Jakub
The topic:
Am I a narcissist? When I was younger, some people considered me narcissistic. I never agreed with that, though. I do have some insecurities… but none of them about looking in the mirror. I like that moment of self-reflection (pun intended).
Data gathering:
Once again, phone, screenshots, and notes were the way to go for me. Three mirrors took the lead in the data. Large mirror in the living room, small one in the bathroom, and a bathroom mirror at work.
Mirrors as a topic was easy to analyze. Looking in the mirror requires a moment of peace, and that’s something hard to miss. Low risk of measurement error!
Data drawing:
Even before collecting the data, I had already decided on the way of visualizing it. I wanted to include some kind of symmetry or mirror image. I like working with calipers — it’s precise, reliable, and—in this case—it augments my drawing skills.
The process:
Chris
The topic:
Similarly to Giorgia and Stefanie, the authors of the original Dear Data project, I found the topic of mirrors uninspiring. At least at the beginning of this week. But as days went by, I started to notice new things — specifically, the sheer number of reflective surfaces that surround us.
This is what I like about this project — it helps me notice things, that I usually take for granted.
Data gathering:
I must admit, I took the easy way out this time. The only data points I collected were the location of the mirror and the time.
I underestimated this topic. My first approach to drawing the data was to show each mirror reflection as a line bouncing off the edge of the postcard. And you would read mirror’s location from the angle: acute – bathroom, obtuse – living room, right angle – everything else. But soon enough, the data presented this way became unreadable.
So after this first failed attempt, I took another stab at it. Lines still remained the main theme, but I arranged them differently this time.
Additional observations:
I keep noticing how the themes of weeks past stay with me for longer. When I’m checking the time or thanking someone, I catch myself going for my notebook.
To me, it’s a proof that you can form new habits very quickly. All it takes is a large number of repeats and a clear trigger.
The process:
