Exaltation
Christina
It seemed like a relatively easy task at first, one that I could manage. As co-president, it was my responsibility to design a t-shirt for our class to enhance team unity and spirit in Academic Decathlon, and I only had one restriction: to keep the budget low.
But soon, I realized that this task wasn’t going to be a breeze after all. Academic Decathlon didn’t even have a logo or a design that I could simply plaster on, so instead, I labored for hours, researching design ideas, sketching it out, tracing the image’s outline, and finally obtaining approval. And to make matters even more complicated, when I shared my final design with my classmates to hear their feedback, I expected praise and approval, but reality provided a stark contrast.
While they prefaced their feedback with “It looks great” or “No offense” or “Just an idea,” I knew that what followed would be harsh and critical regardless of their futile attempts to soften the blow.
“I wish that we could put a different image on the back as well.” Or “That color is too basic.” Or “I prefer a sweatshirt.”
What they didn’t realize was that I had just worked for hours eliminating different colors and images in order to minimize the cost of each piece of clothing. Each additional feature (like a design on the back or a vibrant color or a long-sleeve sweatshirt) would cost additional money, and I just didn’t have the budget.
Yet somehow, this responsibility, which was originally bestowed upon me, turned into group effort. My classmates resembled thrifty customers adept at bargaining with me, the gullible bazaar owner, as they adamantly expressed their desires and opinions and I readily gave in. So in the end, our short-sleeve t-shirt transformed into a long-sleeve sweatshirt, and by working my magic, I managed to align the product with their demands all while keeping the cost under fifteen dollars.
I guess, in retrospect, it was all worth it. I get to see people walking in the hallways wearing my design, and in a way, this represents their silent nods of approval. Regardless of the countless iterations that I endured, it seemed surreal in the best possible way, to see my efforts bear fruit. And now, the sketches and designs on paper have taken on new life. They’ve released their final breaths as prototypes and ultimately, have transcended to become real, tangible products.
Their exhalation has become my exaltation.
It seemed like a relatively easy task at first, one that I could manage. As co-president, it was my responsibility to design a t-shirt for our class to enhance team unity and spirit in Academic Decathlon, and I only had one restriction: to keep the budget low.
But soon, I realized that this task wasn’t going to be a breeze after all. Academic Decathlon didn’t even have a logo or a design that I could simply plaster on, so instead, I labored for hours, researching design ideas, sketching it out, tracing the image’s outline, and finally obtaining approval. And to make matters even more complicated, when I shared my final design with my classmates to hear their feedback, I expected praise and approval, but reality provided a stark contrast.
While they prefaced their feedback with “It looks great” or “No offense” or “Just an idea,” I knew that what followed would be harsh and critical regardless of their futile attempts to soften the blow.
“I wish that we could put a different image on the back as well.” Or “That color is too basic.” Or “I prefer a sweatshirt.”
What they didn’t realize was that I had just worked for hours eliminating different colors and images in order to minimize the cost of each piece of clothing. Each additional feature (like a design on the back or a vibrant color or a long-sleeve sweatshirt) would cost additional money, and I just didn’t have the budget.
Yet somehow, this responsibility, which was originally bestowed upon me, turned into group effort. My classmates resembled thrifty customers adept at bargaining with me, the gullible bazaar owner, as they adamantly expressed their desires and opinions and I readily gave in. So in the end, our short-sleeve t-shirt transformed into a long-sleeve sweatshirt, and by working my magic, I managed to align the product with their demands all while keeping the cost under fifteen dollars.
I guess, in retrospect, it was all worth it. I get to see people walking in the hallways wearing my design, and in a way, this represents their silent nods of approval. Regardless of the countless iterations that I endured, it seemed surreal in the best possible way, to see my efforts bear fruit. And now, the sketches and designs on paper have taken on new life. They’ve released their final breaths as prototypes and ultimately, have transcended to become real, tangible products.
Their exhalation has become my exaltation.
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