I can’t believe, after nearly three years, that I am now mere weeks away from completing my MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts and Media.

What I jokingly call “In-studio selfie # 999,999.”

Though the semester is just passing its midpoint, my thesis work will need to be up weeks earlier, so I already know that I’ve got the next month truly cut out for me.

So where am I now in my process? Allow me to lay out a quick progress report for you:

Ideation

This phase of the work is now complete and I am resolute in its execution. As I’ve mentioned before, my previous semester was spent poring over the conceptual aspects of my work, proposing a project in the first place, and writing extensively about that project, chiefly through a thesis paper.

Though my latest conversations with my various advisors have not been devoid of conceptual aspects, they have been discussed more as practical refinements to consider as I execute my work than as revisions to my proposal itself.

Sketching/Planning

The back and forth process of drawing up plans for my project followed by meeting with a faculty or staff member to discuss and develop my plans’ feasibility seems like it has formed the larger part of this first half of the semester.

Happily, though, my class has now all shown detailed final plans, including installation schedules and equipment lists, to gallery staff (and each other), so I am more assured as I continue in the making process.

Fabrication

While I have been making samples and tests of my proposed methods throughout the course of the semester, with the all-clear from the gallery I can now carry on working, but more decisively—knowing that what I am doing is in line with their thinking as well.

The past week (our Spring “Break,” as it has been referred to playfully) has consisted of my fervently making in the studio, trying to take best advantage of uninterrupted working time.

Fabrication in progress: bending steel conduit in the studio!

Beyond the Horizon

What I will do on finishing my semester and program as a whole has, of late, begun rising in my list of priorities. As my thesis project draws closer to its completion, the reality that I will reenter the work force becomes more and more vivid.

Though it feels like a slow inching given all of my thesis project responsibilities, I am concurrently scouting for next steps after graduation and trying to get my professional life in order.

The latest development on this front is that I’ve begun reaching out to potential references who can help represent me as I carry out this search for professional placement post-MFA.

Day-t0-Day

So what’s left now? I continue churning out work, making progress, and going on in the marathon that has been my thesis year. The end is in sight and I need only to remain focused and positive, while making sure to actively schedule self-care, to attain what I have been working toward for nearly three years now.

To that end, I’ll treat myself now to a leisurely lunch before resuming once more the arduous but rewarding labor of thesis.