Framework: Work and Paper/Craft and Ambience

Sixth Blog

Framework: Work and Paper/Craft:

Ambience
Peer Reviewing

References

This is my final blog entry and it will include the topics of the specific framework that my activity falls into: Work and the topic of ambience.

It will also include peer reviewing and the comments that I have posted regarding other students blogs and all literature that I have used throughout Part 1: Blog of this assignment.

In our most recent class we got into groups of which our activities fitted into either:

Food, Paper or Play frameworks.

My activity of hebel sculpture is considered under the framework of Paper/Craft.

Within this framework of paper we as a group then considered how ergonomics and affordances fit in to the activity we have chosen to use.

This exercise enabled us to decide for ourselves which components of ergonomics and affordances fit within our activity. The basis of this has now provided the structure for Part 2: Reflective Essay.

Paper/Craft:

This framework uses activities that are commonly known as hobbies. Because they are under the work framework, they are not necessary for living but can be necessary for individuals on a personal level.  

Ambience:

We also covered ambience briefly.

Ambiance is described by the Concise English Dictionary (1990) as "the mood, character, quality, tone, and atmosphere etc., particularly of an environment" (p.31).

I would describe ambience as the mood set when sculpting from hebel. This includes having time so therefore I am not rushing, the sun is bright and warming my back therefore it is bright and I am warm, I have the radio on and songs remind me of great times I have shared with family and friends. All of these factors afford a positive ambiance and atmosphere to create within.

Peer reviewing of students comments:

Here are some examples of the comments that I have made about other student’s activity blogs.  

                       

 Godhelp’s final blog post: “enjoying my guitar over the semester break”.

Cara said... Hey Godhelp, yes I’m inspired too by your talent. You could possibly pop within your last and final blog a few comments from other student about your blog and comments that you have made to other students blogs. Cara :) 19 October 2011 18:05

                 Nancy’s first blog entry: Introduction & Mindfulness.

Cara said... Hi Nancy, I like the way that you have linked Occupational Therapy and described how cards could be used in this setting, there could be so many benefits! I also like the way you have used concepts of mindfulness. Do you think this would change a great deal (excuse the pun) if you were to play cards on your own? Cheers, Cara 13 October 2011 18:21

                        Anna’s fifth blog entry: Work & Labour “Activity & Me”

Cara said... Hi Anna, I really like the way that you have summarised the meaning of work & labour and also how you have described what cooking means to you. I agree with you, it definitely depends on how you look at it and what it means to the individual. It just makes me wonder how women from diverse cultures may view this. Cheers, Cara  13 October 2011 18:11

                                         Izabela’s final blog entry: Ethics

Cara said... Hi Izabela, I believe as a practicing therapist you will sense the right amount of assistance and provide opportunities for your clients to develop or strengthen their skills depending on their abilities. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through your blogs and can appreciate what scrap booking provides you. Cara.  19 October 2011 11:42

All literature used within the six blogs:

Arendt, H. (1958).  The human condition.  (p.7). Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Bowden, T. 2000. The craft room: What’s going on in there? Taken from: Caulton, R.F. (Ed). (2003). The best of occupation 1993-2003. (p.14) Dunedin: Rogan McIndoe Print Ltd. 

  

Caulton R, Dickson R (2007) What's going on? Finding an explanation for what we do. In: J Creek, A Lawson-    Porter, eds. Contemporary issues in occupational therapy: reasoning and reflection. Chichester: John Wiley, 87-114. 

 

Christiansen, C. H. & Townsend E. A. (2004).  An introduction to occupation.  In  C. H   Christiansen & E. A. Townsend (Eds.), Introduction to occupation: The art and science of living (p. 255).  New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Crepeau, E. (2003). Analysing occupation and activity: A way of thinking about   occupational  performance. In, Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy (10^th ed., pp.189-198). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

Green, T. F. (1968).  Work, leisure and the American schools. (p.99). New York: Random House. 

Hayward, L.A. & Sparkes, J.J. (1990). The Concise English Dictionary. (p.31) Fourth  edition, twelfth impression. Great Britian: Mackays of Chatham PLC.
 

Hendry, J. (2008). An introduction to social anthropology sharing our worlds (2nd ed.). (p.220-22). London: Palgrave MacMillian. 

           http://ptsd.about.com/od/glossary/g/Mind_def.htm

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCnB5i0ToUc&feature=youtu.be

Law, M. (Ed.). (1998). Client centered occupational therapy. (p.111). Thorofare,   NJ: SLACK Incorporated.

    

           Additional information:

           On a final note I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read through this blog and I hope you have learnt something about both hebel sculpture and my interpretation of this activity.

Work and Labour

Fifth Blog Entry:

 

Welcome back, this blog entry will concentrate on the topic of work and labour and which one of these fits with my activity. 

