PLANNING
Creating Criteria
To find the main differences between traditional and modern impressionism and to be able to recreate them was not an easy goal to take on for many reasons. I now had to create and define a criteria for my project. I reached out to a few artists to get their opinion of what constitutes a successful piece of impressionistic art. I then outlined a set of criteria that not only measured each form by itself but also compared the two forms. The first two criterion I took allowed me to see if each painting by itself was a successful representation of its form. The third criteria I took compared the two forms allowing me to see the differences that occurred between the time periods and if it was accurate in its representation or not.
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After finalizing the criteria for my project, I created a task list of what I needed to accomplish in order to complete my project ahead of time. To help see my progress towards my original goal, I then broke these tasks into smaller steps that I could complete in a shorter time span. As I marked off steps in my task list as done, I could actually see the progress I was making on my project; from the background, to the candles, to the books, and eventually to the finishing touches. Each time I completed a section of the canvas I would re-evaluate my progress to make sure I had ample time to complete the project even if something were to delay it.
The checkpoints with my project supervisor were very beneficial to me, as they not only kept me on schedule but also provided me with valuable input and feedback from my supervisor on my approach, how I should move forward with my project, and also what should be completed by our next meeting. After these checkpoint meetings, I would always update my task list with his suggestions. Nearing the second midyear checkpoint, when I noticed I was falling behind, I immediately re-prioritized my task list to get back on track and accomplish the completion of at least half of the project by the checkpoint. But with focus, good planning and effective time management, I was successfully able to complete both paintings.
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Planning the Project
I used Google Keep, the online task manager to keep track of my tasks. I have not been good at time and task management using other methods in the past, I would write them down daily but accomplishing them had been hard. But by using Google Keep, I not only was writing everything down, but was also accomplishing them daily along with my schoolwork and extracurricular activities. With the task list being online, I could always access it and even update it if needed during the meetings with my supervisor. Every time, before I started to work on my project, I selected certain tasks I had written down, broke them into smaller sub tasks, and worked towards accomplishing each one. I also assigned work on the personal project as part of my school tasks. This enabled me to give it the same priority and focus as rest of my school work. These methods improved my time and task management skills significantly. I found myself eager to move on to my project at the end of a tiring day of schoolwork. I continue to use these tools I have found and skills that I have developed. I enjoy keeping a calendar and a daily agenda and manage to find the spare time at the end of the day to relax and do some art.
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