When I first added this Wicked Problems course to my schedule my advisor had not mentioned any details about the class so I was very unaware of the information I would be learning. During the first week we touched on some basics of the worse in the class and the first thing I did was look up the term wicked problem. When I was reading the definition it seemed a bit overwhelming because I seen phrases such as impossible to solve and unclear solutions. As we talked in class the next day, I did receive a better understanding of the concept, but it was still a scary term to use because of the impossibilities. We then started talking about the examples and that made me realize there are many things in the world that can not be solved with only one solution all through the world. Some places do not have the same resources nor the same economy therefore they could not produce some of the solutions that could be proposed in other places of the world. When we started discussing these wicked problems in class I was like oh there is definitely an easy way to solve this, turns out that was not the case. I did not realize some of these problems were such serious issues that get worse as times go on because there is not a specific solution. One of the wicked problems I really looked into recently was fashion and by fashion I do not just mean trendy clothes but trends in general that come and go. In the article I read it talked about how we take resources and use an excessive amount because it is readily available and there. In this instance I think we need to refer back to that phrase that we have always been told as we grew up which is “just because something is available does not mean you need to use it”. This refers to the solution that was discussed which is called design excellence. This mean using what is available and not using the excessive products we don’t need just because we think we should use them. A fashion designer or even a music producer or anything with trends should be able to use their creative minds in their industry to create something out minimal materials and still make everyone want the product. When I first looked at problems like this I was like those are easy just do this to solve it. In some cases, my solutions would of worked for certain areas but as I started learning in this class I learned new strategies to help myself understand these concepts more and now I’m able actually come up with reasonable ideas for help with a solution that my temporarily work while other studies are being done. Another thing that I have learned is types of mindful meditation. Before I thought meditation was a joke that people just did because they thought it was trendy or something. However, now that I’m in this class I have learned that it actually does help you understand that not everything needs to be overthought and dealt with as soon as it comes up. I like to sketch or color for about ten minutes a day to clear my mind and label my thoughts as just thoughts. This helps me because my mind constantly runs and overthinking everything that goes through it. Before I started this blog I had asked my professor the same question multiple times because I was overthinking the assignment. After I had sat down and done my ten minutes to arrange my thoughts I then went back over the assignment, and I had understood it a little better because I stopped over analyzing what was being said in the prompts. Right now, I have been studying one of the issues that is a wicked problem that I was unaware of until recently. This issue is the lack of shelters for individuals who suffer after a natural disaster. Were you aware that that was a problem? I can say that digging deeper has made me realize that this is a bigger issue, and more people should definitely know about it and take it more seriously. This class has taught me to analyze problems from not just my perspective, but from other peoples perspectives who are also involved because that helps come up with a solution that works in all areas. So, for the shelter you have to look at the people who need the shelters, people who build the shelters/design them, and people who pay to make it all happen. All aspects have to be looked at because what if the people who do build them come up with an efficient way t build shelters to withstand the natural disaster but there is no one to fund them then that plan would not work. Now in that case the builders would find sufficient funding before they began building and such things. Even if they did find sufficient funding and effectively build those shelters that only helps one part of the issue. This is happening all around the world so what may work for one place may not work in another because building a shelter to withstand a hurricane could be different than building one to withstand a fire or a tornado depending on what part of the world you are in and what environment is around you. I would say that this course has taught me to wonder abut things and do research to help my curiosity. It has also led me to look at points of view I would have never thought of before coming into this class. This class is something that could actually be used in my everyday life even just to solve normal problems that just need a simple solution. Even though I’m only halfway through the course I think I have learned so much and has made my mind improve in ways that I could have only imagined before.