The Highs and Lows of Group Work

I have been thinking a lot about what I have learnt from this experience. It's important not to simply regurgitate the negative situations, but be reflective and recognise what I could have done differently to improve situations and how I might change my behaviour in similar situations in the future. Group work can be uncomfortable for anyone, but only by getting stuck in will it get any easier. I learnt at the start of this course that we were never going to be spoon fed and I knew that Unit X would be no different, which was the reason for my positive get-go attitude from the start and wanting to engage in group activities to get to know each other. Maybe I am too enthusiastic, but I am a passionate person, and I was genuinely excited by the possibilities of a collaboration. As Hetain Patel said "Collaboration allows you to get somewhere you could never have alone". We were told at the start of the unit that it would be o.k to work alone, which would have been the easy option, but obviously it would be more beneficial to make the most of the opportunity to collaborate. I feel my past posts reflect the experiences at the time, and after reading back through them, I am pleased that I haven't let my emotions affect my ability to write subjectively.

Since day one Vicky, Kerry, Katie and I have all worked well together. Through meeting regularly as arranged on our group Facebook page, and sharing our ideas, some of them began to cross over which was really exciting! The first collaboration was the Table Top Sale which really helped the four of us bond and get valuable experience of interacting with the public. The next was between Kerry, Vicky and I, experimenting with film, light and shadow. It was so much fun to bounce ideas off each other and I think even though the footage was never used, this was our first experience of actually creating together. After that Vicky and I spent the rest of the project working together every day. The support and inspiration we provided each other with was invaluable. Although we did not exhibit a joint piece, we collaborated for one of my chosen photographs which I am really proud of.