I begun my week on Monday morning meeting one of my supervisors, Professor Robert Young, who is the Associate Dean of the Design School. It was great to finally put a face to the name as it has been several months since he last interviewed me over the phone.
I was also introduced to the Centre for Design Research (CfDR), an office which houses the university's design consultancy and postgraduate research. I didn't know what to expect for how I was to work on this PhD, but it was a pleasant surprise to be given a desk and a computer in the office. I much prefer to be surrounded by people than working in isolation in my little flat (I tried this on Tuesday and felt really homesick all alone!).
My week was filled with complicated enrolling procedures, several meetings with Bob and other members of university staff, and chats with individuals around the office. It was great to hear about the work, teaching, ideas and research in design that are going on at the university.
But my focus of the week was very much about trying to figure out exactly what my PhD is going to be about. The very first thing I did after meeting Bob, the CfDR office and my new desk, was to head out and search for a book to mind map my way through the week. It really helped untangle the heap in my brain. I filled more than 20 crisp white pages, no problem!
I really appreicated the time to reflect and while there are no concrete answers yet (I'm not sure if there will be for awhile) I am looking forward to exploring the state of design in the UK and making lots of wonderful connections.
