Reflection 5 – Thinking: It’s a vicious circle.

The Question

How has my thinking process changed as a result of the D.Studio? The question seems easy, but its answer is far from clear. Unlike a lot of other people, I don’t generally think much about how I think, so to answer the question I will make use of a personality test and my life experience. Thinking about thinking involves thinking about what I thought while I was thinking – it’s a complicated matter.

The Vague Response – Part 1

StrenghtQuest, a test I did a year ago showed me that my number one strength is ‘Abstract Thinking’ – this trait describes someone who can easily take shortcuts when they process data, and hence arrive at conclusions faster than most other people do. These conclusions may not always be correct, but in general, I can very clearly see this trait throughout my life. I like to follow a path of facts, using logical thinking to combine the different steps and develop a conclusion. In D.Studio-language, this would be described as a convergent thinking strategy. I am still very much a convergent thinker, and my actual thinking process has not changed greatly over the last 4 months. I know other students have really had their eyes opened to new thinking strategies, but for me nothing has really changed.

 The Vague Response – Part 2

No, my thinking process hasn’t changed, but that’s not a bad thing! I think that there are good reasons for my stagnant thinking process. When I compare myself to a lot of other students, I find that my life experiences have really shaped the way I think and how I process things. I grew up in the Netherlands for 7 years, Oman for 3 years, the U.S. for 5 years, India for 3 years, and now Canada for 3 years. The process of moving around and living in greatly different regions has molded my thinking process. I have had to interact with people from numerous backgrounds, and as a result I have grown to understand how others think. Through it all, my personal beliefs and morals were a guiding compass to my human interaction; my moral compass is very strong, and it has never been affected by those around me. My thinking process is the same, it has gotten me through the first 20+ years of my life very well, and that is why one 4-month course has not changed it greatly.

What DID I learn/develop from the D.Studio?

For me, the D.Studio was really helpful in a different way. I always struggled to really understand the implications of Ask-Try-Do, and the confusion stayed with me through my ClimateSmart project. As discussed during our evaluations, I struggled to see the real meaning and implications of the work we were doing for the company; however, I now realize the value that the D.Studio really created. For me, the most impacting aspects of the D.Studio were the real-life interactions with companies such as BriteWeb and ClimateSmart. I learned a lot through our interactions with them, and I got a better understanding of a professional work place. I had always expected to be of little use in an actual company, but it became clear that the creative ideas we had a Design students really impacted the companies we worked with.

The D.Studio also really re-energized the creative side of my brain. Over the last months I have been keeping track of business ideas that pop into my head. I have been doing this for a long time, but I found that the months in the D.Studio yielded even more ideas than I usually got. I have about 15 ideas now that could potentially be transformed into real products/businesses. The studio made me focus back on my creativity. These skills will all be transferrable into my other courses and job. This summer I will be working in Toronto with Nestle Canada, so hopefully I can implement some design thinking into my supply chain job there!

3 Phrases: What did I get out of the studio?

1. Invaluable experience with real companies.
2. A new surge of creative energy.
3. A newly found appreciation for divergent thinking and its thinkers.