According to Green (1968), he describes labour as a “mere activity characterized by necessity and futility. The goods produced by labour are consumed and have no enduring quality.  A man is not free whose life is totally absorbed in labour” (p.99).

Green also states that “work is an activity producing an enduring object. Work requires self-investment, skill, craft and personal judgement and that work is purposeful and meaningful” (p.99).

 

From this quote I consider that my activity of hebel sculpture fit’s under the umbrella of “work”, because it is an activity that is purposeful and meaningful to me. When I create using hebel the end result is an object, a product which is not necessary for anything or does it makes a difference to the world. It is also classified as “work” because it requires my time and skill for a sculpture to be accomplished, also because it is something that I want to do.

Ardent, (1958) describes work as “against necessity (labour)” (p.7).

Before I began this degree, I would create sculptures on a regular basis and usually on a weekend day. I was often commissioned to produce particular sculptures; I would attend the weekly markets, arts & craft exhibitions and facilitate school holiday programmes for children. The above quotes from Green and Ardent, suggests that this would have been somewhat like “labour”. Sculpting was like labour as it did become an activity that was characterized by necessity.

If I was unable to engage in my activity of hebel sculpture, I would survive but I do not feel I would have  ”occupational balance” within my life.

CTate 2010

References:

Arendt, H. (1958).  The human condition.  Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Green, T. F. (1968).  Work, leisure and the American schools. 

                 New York: Random House.

Affordance: Cont

Fourth Blog Entry:

Christian and Townsend (2010) suggests that “Affordance can be referred to as the particular arrangement of objects in the environment and to estimate the actions allowed by an object. The objects design suggests its purpose, function, and usability, and the user determines the object’s affordance” (p. 255).

As metioned in my previous blog, I said that I would look into other affordance components. This is aesthetics and communication. 

Aesthetics:

Hendry (2008) states that aesthetics strictly speaking, is a branch of philosophy concerned with beauty and the physical ability to recognize it" (p.122).

Communication:

Hendry (2008) suggests that "communication is by no means limited by culture but also the choice of words and language tinged with an aesthetic quality can vary" (p. 120).

This quote has confirmed how I understand communication when I am considering engaging in hebel.  I consider my family (my culture) and ask if they have thought of something that they want to do with hebel or if they had other plans which included me. When creating alone my time is respected by my family and they will quietly approach if they require my attention.

    C.Tate 2008

References:

Christiansen, C. H. & Townsend E. A. (2004).  An introduction to occupation.  In C. H. Christiansen & E. A. Townsend (Eds.), Introduction to occupation: The art and science of living (pp. 1-28).  New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Hendry, J. (2008). An introduction to social anthropology sharing our worlds 

                         (2nd ed.). London: Palgrave MacMillian. 

 

Affordances

Third Blog Entry:

Hello again,

The next two blog entries will look at the outcomes that can come from my activity of sculpting hebel.

Outcomes are also known as affordances.

Mary Law (1998) defines affordances as the “characteristics of the environment that are uniquely identified by the person based on their cognitive style, experiences and abilities” (p.111)

Within this concept there are many components of affordances and to name but a few:

·         Communication;

·         Spirituality;

·         Connections;

·         Ethics;

·         Aesthetics’……

      This quote below from Crepeau capture's spirituality nicely, when I reflect of why I like to create with hebel.
 

Crepeau (2003) describes spirituality as being "the fundamental orientation, which inspires and motivates the individual" (p.193).
 

Spirituality:

When I reflect about being creative and making a sculpture from hebel for a particular friend or family member, the thoughts that I have are related to spirituality: inspiration, motivation and an idea of a piece of work that has me thinking of them especially.

Hebel inspires me to create and sculpt therefore I am motivated to produce a piece of work, I am often orientated to be creative for a family or friends birthday or celebration/event and gifting a piece of hebel sculpture.

Spirituality has a different meaning for each and everyone of us, but for me it fits very well with my activity.

                                                        CTate 2009


Additional Information:

      Looking in my diary reminded me of a friend’s 40th that was fast approaching and I recall she had mentioned that she would like a piece of my work. It was a sunny weekend morning, just perfect to create. As I set up for the project and thought of this particular friend, and an idea came to mind, she would love it! She had recently re-decorated her dining room and purchased a long rectangular eight seating table & chairs, absolutely enormous and I could just picture a long rectangular candle hebel piece in the centre. Knowing Leigh like I do she would appreciate the clean lines of a rectangular hebel piece, clean and fresh in appearance and I will place light yellow tea light candles in, to highlight the light yellow that she has chosen as a complementary colour.

     References:  

      Crepeau, E. (2003). Analysing occupation and activity: A way of thinking about occupational  performance. In, Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy (10^th ed., pp.189-198). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

     Law, M. (Ed.). (1998). Client centered occupational therapy. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.