli - I took ideas and did research, I found images and pictures to spur creativity and to consider further possibilities. 

• Deferred Evaluation  - I have tried my damndest to avoid critical thoughts or dismissing images for ideas as implausible. I allowed myself to save all images that inspired me or held potential.

• Display - I created Pinterest boards for inspiration as I display my concrete stimuli. 

• Mental Stimulation -  I have spent countless minutes thinking of different ideas, applying different characteristics to the office, and imagining how it would feel to be IN the room. 

Today, as I dive into a minimum of five hours on this project, I am planning to do the following aspects: 

• Display - I’m going to use an online app that allows me to design my office so that I do not waste money, time, or materials in trying out ideas and so that I can see my ideas come to life. Online App: https://floorplanner.com/

• Goal focus - I am going to tackle different aspects of the room one at a time before returning to the “display” idea and putting the ideas together as a whole.
   

• Group Interaction - I am going to enlist the creative mind of my fiance to explore ideas and make a plan based on my preliminary ideas, desires, and research. 

Activities:

I began by reviewing some of the images from my Pinterest boards. Then, I spent some time learning how to use the Floorplanner app and measuring my office to input the room onto Floorplanner. This helped me to get a sense of the layout. 

Next, I brought in my fiance for an outsider’s perspective. I shared with him my inspirational pictures from the pinterest boards, and then we spent time in the office talking through each wall and the layout of the room. This aspect was so helpful to explore ideas and make some tentative plans. 

From this conversation, I totally flipped where I planned on putting my office desk versus the sofa which will double as a pull out guest bed. We also discussed ways to put the closet space to dual function by being decorative and storage. This eliminates the need for a closet door as well. 

Here’s a little video of the layout of desk/sofa bed so far using Floorplanner. https://www.loom.com/share/4a53d62ca47242c98145ba804ab5d238

Next,I hopped on Ikea for some more inspiration based on the layout Jared (the fiance) and I had come up with. We found a sofa bed and daybed that fit my aesthetic (image 1 below) , and also a few different ideas for the closet organization (image 2). 

Image 1 - Sofa Bed (left) and Day Bed (right)

Image 2 - Closet organization Looking for a combination of the bottom portion of left image with right image on top. 

I spent about two hours just playing with the layout and different components of the office set up including furniture positioning, colors/paint, and then searching online for more ideas. 

Today, I end the day with the beginnings of the plan for my room. A quick summary: the “office” (desk, chair) will be on the south west side of the room with some shelves off to the south east side of the wall. The sofa bed will go on the north west wall. I’ll put some wooden panels (see image 3) as an accent/decoration meeting in the corner of the west and north facing walls. 

Image 3: Oak slats for corner of west and north walls (inspo picture)

The closet will remain open (I’m thinking with a complimentary accent color on the back closet wall). We will put in storage unit(s) that are dual functional/decorative. 

I am still playing with ideas on decorations, places for the animals when they want to visit me during the work day, and the inclusion of plants!

I’m looking forward to shopping for the “right” furniture items now and getting started with painting.