SUMMARY (from my LIPD)
SUMMARY: This OP diverges from the previous two in focusing rather on a product rather than skills and information. I believe that people and relationship is the paramount experience of my life. This being said, I am also interested in creating a line of products to share my knowledge and gifts beyond the scope of those I connect with personally. As a chef and healer and a gardener, I realized that medicinal cordials and chocolates are a great place where healers intersect gourmands (especially when I grow and wildcraft the plants myself). I am actively experimenting with herb blends in various mediums: alcohols, chocolates, fats, wines with different sweeteners and in different ratios to produce a wealth of medicinal and tasty treats.
I was considering enrolling in a chocolatier program to enhance my culinary skills and I decided to forgo paying for more education and chose rather to enhance my design skills by designing my own curriculum based on the chocolates that I really want to explore. In this way I am also able to play with more medicinal blends. My hope and sense is that the art of tempering is something that one gains into their body after active experimentation and that my tuition money is better spent upon buying raw materials and making mistakes.
I intend to design experiments to expand my awareness around chocolates and cordials. This output will entail some readings, lots of rapid prototyping and tasting of chocolates and cordials. Ideally good documentation follows my exploration of chocolates and cordials to begin some sense of repeatability. In this output I have designed the opportunity to design a curriculum for myself in order to attain a skillflex/title of chocolatier that I aspire toward. I have the opportunity for community input both in the fundamental desires and in tastings.
KEY OPPORTUNITY: Utilize my vast culinary and medicinal and gardening knowledge and passion to create products that I can share with the world and supplement my income. Improve my ability for Rapid Prototyping and Active Experimentation as well as Design (the curriculum)
IDEAL OUTCOME: I hope to develop recipes and processes for 7-12 different cordials and chocolate treats. I will then create a product line that I can begin to market. I hope to also have a chocolatier curriculum and clarity regarding my process of creating curriculum to share with others who may like to attain this particular skill of chocolatiering and on the meta level designing our own curriculums.
OP Design Methodology -- OGaSADIE
Observing the Opportunity -- My maximum point of leverage or key opportunity revolves around the Permaculture focus upon design. I suddenly realized that an online course in chocolate making was available from within my head and google rather than paying someone for a curriculum. Indeed, I have more ability to tailor it specifically toward my needs and desires when I design the curriculum. There is a secondary growth edge for me revolving around creating a small scale business that embodies the permaculture ethic of Fair Share. Relocalizing our economies and our businesses is a crucial aspect to the permaculture revolution.
Goals articulation --The primary goal of this OP was to create a framework/curriculum within which to explore the magical world of chocolate.
Side goals include
1. Creating videos and photos to use for marketing my projects.
2. Using charts to reflect upon my growth
3. I hope to strike a healthy balance between presenting material in a concise manner that links to expanded awareness.
4. Explore digital literacy with pages (graphic design).
Survey -- Evaluating resources, appropriate space to hold myself in this container. Exploring templates for OP creation was important during this stage as I knew I wanted to reflect upon the OP while the process was going along. Exploring resources for improving my video editing, graphic deign photo taking was important.
Assess -- I was clear that I wanted at least a couple months if not longer where I could have my chocolate and cordial making supplies so that I could Actively Experiment throughout
Design -- Tweaking the OP Template to fit my needs is the most important aspect of designing the OP itself. Creating space where I felt like I had the opportunity to interact with the necessary tools was important
Implement -- Journal weekly on key elements of the OP as well as the core report.
Evaluation -- After turning in for Peer Review and giving it some space, return to the OP with fresh eyes and the perspective of a Gaia Buddy to find completion with the OP process.
Incorporating Feedback from my Advisor
I am turning OP 2 and OP 3 in the same month, so I took some of these suggestions arcing through my precapstone year and the LIPD from this year and tried to give added attention.
1. Do a final proofread.
2. Include compare/contrast design methodologies and more insight on myself as a designer.
3. Include more detail on project management.
4. Include more detail on leadership.
5. Include more tracking regarding field and dissemination.
In Response:
1. I did a final proofread.
2. I used a new design methodology. I included a design for both the OP and for the Core Report. I talked more about self as a designer.
