Working with the makey makey and constructing an essay have many things in common. Both are elaborate processes that are time consuming, require creativity and originality, as well as attention to detail. My group originally decided to create a painting representing all five boroughs of New York City and everytime you touch a borough, a sound or a song that is unique to that borough will play. After some minor set backs, we carried through with that idea but unfortunately, due to time constraints, we only finished the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.
Because our idea required different software and different approaches and techniques in order to construct it, we had many minor problems that almost caused us to ditch the initial idea and come up with something easier. I remember painting the boroughs and our group said “maybe we should try something else, this isn’t going to work out.” This reminded me a lot of essay writing in which you might completely change your thesis after writing a first draft on it. However, this exercise showed me that just because you face a problem (or many problems), doesn’t mean you should give up on the entire idea. All you need to do is brainstorm, experiment with your resources, and take the time to really seek out the tools you need in order to complete what you originally wanted to do.
Next time when I face a problem in my essay writing process, changing my entire idea or thesis will be a last resort. Instead, I will try to build on what I already have and devote the time to carry out my initial idea. Although it might be difficult at first, just like this makey makey project, the results are worth it.
