maciejmaslakcas

[maciejmaslakcas]

CAS PROJECT (REFLECTIONS AND LEARNER PROFILE)

Title of the project: Casual Couture - charity-aiding fashion show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.asualcouture/

How do my choices and actions model empathy, compassion and respect for others?

The project I was one of the creators will encourage people to turn away from buying fast fashion. I believe it to be a sign of acknowledging the hardship that people in poverty-stricken countries that have to work when manufacturing them and not supporting the companies that exploit the workers there. The money that was earned was given for the organization that focuses on helping the elderly, who are the group that is the most in need right now, since they have it the hardest usually AND are the most prone to suffer permanent damage from catching COVID-19. It encourages to think deeply about who needs the help the most, not only when it comes to fund-raising, but in every aspect of life.

How does this CAS experience allow me to become a genuine inquirer?

I have never organized such a big project. I have learned how to make compromises when it comes to combining my and someone else’s vision (while designing the outfits). From the photoshoot day, I also learned how to manage time better and how to assign the roles so that the resources (here: people ready to work) are used efficiently.

To what extent do my CAS experiences encourage creative and critical thinking?

The project was based on creativity that everyone had to show while working on the project – whether it was me, who designed the outfits, the cameraperson, who had to come up how the photos should look, or me and the rest of the models, who had to create the walking routine together. Designing the outfits pushed me to do some research and use my creative imagination. The editing of the outfits and comparing my vision to what my friend who I worked with had in mind required critical thinking for me in order for the ideas to be polished and finely selected.

How do the ethical issues that arise in my CAS experiences allow me to become principled?

Our project focused on finding alternative clothing sources than fast fashion due to the vast difference in the environmental impact of those two. I feel called out and inspired by my own project (or rather a project I was one of the creators of) to stop supporting fast fashion stores where buying is faster (hence the name) and easier, but at the same time it is not necessarily cheaper and quite frankly, there is nothing that is worth ruining our planet.

How does my CAS experience allow for intellectual and/or physical risk-taking in a supportive environment?

There were multiple stages of the project where mistakes could have been made. We had to rely on each other’s work to succeed, as failure at one stage meant getting the whole project behind the schedule, as the problem would require additional time to solve. For example, if our make-up artist had not managed to do one model’s makeup in time, the whole shooting process would have been majorly delayed and the conditions could have changed to less favorable (although they were not ideal in the first place, but we did not particularly have time to be picky with it). The clothing items and outfits overall were assigned before the photoshoot day so the clothes had to be measured and compared to our sizes – we had to trust that they would fit us as we had no other way to check it beforehand. But with great organization, we managed to get everything right and no missteps affected the way our project turned out. I did not participate in the process of sending the clothing to the buyers, but due to different plans during the Christmas break, the process had to be divided between multiple people on whom the success of the project relied (as people buying them was the crucial part of the project that determined how much help we would be able to give to Mali Bracia Ubodzy).

[maciejmaslakcas]

CAS PROJECT (PROPOSAL)

Title of the project: Casual Couture - charity-aiding fashion show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.asualcouture/

Project description: What is your project? Be as specific as possible.

As the name suggests, the project involves organizing a fashion show, with money earned from which would be later given to a charity. The clothing used in the show would be selected from a variety of thrift stores in Warsaw and from the wardrobes of some of the organizers. Every item for sale would be taken care of to be of satisfactory quality at least, and some of the items would be customized to give them a new life. The show would be recorded and posted online on our YouTube channel – organizing such an event in real life would be highly irresponsible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from thrifted clothes, the collection for sale would also include hand-made jewellery. The whole sum collected would be donated to Mali Bracia Ubodzy, an organization that aims to provide help for elderly and children who endure a lot of hardship.

Final Results: What do you hope to accomplish? Why is it needed? Who will it benefit?

I hope to take part in using our fashion sense and choices not only to show it to the world, but also help people in need with the same time. During the global pandemic, there are many more people alarmingly in need that need help and do not get its satisfactory amount, but we had to choose only one organization to donate money for. Mali Bracia Ubodzy is a great pick as it focuses on elderly people, who I feel are somewhat set aside when people donate money for certain groups. They need the help the most as they are one of the groups that have it the hardest in life anyway, and they are the most prone for their health to be permanently damaged by the pandemic. It will benefit them and also bring awareness to the subject – encourage people to use second-hand fashion instead of fast fashion (the latter is much less environmentally friendly) and show that while buying or doing something that they like, they can still help other people at the same time.

Learning outcomes: Which of the 7 Learning Outcomes (see the list) will be addressed in this project? Explain how each Learning Outcome will be addressed?

2. Undertaking new challenges: My role is to be one of the outfit creators, which will push me to design complete and ready-to-wear outfits – I have always been lazy with thinking about the whole ensembles and have been rather focusing on the ideas rather than details and how it is wearable. This will oblige me to fully realise my ideas and finish the designs.

3. Initiating and planning a CAS experience: While planning the collection with my friend, we have to do some research and bring it all out while working together. We will visualise every outfit in my sketchbook and make moodboards demonstrating our ideas.

4. Showing commitment and perseverance: We have to plan exactly what our next steps will be and when they will be taken in order for the project not to fall down. The deadline we aim to finish the project before is Christmas time, when many people will probably want to buy gifts that may be our work.

5. Working collaboratively: We all have to work together because every person’s misstep will cost us a lot of time. We will have to complete our previous work all on one shooting day, which will require a lot of coordination.

6. Engagement with issues of global significance: Our project’s aim is to show how you can create a fashion collection not using fast fashion, which really damages the environment. It should encourage people to buy vintage, second-hand clothing items that can be of the same quality but do not harm the planet. The project also will focus on the issue of many groups that need additional aid, whether financial or other, during the COVID-19 pandemic, but are forgotten about and not really supported in any special way despite their needs.

7. Ethics of choices and actions: Buying, but especially producing fast fashion is really damaging the environment we live in, which is unethical particularly to the generations that will have to inhabit this place after us. Fast fashion industry also exploits workers in third-world countries that is unethical to them, as the Western standards of the workplaces are not provided to them. The project will encourage people to buy second-hand fashion, which is more ethical in any aspect of the issue.

[maciejmaslakcas]

SERVICE (FINAL POST)

The service was the part of the CAS experience that I had to completely change in the middle of the process due to the struggles that I experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown. For the first few months, I helped at a public library, helping with the organisation there and with the organisation of the events that the library initiated. However, in March 2020 the whole country went into national lockdown and severe restrictions lasted for a few months and it was actually never known when the situation would improve. As multiple waves of the pandemic were predicted to happen, I knew that at every moment the restrictions could be back in the place and I again would not be able to fulfil my service requirement. Thus, I had to switch to something that was more reliable and decided to offer help to my friend with the Physics course at school, which I could do online.

1. Strength & growth

Volunteering at the library helped me build patience, for example by breaking up tasks into smaller ones so that they do not feel overwhelming (e.g. when I had to sort books and put them back in their place). I also had to work on my patience during explaining physics, as for every person a different explanation would be the best and I had to think of ways to tackle the issue differently, which also helped me to look on things from more than just one perspective. I also learnt that I really was not the worst at physics during the process and that I had some understanding of it.

2. Challenge & skills

I have never worked with someone regarding school for a longer period of time (in the sense that I was explaining things to them, rather than working on a project). It was really weird for me as it is much harder than just doing exercises while preparing for a test. I had to gain knowledge on much more than just remembering the patterns you need to use during an exam, but also had to learn more of the curriculum than usually. I have developed a skill of being more flexible when explaining things so that they would be understood by more people than just me, which I had a problem with when e.g. answering in school.

3. Initiative & planning

For the first few months of my CAS service experience, I went to a library to help out sorting everything there and participate in the events organised by the library. However, it was put to an end by the lockdown and I had to find another way of fulfilling service that was independent from the restrictions currently in place. It taught me that some activities can easily be destroyed by such an event, and that sometimes the situation is just out of our hands and then we have to somehow adjust. In my case, it was adjusting by switching to online teaching/explaining for my friend.

4. Working collaboratively with others

The experience at the library taught me how easier it can be to work in a group instead of alone. Because we were usually there in a group of 2 or 4 people, the work that had to be done was finished much faster thanks to us collaborating and dividing the task between several people. However, this was the case where the work could theoretically be done alone. When organising an event with the library, a single person working would not result in success of the event, as us working at multiple tasks at the same time was crucial to everything going well. The conclusion is that working in group is definitely beneficial in most cases and often necessary, so knowing how to do it well is a must-have skill.

5. Commitment & perseverance

The experience in the library taught me perseverance, as the tasks I had to fulfil there were quite monotonous and were very time-consuming. Additionally, sometimes explaining the topics in physics to my friend required a lot of time, especially when it came to doing exercises. However, the effects of both were really satisfying (in the case of the first - a large pile of books disappearing after hours of hard work or in the second case - the whole set of exercises done). It showed me the importance of hard and mindful work, as the effects are worthwhile.

[maciejmaslakcas]

ACTIVITY (FINAL POST)

The aim of my choice of activity was to learn to swim in a more regular, professional manner. I have not been able to test it out on any swimming competition because of the COVID-19 outbreak and there being restrictions on such activities. In fact, I am more than happy that I was able to keep swimming with my group after the harshest restrictions of the first lockdown were lifted.

