Nami (N): Could you please introduce yourself?
Garam (G): My name is Garam, and I came from S.Korea. I just finished my 1st year of studying in Graphic Design at Willem de Kooning Academy. I want to find a way to use the Graphic Design as a connective medium for person and person relation. I'm now learning a lot of things both in the school and out of the school context. I still have a bit of struggle with language because English is not my mother tongue. But generally I'm enjoying my study here.
N: That's an interesting phrase; making connection for person and person. Could you unpack what you mean by that?
G: I think these days many people find having conversations difficult. It's not about the fluency of language. I think every person has her/his own complexity and issue, but often doesn't know how to communicate about it with others today. As result, it makes harder for the individuals to understand each other. I believe design can help empathising others' life and make them more connected. Thus I just want to use the Graphic Design as a tool to explore the method of making more attachment among people.
N: I see, it's impressive that this is the key learning goal for your exploration on Graphic design. Now I should ask: How's your learning experience in WDKA?
G: It's difficult and fun at the same time. The challenging part is, like I mentioed, communicating with people through English, which is not my mother tongue. But there are many international people in the academy, sharing this issue, and even recognising that this is quite a common feeling helps me a lot. For me the most interesting asepct that I gain from the school is, the quality of conversations. In Korea, for instance, I couldn't really hear how other students are feeling/thinking in the lectures, and I was also not willing to speak what I think. I was more used to hear teachers' voices. In contrast, however, now I try to take more courage to speak and many of tutors and classmates are very patient to listen to me. This is a good inspiration for me.
N: Yes, indeed, the active and opened-discussion during the class was one of the challenging parts that I had in the beginning of my NL life too. It's very beautiful! I might sound too pragmatic but I'm also curious how you've been experiencing studying in the Graphic Design department more specificically.
G:honestly I often find the way how I feel throughout the learning process in many classes is quite abstract. Most of my tutors say just 'try, do something from the hears'. But I didn't have previous experience/insight in graphic design before coming to the academy, so it's a little difficult to grasp their feedback direction... But eventually they generously wait for me to find my way and encourage it.
N: What made you enrol the HTML Zine Club as Elective? How did you discover the course?
G: I had curiosity exploring HTML. And to be very honeset, having the HTML & CSS skills as designer is a nice plus in the job market. I tried to gain some basic insights in them, but it was difficult to continue the learning despite there are so many descriptions/tutorials online. The second reason is that I found the description about your course far more specific than others. I was able to see the effort that you put into preparation, which naturally interested me.
N: Does the fact that you've kept the requirements of the job-market in your mind imply you're trying to have skills that are often demanded to get ready for survivavl as graphic designer?
G: Yes, but it doesn't necessarily mean that I suffer from strong pressure. It's going to be a lie that I don't worry at all about the relaistic aspect, but at the moment I just want to explore more tools that can create more powerful and engaging communication with audiences. And, the web is more or less a daily-based medium so I barely feel barrier to learn.
N: I see. You've also just said there are so many online tutorial about HTML, CSS, and other languages. Didn't the abundant options make your learning rather easier?
G: Finding information around was easier but I was often distracted by the overflowon information. The crazy quantity was a bit of confusion for me. I wanted to have a more calm and consistent learning context to be able to fundamentally understand it, although it'd be slow.
N: By now I'd like to ask how you experienced the hand-coding practice. As the title of the course implies, it was literally making your zine, along with the HTML studying. What I mainly wanted to share with the students in the course was s) the beauty of finding independcy in the DIY (Do It Yourself) learning process and working with your personal story or voice. I can imagine you were asked to be patient and persistent.
G: Yes, indeed it was quite difficult in the beginning. It was almost my first coding practice. I spent a lot of time to understand the basic logic how HTML and CSS function together. Also a small thing like opening a text editor and saving my file as the HTML, CSS, or JS format were not an easy concept to completely comprehend. However, I could gradually understand things better with your instruction and the trials and errors that I went through. Sometimes my codes worked and some other times, didn't work. I had to look into what I wrote. The interesting thing was that, I was often able to intuitively find causes of the issues, when really looking and thinking. As for the error-solving, I had to firstly learn how to search for my issue and find relevant solutions and examples. Another interesting aspect of the hand-coding for me is realising it could be very visuals! I was very excited when I learned how to make some shapes or lines through the combo of HTML & CSS. I saw a lot of potentials and my sense of imagine became enriched.
