My chosen portrait is a collage of the work I have done. When I look at myself and think of what or who I am as a creative, I define myself by the work I do. I don't see a creative person, I see a person who is trying to find a solution to problems. Even my personal project Fractured is a problem with which I want to find a solution. As time goes on I am wanting to get into the game industry, to be involved in something larger than myself and to make a positive difference, Fractured is my solution to that. By proving my capabilities I plan to be noticed and find a way into that world.
With no single direction in so far as its topic, all of the projects being games of some sort, yes, but the topic of each being almost random. The reasoning behind this is my desire to learn and express a new skill. The way in which I go about my creative process I touched on in my creative practice talk, where I defined my creative process and the different routes I take to get to an end goal. These techniques I split into two areas, being inspired creativity and methodical creativity, the former being driven by what is currently on my mind, inspiration being fueled by the content I consume first and foremost. This means that any show I watch, any article I read, and image I see will effect my mood and so creative style.
When reflecting on the inspiration for the portrait above, I realised that the work included reflects what is currently on my mind, be that positive or negative. With the start of university I've found that my time is consumed with academic work whilst my mind is struggling to not dwell on work left incomplete. Looking at the piece I have noticed that most of my works are centered on grey scale, the majority of designs taking in the shape and symbols of the item first and foremost with colour as a distant second.
In the portrait you can see some flow charts, these are gameplay loops for some of Fractured's components, the break down of these mechanics being broken down into tasks. As with my creative process focusing on the flow of ideas as coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, I predominately focus on the practical aspect of my works, building a physical thing, my passion for creation being to have a tangible product with which to share with others
Within my process I appear to do nothing when initially set upon the task, however I spend a long time going over the question in my head, processing what is required. Sometimes I take a day or two to begin writing or working on a project, as if I dive right in, my lack of mulling it over becomes evident, ending up with a demoralizing flounder that further pushes back any effective production. So in reality, patience is a large part of my design process.
Overall I have a lot of progression to make, both academic and with my practical work. The mental strain of my work being reflected in what is produced, with the academic and practical sides both showing my current mental state, often reflected in their topic and quality.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikzentmihaly, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (Vol. 1990). New York: Harper & Row.