Log of hours.Photographs: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Courtesy of William Lam, used with permission)
LITERAL
(a) I, Elissa Fultz, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) What I have completed is the past 55 spreads of the book, (plus the cover and endsheets, which are essentially another two spreads). While this is the most tangible representation of what I have accomplished, it is also misleading - I did not actually complete these past 55 spreads myself. My staffers all did their work, the editors refined what the staffers brought in (on top of completing their own projects), and I -- well, I did not necessarily do specifically any of this, but I oversaw it. I have a hand in editing copy, taking and critiquing photos, and reviewing and contributing to design. What I mostly do, though, is make sure that all of the content is there, that the staffers are learning and happy (and are getting their earned grades), and that the editors can do their jobs (which sometimes requires me doing parts of their job alongside them). In that respect, I think I have been mostly successful.
INTERPRETIVE
What I have displayed as my evidence is only a sample of the pages we have churned out, and the pages themselves do not even entirely reflect the work that goes behind it. They are too two-dimensional for the work that goes into them to shine through. Having a hand in everything takes a lot of time. Overseeing things take a lot of time. Making lists (and keeping them updated) of things missing, incorrect, or incomplete takes time (especially when these lists span over 32 pages at a time). Managing 24 staffers inside and outside of class takes time. Grading the staffers takes time. Going over every last detail before submitting takes a LOT of time. I can't give you specific evidence for a lot of it (I do have my notes from in class and out of it, which I can bring into class, but I do not a working scanner at the moment). While all of these things seem rather simple, making sure all of this runs smoothly and perfectly sucks up an astonishing amount of time.
APPLIED
The experience is certainly what is helping me answer my EQ. Going through all of these spreads, critiquing them, comparing them to other books, getting feedback on them, discussing them with the writers and designers - all of that has been an incredible learning experience. Every day in yearbook, I improve on how I can run things, or write things, or design things in a way that will fit this specific book. I often take time on weekends and do nothing but think about our theme and all of the specific possibilities and facets. In the imagination, a book is a three-dimensional object. If you'd like, you can think of it as a person. It has many sides, many characteristics and qualities, and the ways of exploring those sides are infinite. Every time I think about this book, and every time I work on this book, and every time I discuss the specific elements of the book with other editors, I learn how to make the book better.