N: I'm happy to hear that! Yes, I remember your face with confusion in the beginning. Even understanding the concept of HTML tags would have been difficult for you, because you have just begun to learn it. Throughout the course, I've realised I should more carefully approach the skill-sharing with somebody who haven't learn the knowledge. Just like, holding hands each other and walk slowly together. It was challenging to reset what I take for granted. For instance, I remember I didn't give the students that I had in January (2023) an instruction how to save a plain text file as HTML format (e.g. blahblah.html). I jumped it off, thinking that everyone would already know. I saw chaos the students had. They were telling me like: "Help me, Nami! My HTML file can't be opened in the Internet browser! " In the second HTML Zine Club on June, I tried to improve it....
G: Nooo, but I think you really tried to give us a kind instruction. It was still nice though!
N: Naturally, all of the students faced technical issues and went through self-research and resolving process. How was it like for you to confront with the code errors you got? You often had to solve them on your own.
G: It was challenging, but I loved the fact that most of the issues can be solved anyhow. I realised there are many different routes. Even a manual craft-like solution, such a repeating the same code block, was also a way and I wasn't ashamed at all!
N: Now I have a question coming across in my head. Do you have other digital softwares/ programs that you've been willingly investigating? I'm curious how digital mediums/tools are introduced to the students in the current art academy context.
G: Since I have just finished the first academic year, my exploration on the digital tools more lies on the quantity rather than quality (depth). Indeed a lot of tutors have introduced various digital mediums for design and I basically tasted them. According to me and my classmates' experiences, however, I think it's not easy for us to dive into the tools in depth.
N: Why do you think it's not easy?
G: I think this is because most of inputs tend to stay on level of like 'just being introduced' level. I have some different classes, but miss detailed tech intruction to be honest. It would be nice if the students receive more elaborated level of tech instruction in the art academy so that they would sustain their interest in exploring the mediums. But I also think it's also because I have only finished the first year. I expect there will be more opportunities to learn some tools a little more.
N: I think I know what you mean because I also felt similar during my bachelor. But surely I saw your patient and focused learning attitude in my course, at least. I mean, you even enrolled the course again on June 2023 (which was the 2nd period of Elective at WDKA).
G: I wanted to take the course again because the course was not only about learning the skills, but also about melting the skills into the format of the webzine. It is experimental. For me the webzine was just like making my diary; I find my page as an emotional journal in a way. In the web canvas, I was able to immediately experiment with many different media such as photos, sound, and videos. I still love the analogue diary but the webzine inspired me to expand my feelings and memories.
N: It's such an inspiring word; expanding!
G:Yes, it was really about expanding. It empowered me to concentrate on my work, because it was immersing to explore and diverge my emotions in the web context, and the webpage was mine! With this sense of the expansion, I became more spontaneous in studying codes.
N: Nice..! Hearing you, I'm curious in which other circumstances you feel the spotaneity in the educational context that you're situated now?
G: If you ask me about the sponaneity in terms of the digital tool exploration, I can't really say I've felt the complete sense of the spontaneity. It's probably because I've only finished the 1st academic year. But WDKA has various work stations as facility, which boost 'Do It Yourself' spirit. You can go many different workshops whenever you want. It is very opened!
N: Beautiful! I think we already talked a lot. I do have one last question. Both of your first and second zines were your emotion. And when I asked you for whom the zines were, you answered me that it's rather for yourself first. If you could show your zines to others, who could they be..?
G: First audience could be designers, having the similar position, situation, and mindset. The other group of audience could be people I love nearby. I think it'd be nice if the zines become a passage to deliver them my sentiments that I couldn't articulate.
N: This is touching..! I think I asked you enough. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! This gives me a good reflection too.
G: It was a nice experience for me too. Thank you!