Technology/Equipment Grant

My goal as a set designer is to produce the best design for each specific production, and acquire new tools to use them in order to make that more achievable. I propose to buy software and hire 3 designers who are using it in their own work, to teach me how to use it to enhance my design process. I am eager to learn digital drafting and imagery software in order to visually communicate more clearly, respond to changes, draft and revise more quickly. Acquiring these skills would make me more valuable to the companies (mostly non-profits) that I work with, and would help me use my time more efficiently. My colleagues, especially technical directors and lighting designers, almost exclusively use common software, and my use of the same software would help us work more seamlessly together to support the production, especially when working remotely. I believe this will help reduce some barriers, allow me to respond to ideas quickly, and let me be more creative and inspired in my work. I plan to create a structure of lessons and practice, incorporating new skills into my work incrementally through the year, and enhancing my work with these new tools. Part of my goal is also to explore these and other programs and identify which ones might be valuable to continue. I will know that my time spent learning new digital tools is successful if I am incorporating them into my work on a regular basis, if I continue to learn new aspects of the software and find new ways to use it, if my colleagues find it easier to reference or work with my draftings and visual communications, if I find I am able to complete a successful design in a shorter time frame, and if I can design remotely more easily.