1.0 - Introduction & Overview

Welcome to my Learning Intentions and Pathway Design Output Packet. My name is Rex Costello and this is the first OP of my capstone year with Gaia University. In the upper left corner of this page you can find a link to my personal profile if you so choose to explore it. 

The Purpose of this OP is to

• Define my project & learning goals for the coming Gaia cycle
• Design a framework in which to organize my year
• Track and manage my time & progress in a coherent and meaningful way
• Share and reflect upon my personal process of designing this project

To navigate through this OP, use the tabs at the top or the navigation menu at the bottom of each page. You can also refer to the Table of contents section in the right column of this page.

My focus of this year's Gaia cycle is to learn about and cultivate a solid foundation of discipline, structure, and consistency within my personal, professional, and educational processes. My wish is to finish my bachelors degree in a timely manner, while at the same time taking care of responsibilities in daily affairs and staying true to manifesting the artistic goals which I have set out to accomplish.

My personal growth edges around structure, organization, and implementation are gaining volume and calling for attention in my present life experience. Due to both inner and outer guidance I am heading the call to more effectively integrate these essential aspects of living into my life and work so that I may more fully embody my greater potential. As an artist, I have almost always let the inspiration and excitement towards a vision or project outweigh the practical application and diligent dedication it takes to actually manifest the dream at hand. My present intention is to create a routine of action that I can follow and utilize to more fully merge my dreams and inspirations with practicality and discipline, effectively implementing a more sustainable and regenerative way of living into my daily life.

Designing a pathway forward is, in my opinion, a beneficial and honorable task. Wile performing this activity is personally fulfilling and ultimately liberating, my challenge lies in fitting my process and presentation of it into the framework of Gaia U standards and requirements. My design style is naturally more intuitive, rather than analytical. My goal within this output packet is to effectively follow the structure and best practices observed and harvest from other associates' OPs. Therefore, the central design system I followed while creating this LIPD was a "fill-in the blank" approach. I closely emulated the format of another associates' OP (Simha Bode) and used my own information in the given sections. I intend to use the structure and best practices of other associates' in future OPs as well. Below is a summary of the pages found within this LIPD.

1.1 - OP & Pathway Design - Outlines the structure, design, and methodologies used in the construction of this output packet.

1.2 - Goals & Allies - Details the goals I intend to achieve within the capstone cycle as well as the allies and resources available to aid my process.

1.3 - Pathway Management - Shows the timeline of projection for the year ahead, along with how I intend to manage and track my progress.

1.4 - Project Projections - Lists and describes the four major output packets and their projects I will focus on designing in this year's cycle. 

1.5 - Outcomes & Un/Learnings - Lays out the key un/learnings and outcomes gained from creating this LIPD.

1.6 - Commentary - Displays additional information not included in the core report word count of this OP.