Critical Reflection

Critical Reflection

Personally I try to be involved with as many projects as possible, and have found that connections between projects often link in surprising ways. I've soaked in a lot of advice over time, and believe speaking to people and sharing knowledge is one of the best ways to learn. I'm very lucky to have the opportunity of working a venue that has a large variety of events that deal with a range of set-ups and industry personelle. I've found that people are more than happy to talk about how their equipment works, their experiences and opinions, with the added benefit that in this way I'm also making myself known as being keen to learn, which I've found people pick up on - leading to more opportunities.

While in the past I've been more open to say "yes" to project proposals, I've found that more recently I've had to organise my time management, and learnt to agree to projects that I believe will be ultimately beneficial to my development. This is a quality that I aim to retain, as I've found by agreeing to something I perhaps don't quite feel I'm ready for, necessity will force me to do research and practise so that I am ready when the time comes. In this way I'm constantly developing as a professional, with each new experience a step towards success.

I choose my tools and formats through research and advice, observing how and why other people work the way they do. I enjoy being resourceful and working to a brief with limitations, so as to find solutions where convenience and end result quality meet. I find that as my confidence is increasing, I spend more time evaluating new proposals so as not to rush things and end up spending too much time and money investing in something that isn't what I ultimately want to do, or isn't going to pay the bills.

During the time I've been writing this blog the majority of my personal projects I've been working on have been focused on my employment at The Forum Hertfordshire, or research and reflection on future aims. As an A/V technician, I've found there's been less space for creative conduct than I have been used to in the past, and work has been more along the lines of "how can I come to this end result with this equipment, with this amount of time and these limitations.". I enjoy being involved on the job and learning as I go, and find that my research in my own time on equipment, methodology and industry standards have a very positive impact on my work.

Maintaining this blog has been very eye opening in observing the way I work, and some of the actions I subconsciously make in my practises. In evaluating my strengths and weaknesses, I have a stronger understanding of how I work, which will benefit my development and choices as a future professional in the field of Music Technology.

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