Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

1. How long have you been a part of this company and/or field?

2. What are the best possible ways to prepare for this kind of job?

3. What kinds of college classes did you take?

4. What do you enjoy most about your job?

5. What are some problems that you encounter?

6. How do you view the wood itself?

7. What goes through your mind while working with wood?

8. Do you find your job enjoyable because of schooling, or does it come like second nature because of experience?

9. Have you learned more by schooling, or experience?

10.  What physical/ mental challenges do you face?

Blog 5a: Problem Statement

Content: 
1) Woodworking

2) Problem in your topic.  What will you do once you solve the problem?

One problem in my topic is finding out how wood can be better resistant to water, or different environments. Which wood types are best for water use, or for the beach things like that so I would like to find out which wood or wood finishes work best against water and will absorb the least amount of water. Once I solve this problem, I'll be able to expand my woodworking skills and know how to make furniture that can resist water.

3) Problem in your topic.  What will you do once you solve the problem?

Another problem is finding out which woods are the strongest and lightest for building something. It's hard to find a strong type of wood that is light and is strong enough to with stand a lot. Weather its natural wood or treated wood or different types of wood. Once i solve this, I would be able to gain even more knowledge about woodworking so I can build very strong, light weight pieces of furniture or really any thing such as a chair, a small boat, a prop, what ever it maybe.

Blog 4: Working EQ

The Pentagon: 

(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?
One of the most positive things that has happened as a result of my learning is the way I view woodworking and how to better connect with the environment so that my work can appeal to the human eye, weather its the type of wood I use or the small details, such as smoothing the angles.  I also have met new, very prestige woodworkers who have given me their feed back on woodworking.
(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic?
I had a piece of research that talked about the different things wood is used for and how it can be used. Different woods react different to different temperatures, how to make wood more water resistant, very specific things about the wood itself. My first interviewee talked about how the wood could be used differently like the article said. It came to my attention that my projected doesn't have to be based on furniture, but the wood itself. I need to understand the wood because it is the base of my project, not furniture making (furniture making is just a branch).
(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?
Something that has worked for me in my senior project is continuously trying to find more and more woodworkers so that I can better understand different point of views on woodworking. Also doing my blogs early and putting a lot of thought into how I answer the questions because it gives me a good, detailed recap on what I have learned so far.

(4) What hasn't worked so far?  
Finding more mentors has been extremely hard, but I am keeping up and making very good progress but it has been challenging because most woodworkers make their own custom pieces and don't have time to worry about mentoring and making sure their apprentice is safe. They have a lot of work, and plus, woodworkers do not really mentor because their work is their own individual work that they don't really know how to teach exactly other then by example. It's just like art, you can go to school to learn how to paint but you can't learn exactly the way your teacher did, you kind of have to find your own way when it comes to woodworking.

(5) Finding Value:  Based on your experience so far,

•  What possible question or questions come to mind regarding what you would like to study this year?

I would like to study more psychology to see how certain colors and environments affect human emotions so that I can use that to "communicate" with people about what my woodworking piece is trying to make them feel. Weather its relaxed, confused, happy, what ever it may be, psychology can help me accomplish that.

•  What is your end goal this year with your senior project?

My goal is to make something magnificent, and possibly see if I can pursue this as a career.

• Who would you like to talk to you next? Why?   

I would like to talk to someone from the Green & Green company or perhaps one of the Ipikajen makers because they have very amazing woodworking skills.

Blog 3: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?

I plan to interview my father because he has taken many woodworking classes and he is a "young" wood worker so it would allow me to spark up very interesting questions. Plus my father studied under many wood workers and knows a lot about wood working. He does not do this as a profession but he has much experience doing this. It would also give me a better understanding of what other kinds of questions to ask for my other interviews.

2. You have five questions. What additional questions do you plan to ask?

• What is you perspective of wood working?
• How do you achieve such great, unique pieces that stand out to the human eye?
• How do you spark your mind to be so creative?
• Where does your original idea come from?
• What is your motivation to attempt to come up with something original?

