Group Critique #2

Second round of Thesis critiques today, and I'm surprised yet again at all the positive feedback. Not all my crits this week have gone as well. My greatest struggle with this project has been trying to reconcile all the voices and opinions I'm getting from my professors and my peers. I suppose it's because of the controversial nature of the work-- cancer, life and death, these things have a way of dividing people into different factions. I've been getting so many conflicting suggestions from opposite ends of the spectrum that I find myself really confused as to how to proceed. For the most part, most people (inside and outside class) make valid points-- but how do I weed through all the voices to make the best decisions for my exhibit? I know I can't please everyone, but I'm concerned that I'm not leaving enough room in my thesis for my own ideas and instincts.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to integrate the emotions and experiences aspect of my work-- animations / videos, what-have-you... with the hard facts of the disease, the struggle to survive. My "Wheel of Survival" has gotten mixed reviews; some people think I should scrap it entirely and some people agree that is a necessary aspect of the story I'm trying to tell. I'm trying to find some way to make these two elements, plus the "game" element, if we can call it that, work together in the most logical and sympatico way.

I recognize, too, that the subject matter is very personal and sensitive to me, and that it sometimes makes it difficult for me to be objective. That's what makes it all the more important that I get meaningful feedback. I just want to avoid having to reinvent my project from scratch after every crit. Man, this is exhausting.