In an attempt to stave off creative bankruptcy during a time where everyone seems to be stuck inside all summer, students at the Digital Corps are developing personal projects to keep their workloads fresh.
The Digital Corps-antine Diaries were started in the latter half of spring 2020 and have transitioned into a unique opportunity for students to explore topics interesting to them personally. During this transition, several students reworked their projects to combat unforeseen roadblocks, making it a test of flexibility and quick thinking.
Students have been encouraged to pursue creative ideas that have personal value to them, choosing ventures such as developing a set of thematic photos, designing playlist art for their favorite music, or even writing a novel.
One of the seven Digital Corps “Core Values” is finding self-motivated students, and this project is an example of that value in action. With minimal guidance from their JPM, each student was able to go through the brainstorming and ideation process to identify a project best suited to them.
During this process, some students ran into roadblocks regarding scope and feasibility. These concerns were openly discussed, and students helped each other to plan out alternative solutions. For instance, Evan Manning originally planned to recreate famous movie scenes using basic video equipment. As he began his first scene, he quickly realized the time and planning needed to successfully recreate the scenes would not work with his schedule. He eventually revised his idea in such a way that he had achievable goals while still involving topics important to him. When asked about his new project idea, Evan said, “With recreating album covers, it’s a lot easier to accomplish, while still being challenged and able to express and share art with the team.”
Because students were given such freedom in choosing their topics, this project has allowed for students to explore skills outside of their normal disciplines.
Viveka Melo, the Project Management graduate assistant, is working on a project that flexes her Adobe Photoshop skills. She says, “In my day to day work, I don’t really use programs like Photoshop, so it’s been nice to learn the program at my own pace.” Because each project is so different, UX researchers and content writers are able to flex their design skills, and videographers can dip their toes in data aggregation.
Each student project has different milestones, but they all come together periodically to share their progress. In these group check-ins, students can get in-depth feedback from their peers. By seeing each other’s progress, these meetings can also spark inspiration for the next portion of their project.
Keep an eye out for updates on this project and more exciting news by following the Digital Corps on social media and visiting our website at digitalcorps.bsu.edu