3. I talk more about myself as a project manager.
4. I include more information on collaboration and my experience as a leader.
5. I included an entire section on field and my dissemination efforts.
Incorporating Feedback from my Peer
Key Patterns that I heard from Simha:
1 Emphasize “How to create your own curriculum.” — I appreciate the feedback and continual reference to this. In fact, I changed the name of this project the day I submitted it from Cordials & Chocolates to Cordials, Chocolates & Curriculums as I realized that I wanted this to be a significant aspect of the OP and I appreciate your thoughtful awarenesses regarding how to incorporate this more
2 Formatting — This is definitely a growing edge for me and I feel like my experience of formatting has grown drastically already during my time with GaiaU. The OP’s of yours that I have looked at do have a clean usability that I admire and again your feedback is appreciated. Thanks for spending the time with very specific guidance and suggestions.
3 Incorporating Highlights of Supporting Evidence into Core Report. This is a challenge for me and I am not sure what I am going to do. I am sure I will try to link to relevant Supporting Evidence Pages within the Core Report. It is a synthesis I should consider of how to bring the most relevant supporting evidence into the body of the report itself as few people will actually read ALL of the supporting evidence which I think is the best part and the most fun.
In Response, I
1 Created a new text box about curriculum creation. This led to a key un/learning regarding the parallel of curriculum development and the design process.
2 I changed many of the specific recommendations that Simha posted regarding formatting and in addition recognize that this is a growing edge for myself where I can put more awareness. The two words Simha used that helped me the most are -- SIMPLICITY & CONSISTENCY
3 I added links where it was obvious to connect my supportive evidence to the outcomes and other aspects of the core report. In addition, I included more pictures in the core report itself as I do recognize that the supporting evidence in many ways is the most beautiful part of this project and perhaps a part fewer people will see. In addition, I have taken away an added awareness of trying more to integrate some of my key outcomes into the core report.
OP Management
The spaciousness I gave myself to work on this OP in conjunction with articulated "Broad strokes" in my LIPD helped unify for me the Joy and playfulness I want to bring into my life as I release any fear of "failing." Through the space I gave myself to do this OP, I have found tremendous joy and play in my approach to work, projects and life.
I have renegotiated with myself and my advisor several times to give myself adequate time in a healthy environment to complete this project.
Energy continues to flow into workflow templates including documentation, OP and basic project templates. I discovered for myself the concept of “Structured Journalling.” Basically, I am journalling on the aspects of my OP’s that I know I need to reflect upon (i.e. I set up the metrics for the OP project and know what I need to reflect upon regularly). Examining the PoDAPO criteria has been part of my process since September when working on this OP. Examining how I work has yielded fruitful results regarding my workflows in general.
Life Context
This project has spanned several years of my life. Indeed, last winter, I considered enrolling in an online chocolatiering program both for the sheer joy of it and to enhance my professional skills as a caterer. I have been actively experimenting with cordials and chocolates through last winter and this winter. The final push occurred during this hibernating winter of 2015 in the house I grew up in in Pittsburgh, PA. The spaciousness I gave myself this January through mid March afforded the opportunity to make chocolate 2-3 times per week for 9 weeks. This was an ideal fun and creative project to engage my body and senses while I otherwise was primarily employed in reading and writing. I am grateful for this time. I am grateful for the encouragement from Gaia to design my own curriculum and research on the internet and then just do without any fear of failure, rather embracing the opportunity to grow.
Output Packet Outcomes
This OP greatly assisted me in manifesting my primary goal of having a framework with which to explore chocolate.
In addition
- I created good videos and photos to use for marketing.
- My use of metrics and charts continues to grow.
- I gave extra thought to creating concise outcomes in the core report and linking to extra material in the supporting evidence.
- My digital literacy inspired my Gaia continues to grow through classes at the Apple Store and Active Experimentation with different graphic design. This OP offered an opportunity to play with that.
The Design Process
The design process has an elusive quality. Awareness toward process is our greatest tool to engage with design. At its most fundamental, design placies conscious practice around 'the how' and 'the what' we do: Goals Articulation, Analysis, Asssessment, Implementation, Evaluation are all commonly used in the cyclic nature of design. It is crucial to recognize that design is not static; it is a dynamic process that most often is refined in its iterative nature: constant reassessment.
Anywhere there is repetition in life is an opportunity to design for greater efficiency by creating templates or automation. Designing structure around any iterative process or designing small routines into our life can be an effective use of making systems more efficient: templates, automation. Design is an opportunity to create a structure; however, I would argue that those of us that feel free to improvise within our designs truly grasp the utility of design. Design, thus, creates a structure in which we are free to improvise in a container toward our goals. Full circle evaluation of any automation is recognizing the iterative reassessment and refinement. When the scale of a project is vast, design holds this structure by enabling delegation (to a worker or our future self).