Learning outcomes:

1. Strength & growth

I think this experience really taught me physical and psychological strength. It turns out that I am really good at swimming (for example, measured by the relative speed to the people from my swimming group) and certainly better than people who do not swim regularly (which is natural and understandable). Apart from physical strength, it has taught me to be consistent and that it really can make a difference as with regular training, you can use every 'tool' out of your skill set and it builds your strength. This lesson can be applied to every area of life, not only sports.

2. Challenge & skills

I think I have become much more skilled in the area of swimming throughout those 1.5 (not full) years. For example, I have moved from one of the last to the second position in my swimming group (where we are positioned from the fastest in the beginning and the slowest in the end). Unfortunately, I have not been able to test my improved expertise in swimming on any competition, since the COVID-19 outbreak prevented any from happening. However, I can feel that my technique and strength have really improved and my swimming is now cleaner, faster and simply objectively better.

3. Initiative & planning

While there was little planning required from my side, there was one aspect that is worth mentioning. With my Creativity experience, I can always set aside doing it for one evening, but here it was not the case, as I had set hours at which I had to either show up for the lesson or skip it. It helped me improve my planning skills as I had to make the time in that day that HAD to be devoted to swimming and could not be moved. I then had to move my schedule around the set date, which taught me how to plan with fixed events in the calendar.

5. Showing perseverance & commitment

I think swimming regularly really taught me how to be consistent and what effects it can have. While in the beginning of the process, I was unwilling to go swimming before almost every lesson (not that I did not want to at all, but it was rather morning laziness) but in the end I was excited and happy to swim again. It shows that commitment can make you enjoy something more - I would have never thought that a process that is quite repetitive can be that pleasant and not bore me. It is also weird that I felt like this was a must in the beginning and then I suddenly started to treat it like a pleasure, as with new hobbies I pick up it is usually the other way around.

[maciejmaslakcas]

CREATIVITY (FINAL POST) I think I made the biggest progress in the Creativity category. While my original plan was to develop architecture-specific drawings at the beginnings, but I had to change it due to the change of the perspective for the future. However, I retained the focus on drawing people that I started at my architecture course and that led me to a whole new journey. The photos show a comparison of my drawings from February 2020 (first) and February 2021 (second).

Learning outcomes:

1. Strength & growth

I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone, as when I was drawing in the past, I always tried to avoid drawing people. The experience pushed me to try this new, previously scary area. I also learned that I was not bad at drawing people, I just was inexperienced. I feel like I grew as a person because the process taught me that mistakes will always be made (something that was hard to accept for me some time ago) and that they are crucial in development. They taught me what I liked about my art and what I did not, and without making them, I think I would have stayed in a box, in my comfort zone, because I would be scared to make them and prefer to make great, but boring art. The conclusion is that mistakes help us figure the good and the bad and that perfection can never be achieved.

2. Challenge & skills

In order to push myself and develop the new skill, I used the inspiration from the outside world, whether it be using references in order to 'get' how things look or inspiration by the styles that other artists use. I also used new techniques and styles of drawing which in the end helped me form the set of skills regarding drawing people that I now have. The difference between my first and last drawings is, to me, unbelievable and it shows the success of the challenge I set for myself.

3. Initiative & planning

The initial idea was to learn more about the architecture-specific drawing for it to use for the further education but then I changed my life plans and switched to drawing only one specific part that I started during the course. It showed me how to make something work even if I do not have the willingness to continue something in its initial form, and that along with the time passing, the ideas are prone to change and modify, and that it is okay.

5. Showing perseverance and commitment

I made sure to practice drawing regularly both during the architecture course (every week) and then after buying my own sketchbook, I had weeks when I drew every day. The consistency was really there and with it, the commitment to create art and get better at it. It is confusing for me, as I always lose interest in something that I have to do consistently. The shocking fact for me was that here it was not the case and that was probably caused by the fact that I really enjoyed seeing the results of my work.

[maciejmaslakcas]

CREATIVITY (FEB 2021)

As I predicted last month, this time I started to experiment with mixing new ideas with the style I was trying to perfect earlier. I am really satisfied with the outcomes, but as can be seen on the photos I am just figuring out what to do and where, which is a natural part of the progress. However, I have noticed a problem that I encountered earlier that year, when I was just figuring out my “previous” style - the “same face” syndrome. It means that out of fear of making mistakes, I have started to draw everything fairly similarly so that it does come out as I had planned (if it comes out otherwise, it is really frustrating when trying out new things, as it discourages to go further). It is something I have to work on as if many consecutive pages in my sketchbook do not show versatility to the fullest, I start to be a bit bored with what I had created.

[maciejmaslakcas]

SERVICE (FEB 2021)

Although final exams are coming closer and closer, we still have some material to go through on our lessons. This time, I had trouble communicating my thoughts, as I understood the topic we were covering but could not find the right words to explain it well. It forced me to do some research on the definitions and typical phrases used in this specific context. It shows that sometimes understanding is not enough and right words are crucial in the process of teaching something. Moreover, comprehending the context is really important as many words I checked did not make sense in this specific context and I had to spend more time on it, which shows the significance of the right context.

