trees are people too

oh, the perils, the pain, the pure pleasures of group work. Now that we are closing on the semester, I shall reflect upon my final group assignment for this subject, for my entire degree in fact, and hopefully can provide some insight into the experience and what I have taken away from it.

Group work is such a delicate flower. Nurture it, and it will grow. Ignore it, and it will quickly fade. Burn the ground where it is planted, and it is unlikely to ever grow again. I have had a difficult last couple of weeks, as, unluckily for me, three of four of my subjects have had extensive group projects as final assignments. Trying to negotiate the numerous meetings, productions, reworkings and finalisations of assignments has been exhausting to say the least, and some have left a bitter taste in my mouth, inevitably having an influence on others. It is not that I dislike group work – I have had some amazing collaborative experiences – but it takes only one where you are left to do the work of an entire group to leave you less inclined to give yourself over to the next.

Group work in Integrated Media has been tricky. The project has been challenging, and has had different levels of engagement from all parties. Two members of the group, including myself, are here by choice – this is not a compulsory subject, while it is for media students. The same two of us are also graduating, and for me that has meant trying to do my absolute best to get the best marks I can on my way out of university. But other members of the group have other priorities, and Integrated Media and machinima isn’t necessarily one of them. Attempting to hold together other groups in subjects where their enthusiasm is more focussed can distract and deter, not to mention the numerous external influences that we all have to manage while trying to coordinate around each other as we try to master new skills and produce a polished finished piece that we are all happy with.

We are often told that group work is thrust upon us as students as rehearsal for ‘what goes on in the real world’. Of course, in the real world you are not trying to negotiate your time between three other subjects simultaneously, and in the real world most people you work with will be there because they want to be, not because they have to. At the same time, in the real world it is inevitable that you will also work with colleagues who will prioritise differently to you, who will care more or less, who will have different work ethics. You will, at some stage, work with people who are (as one tutor so eloquently put it) ‘downright lazy bastards’, and so the trick is not to focus on the negative, but how you can learn to navigate even the most challenging of these situations.

Group work in Integrated Media has taught me many things this semester. It is an excellent exercise in diplomacy, in sharing of ideas and concerns – learning to speak up – and it can be a hell of a lot of fun. The rewarding sensation of having the synergy to create something better than you yourself could do on your own is fabulous. At the same time, it has taught me to let go of my somewhat rigid ideals, to learn to compromise, and to just relax. It is not the end of the world if it doesn’t go my way, although I like to stamp my foot and frown as if it is.

It is such a delicate balance between compromise and tenacity, between compliancy and being adamant, persistent in your ideas. Give and take. Involving yourself in such collaboration can teach you eons about what is important to you – and more vitally, what really matters. I want so bad to control my space, to control the outcome of everything, to CONTROL THE WORLD, yet I learn also that I am sometimes too diplomatic, too quiet, too afraid of confrontation and compromise.

I am learning, through group work, that alternatives are possible, and that everything doesn’t need to be perfect. That nothing can ever be perfect, no matter how much of a perfectionist you are. I am learning to let go. If I love my values, my ideas, I must set them free.

Yes, I am a slow learner, but an attentive one. I look forward to my next collaboration. This time in the real world.

Beautiful photo of teamwork courtesy of Mmonhsi.