For as long as I can remember collaboration has been something that has fascinated and inspired me—from being an elementary schooler passing a notebook back and forth with two friends to collaboratively pen a “novel,” to my time in college as a dance major when my most treasured choreography projects were ones I worked on in collaboration with fellow students, and later attending school for textile design when I found that same passion carried over to 2D design, and really all creative pursuits! I am so excited to share what I’ve learned about working in this way, and hope it will inspire you to open yourself up to these sorts of opportunities.
We are going to touch on a number of BIG questions, such as:
“How do I handle conflicts when they arise?”
“How can I clearly communicate my ideas when working with someone long-distance?”
“What are my strengths when working with others and what do I struggle with?”
If you’ve never worked collaboratively, or you’re not a fan of working this way, it can be a bit scary and overwhelming. But the benefits of working with others far outweigh the negatives. You will grow as a designer by opening your mind to other perspectives, you will develop important communication skills, and you will make connections that could become key industry contacts down the road!
What to expect:
The course will begin May 16th through the 27th. This course consists of ten lessons. At the end of the lessons, you will find small tasks. We will ask you to share some of these tasks on the “Collaboration for Pattern Designers” forum for feedback and discussion. We will also be working through two larger assignments which should be posted to the forum by the end of each week. The assignments can be downloaded from our course Dropbox folder (link provided in Lesson One.) Throughout the week, feel free to share your progress on these assignments if you would like additional feedback from your classmates.
Our Course Schedule
WEEK ONE
•. Lesson One: Introducing collaboration
• Lesson Two: Keeping everyone on the same page
• Lesson Three: Communicating at a distance
•. Lesson Four: Benefits and challenges of collaboration
• Lesson Five: Handling criticism and giving feedback
Assignment #1 due by Sunday night
WEEK TWO
•. Lesson Six: Looking inward
•. Lesson Seven: Who do I want to work with?
•. Lesson Eight: Fighting for your ideas
•. Lesson Nine: When to call it “finished”
•. Lesson Ten: Resources & putting this all into practice
Assignment #2 due by Sunday night
Sign me up!
Collaboration for Pattern Designers starts May 16th, 2022, and is a part of our Textile Design Lab online community. By joining our community, you’ll have access to this course, in addition to all of our Textile Design Lab courses, tutorials, and community events such as our weekly live art critique, guest expert presentations, and more. Find more information here.