Blog 2: Wood Working

a. What is your topic and why? 
My topic is wood working because this is something that I grew up doing with my father and I really enjoy making things out of wood. I like making furnitures and learning about the different woods and trying to make something that is literally simply beautiful weather it is a chair, a small carved turtle, a table, or even an entertainment furniture to put a tv. It's just really fun, interesting, and challenging because it is difficult for the mind to create something very unique but still very simple.

b. And what do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic (connecting your answer to each of the 4 ESLRs)

• iPoly Citizen:  I plan to learn how to be an open minded, patient wood worker so that I can learn as much woodworking values/ skills as possible and view situations differently. This can help me become a better iPoly citizen by teaching me how to be more patient in general, helping me think simple, being more involved with making props, and helping my problem solving skills.
• Effective Communicator:  I plan to take the initiative to be in contact with other wood workers to gain more knowledge on how to be more patient with the problem put in front of you, how to cooperate with other people better, and learn how to communicate more strongly with my fellow teammates. This will make me a far more effective independent communicator by enhancing and later polishing my skills that I have learned at iPoly to better work with people since patients is a big factor.
• Effective Learner:  I plan to learn how to build good furniture with tools and acquire the hands on skills/ techniques used by wood workers. This will make me more effective learner by giving me the technique and skill set needed to built amazing props at school and help coordinate my own designs.
• Effective User of Technology: I plan to learn how to use the technology softwares that wood workers use and use my blog all the time to gather and organize my research. This will make me more effective as a user of technology because the research on the blog and the programs are both used on the computer, so it will enhance my computer skills and organization.

Blog 1 Summer Mentorship Component

• Literal:  Describe in detail your adventure in trying to find a mentor (the 10 hours).   Please include specifics, such as the name of a place you contacted, the phone number, and people you talk to about ideas.  

I had a very long adventure trying to find a mentor. There are still some people that still need to get back to me. I looked in the Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Duarte areas. Most of the stores where custom design carpentry, and i visited some of them. 1) I emailed (mike@eaton-designs.com) a gentleman named Mike who works at Eaton Design studio and called the place at (626)- 797-8774. I talk to an employee their and Mike is trying to do his best to talk to the owner's and employees of the store to allow me to shadow him there. 2) I then tried this place called French Furniture which is located on Villa street in Pasadena, i called them at their store number (626)-795-5160, but the employee couldn't get a hold of the manager because he was not their. They mainly do repairing furniture which was a place to start but they never got back to me because of the manager. 3) Ipekjian was the shop I as looking to do my hours at. It was run by Jim and 4) John Ipekjain a very small but prestige shop where they custom make their products for customers. Sadly though, when I emailed them (jim@ipekjain.com & john@ipekjain.com) they did not reply. A day later i called them at (626)-792-5025 and left them a message. The next day i got a reply saying that he could not allow me to shadow because they where having slow business and they had a contract that did not allow them to take any students or internships at their shop which was a big let down. 5) In Monrovia there is a place called Hile Studio, i emailed this place a couple of times (sales@hilestudio.com) but they never replied, I emailed them twice but I have not yet called them because i recently found out about them a couple of days ago so I will most defiantly be calling by this week. 6) Another gentleman I tried had a shop in Los Angeles called Sidecar Furniture and emailed David Johnson (david@sidecarfurniture.com) and he was not able to take me in because he also had a contract with another company for the Green & Green brothers, who are famous architectures. The contract didn't allow him to take in any students, so he said no. But he told me to try taking a class at Cerritos College. He said they would have classes their but I might have to pay in order to mentor so I haven't checked there. 7) I then tried a Home Depot in West Covina (626)-965-1013, 8) Baldwin Park (626-813-7131, and 9) Monrovia (626)-256-0580 . They did not ave any kind of carpentry there that I could shadow because all they did was cut the wood but not build it. 10) I tried Lowes in Covina (626)-756-3000 but they did not have anything of that sort either. 11) And today i emailed this place in Duarte called The Heirloom Artisans, they did not provide an email to email them at, but they do have a number that I called but was closed (626)-674-1723. 12) My last person I tried was William Ng who is located in Anaheim, i emailed him Sunday (WNWoodWorkingSchool@gmail.com) and he hasnt gotten back to me yet and called at (714)-993-4215 but he was not at the shop Sunday or Monday. So i guess im waiting on Mike who works at Eaton Designs, William Ng, and the Hile Studio.

• Interpretive:  Why do you think we require mentorship as a part of the senior project?  Be specific and use examples.

I think that the senior team required mentorship as part of the senior project so we can see with our own eyes what they do and be in the exact environment that they are in. It gives you a better feel for what they do. And teaches you what it takes emotionally and physically to do what ever job your shadowing. Theres a difference between knowing what they do educationally (which is what you read on the internet and hear) and being there in person next to them in the same environment as them. My last reason is because it shows you how to deal with unexpected problems that may come up and takes you "behind the scenes" as to what they do.

• Applied:  What do you plan to do to find mentorship? 

I plan to continue to look for places all this week, call, and email people to see if there is anyone who can take me in as a shadow. I'll also start looking for other furniture places and ask if they bought any of their furniture from a near by custom carpenter. If anything I'll take classes at Cerritos college.