[maciejmaslakcas]

ACTIVITY (FEB 2021)

As there were no lessons in January, I had to wait for awhile to get back to swimming. I once again realised that swimming is something you cannot forget permanently, as after 15 minutes I was back in great condition. 

[maciejmaslakcas]

SERVICE (JAN 2021)

This month I had to prepare for our sessions more as I struggled to initially understand the new topic. However, after putting the extra work, I did understand it and was able to explain it to my friend. As I did not have to do that for our sessions before, it taught me to put in the extra effort before trying to act smarter than I really am (which I feel is sometimes hard to resist for me) and to be more humble, assessing my skills more correctly.

[maciejmaslakcas]

CREATIVITY (JAN 2021)

I think this month I have fundamentally changed the way I draw due to the inspiration that comes from Instagram. I really have been astonished by how interesting styles that are not necessarily realistic look and decided to try something similar on my own. Now I feel really inspired to draw more and use it as a way to destress every day. It shows the power of inspiration and that I do not want for my growth to be linear. What I mean by this is that if a process is too planned, you omit the lessons you learn along the way, which are a crucial way of an organic growth. I do not think I will stick with this style forever (I have not even established it fully) and I will probably mix some elements of my previous drawings with these new ideas.

[maciejmaslakcas]

SERVICE (DEC 2020)

This month I was explaining and revising for myself at the same time, as we both had to prepare for the last test before the end of the semester. While clearing out the topic for my friend, I also had to check some things as I was not certain of them. It's an example that you may feel prepared for a test/exam/quiz while doing some exercises or revising from the textbook, but the real test to your knowledge is when you try to teach the topic to someone.

[maciejmaslakcas]

ACTIVITY (DEC 2020)

When online learning continues, swimming becomes a source of refreshment for the day. I feel more energised after every session and I know I would feel even lazier than I already do had I decided to skip any lessons. Sometimes all it takes to start enjoying something more is getting used to it - in my case, the no-skipping rule that I have set for myself makes me more excited to go swimming than it used to. Earlier I caught myself forcing myself to go there for a few consecutive weeks and now I do not observe such feelings in the morning before the swimming lessons anymore.

[maciejmaslakcas]

CREATIVITY (DEC 2020)

This month I experimented somewhat with different ways to portray a picture. I tried different approaches to a line or a colour spot than I would usually do. I also did a study of multiple noses, starting with an imaginary one first for the comparison - I feel like it showed me to look for more inspiration in order to make my actions more interesting.

[maciejmaslakcas]

SERVICE (NOV 2020)

As the IB2 course progresses, things are becoming harder and harder. While trying to explain the topics we have covered, I can also catch myself not knowing the required material perfectly. While helping my friend to understand the syllabus better, I also check what I have mastered and to what degree. While I more or less can do everything required, I am often not sure if I am right. It makes me (kind of) revise along the way.

[maciejmaslakcas]

ACTIVITY (NOV 2020)

This month I continued my swimming classes. Although the schools have discontinued stationary lessons and gone back to online learning, the swimming pools have remained open only for swimming courses. Now that I am barely leaving my house, it is great to at least go to a pool once a week. It makes me feel better about the life currently and somewhat improves my mood for a few hours. While my motivation decreases, going swimming makes me feel stronger and less lazy.

[maciejmaslakcas]

CREATIVITY (NOV 2020)

As far as this month goes, I have gone beyond the previous phase of using a reference for every page. As can be seen from the photos, it certainly does not look as polished and detailed as drawings I used reference for. However, from what I have learnt throughout the earlier process I believe I will get better at it. But using references is also crucial to the process, as with each photo looked at you can observe how body looks in different situations in terms of shape, highlights, shading etc. I have also started to incorporate more colours and funky shapes into my sketches, which I think makes them much more interesting and appealing.

[maciejmaslakcas]

SERVICE (OCT 2020)

As can be noticed from the lack my posts in the period when the lockdown started, I was unable to fulfil the service requirement. It is because everything was closed, including libraries, and I was unable to visit it and help at everything I usually did. As the situation did not improve for a few months and it is predicted that shortly after the summer the country will go into a lockdown or semi-lockdown again, I decided that it was time to switch to a service that was less dependent on the COVID-19 situation in Poland. Thus, as we are going into IB2 and experience pressure into improving our grades, I offered my friend to help her with the Physics course. We made a call on Messenger and I tried to explain what we were doing quite recently on our lessons. It pushed me to try to explain my thoughts in the clearest way possible, which is often a trait that is very needed on the exams. I had to think of ways to describe the problem and choose the most precise and accurate method. I feel like my communication skills can really be improved by this experience.