Events that I have managed previously:

> Events in Dialogue in The dark                

> Chingay x People's Association               

It was an opportunity to have Chingay (People's Association) x UNESCO as my Final Year Project. My team was tasked to design creatively and consider any limitations, broadening our view on how the product will look. We also hold workshops, build the float and manage the resident and student volunteers. 

Role 1: Volunteer Manager

As the volunteer manager, I manage all student volunteer hours in batches, organising them in their different year groups. I use Excel sheets to organise them nicely, so that the artists and my team can refer to them easily.

Other than keeping track of their hours, I also manage the volunteer group chats in Telegram and WhatsApp, regularly sending updates of upcoming sessions. This ranges from sending them new available dates to schedules.

As the progress documenter, I share this role with my team members, taking photographs of community workshops, preparation of workshops, meetings and assembly sessions.

After documenting, the photos are placed in archive for future reference and progress tracking, to see if we are behind or in front of the schedule. This helps us to gauge our time management and organise our priorities.

These photos are also archived into a Google Folder, where all the other South-West District photos are. The media, such as the different Community Clubs can assess the photos and market them to the public. 

Role 3: Managing workshops and assembly sessions

I assisted in organising community workshops by helping with material preparation, from polishing cabletie structures to preparing A7 case cards for an activity.

I also supported the artists during the workshop, handing out materials and assisting the community if they have any inquiries. 

Other than that, during the assembly sessions, I manage the volunteers, assigning them tasks during the briefings in the morning, and ensuring that their well-being is being checked on regularly throughout the sessions. 

Additionally, I help the artists with the assembling of the float, such as painting and making cabletie structures. 

THREE learning experiences that I find the most valuable throughout my Final Year Project journey.

There were many various limitations such as budget constraints, and back-and-forth artistic discussions with the artistic director, which was our client.

The process was initially frustrating and it slowed our progress, which oftenly disrupted our workflow. There were a lot of changes to the design and many differing expectations that I was not used to, which made it difficult to finalise decisions. 

At times, I had to take a few breaks and reflect on a new approach of the situation. Hence to align more closely to the artistic director's needs. 

However, as the project continues, I learned to adapt more quickly and use the chances to propose alternative solutions that are still beneficial in reaching the end goal. 

The overall learning experience is that I learned the importance of being calm and maintain a professional attitude when plans do not go the way it had planned. I learned to be more rational, instead of involving emotions. Hence, this experience strengthened my communication skills and critical thinking.

At first, I found it difficult to be open-minded with my teammates. When I  encounter a situation where their ideas have contradicted mine, it was difficult and at times, it discouraged me from providing new ones, keeping to myself. 

It hurts thinking that my ideas were not good enough unlike others, and I made this into a personal challenge, overthinking every possible suggestions I offered. Hence, my ideas were either not conveyed forward properly or kept in.

Though, over time, I learned to listen, discuss and combine viewpoints. This experience teaches me that our differences  could strengthen the  outcome of the project, than working alone. 

Slowly, I learned that being open-minded does not mean that my ideas are going to waste, or not good enough. It means that I am brave enough to learn from others too, working as a team. This taught me about respect for each other's strengths and shortcomings. 

As the journey continues, more deadlines continue to pile up on one another, which causes me to feel drowned in pressure. From final assignments to managing all the volunteer events, the workload felt overwhelming and relentless, which made it difficult to stay focused.

It got to a point, where there are moments that I could not hold it in anymore. I would shut down, feel burnt out and struggle to start my work. My confidence and motivation was affected, which reduced my quality of work. 

Eventually, I understood that I need to reflect on the situation and change how I approached the situation. I began to list down the tasks in my notebook planner, separating the tasks that needed the most attention to others that can wait. 

Breaking down the workload into to-do list in my planner,  made the tasks more manageable to handle. It was a difficult process, but eventually, it helped me to regain control of myself.

Camera used: Canon G7X II

Photos taken in 2024

Software used: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom Classic

Pieces from 2024

Exploring colour themes and fonts using Canva Pro and Adobe Photoshop

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