Studio Benefits Outweigh the Drama

By ELIZABETH McCARTER

Published: June 14, 2010

During my two years of college as an Industrial Design major, I have seen a fair amount of what I like to call “studio drama”. The tears, the jealousy, the frustration, the rivalries, all reminiscent of your typical reality TV show. Case in point:

Student 1: “ Are you serious? He just texted me that I should do the graphic presentation because he built the entire shelving unit himself! Who came up with the whole concept? ME!”

But really, this kind of behavior isn’t all that surprising, especially during intense and stressful situations (AKA final projects or reviews).  When you spend two years in class and studio with the same people, conflicts are bound to develop.  Some people decide to avoid the drama altogether by working in seclusion, away from the bustle and banter of the studio; I used to be one of these people!

But halfway through this year, I began to realize that I can learn so much more from working alongside my classmates in studio than from any professor.  Not to say that we are not being taught adequately, but lectures, demos, and tutorials simply can’t suffice as an education without the sharing of ideas and skills amongst ourselves. Here’s something else I heard not long ago in studio:

Student 1: “(Expletive!) These AD markers are bleeding all over my sketches!”

Student 2: “Oh yeah, I hate that. I just use Prismas for my color renderings. AD markers are way too juicy, they’re better for grayscale stuff though.”

These are the valuable tidbits that you miss out on by holing up in your room instead of working in studio.  Yes, you also miss the drama, but there are lessons to be learned from that as well.  Most of us will spend our careers working with people: fellow designers, clients, corporations, focus groups, think tanks, etc, so witnessing these interpersonal conflicts are pretty useful for observing what to do and what not to do.

For us to take advantage of these benefits, I think it’s key to have an intimate studio environment that makes everyone want to come in and work.  I love seeing personalized spaces where you can recognize everyone’s desks by their knick-knacks, doodles, and eccentricities.  As long as you are stuck with these people for the next few years, you might as well drag in some couches and a mini fridge and enjoy the social time that epic studio sessions offer.

As for me, I noticed a marked improvement in my work that is owed in part to spending more time in studio.  Watching how other people work has taught me more than I ever expected about how I can improve my own skills.  When I go into studio at almost any hour of the day or night and see at least two people with their nose to the sketchpad and that motivates me to do the same.

So, the next time the class overachiever pins up something insanely good for critique, instead of making snide remarks about how they have no social life, ask them how they did it, and work with them in studio to see what they do better than you.

Elizabeth McCarter AKA "Liz" is a third year Industrial Design student at Syracuse University.  Outside of pursuing her degree in Industrial Design Liz runs Cross Country for the track team at Syracuse and also enjoys sculpture, painting, and is interested in environmental policy. View Elizabeth McCarter's online portfolio!

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