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The big day is almost here. Time to put your entire year’s worth of work, personal story and inspiration on the stage. Every time I think about the Thesis Forum, I oscillate from excitement to nausea.

The Thesis Forum is still a new and developing format. Held at the SVA Theatre, each student is given 10 minutes to present and 5 minutes for Q&A. In previous years, the final culmination of the thesis defense was a presentation at the studio to the co-chairs and thesis advisors.

However, last year, for the first time in the program's 10-year history, the class of 2009 presented their thesis on stage at the inaugural Potential Energy Thesis Forum. Having a year to reflect upon the Forum presentation, alumni Gustavo Garcia, David Ricart, Nick Acemoglu, and Steve Haslip share their experience and advice with students following their footsteps.

What was your experience presenting at the Forum?

Gustavo Garcia:
It was an amazing experience. Being on that stage, presenting my work that I've put all my energy into for a year to a big crowd was a very defining moment in my life.

David Ricart:
It was as exciting as the first class with Milton Glaser.

Nick Acemoglu:
The school year and moments leading up to the Forum were filled with constant self-loathing and self-doubt. At one point, I had forgotten that I was only in school. After my presentation, it was so incredibly empowering to remember that I'm actually good at what I do.

Steve Haslip:
It was a successful event, and a great showcase for the whole class.

What did you like? What do you wish was improved?

Gustavo: The whole set up was perfect and very professional. I feel like I gave a good presentation. Stick with what happened. Mistakes are also part of the good memories I have from that day.

David: I loved the help from the first years. I wish the day were shorter. Partying at the end is awesome.

Nick: I loved the Questions and Answers section. I wish there could have been more time for that portion.

Steve: The venue was great, but the format was too long. I think that it's too much to ask the attendees to give up a whole day. It's also a shame if they only see a portion of the presentations. In my opinion, a shorter format would benefit all by allowing attendees to see the whole class as opposed to two or three students.

Did the Thesis Forum presentation prepare you for post-MFA life?

Gustavo: Definitely. I'm 100% sure about that.

David: Absolutely. It was a major confidence booster once accomplished.

Nick: Are you kidding? Of course! My level of confidence in presenting work skyrocketed. The rationale I developed from the thesis process LITERALLY forced me to quit smoking. Upon graduating, my class walked into a shit job market… although it wasn't easy at first, I knew that when given the opportunity I could slay any job interview.

Steve: I think the theater environment provides some students the strongest platform to showcase their work. It is good preparation for what lies ahead.

Was the Forum was the culmination of your thesis, or the beginning of something new?

Gustavo: I guess I can say both. It's the end of an intense and super stressful creative process, but at the same time it feels like the birth of your child, you know? It's your idea coming to life. On that very specific moment you project is alive and ready to take over the world!

Nick: Definitely the beginning. After the Forum, I reacquired all the self-doubt in order to make my project better. I went back to formula and redid ALL the steps. I will probably never be 100% happy, but hopefully I can soon 'unleash' my 'potential energy' into the real world.

Steve: I think it's inevitable that the thesis forum feels like the end of a journey, given that it takes place at the end of the course. However, it prepared me to take my thesis to the next level.

Advice on overcoming nerves?

Gustavo: Sleep well. Remember to breathe in AND out. You can't see a single face on the audience because of the light.

David: Do a lot of breathing exercises before jumping on stage. Own it!

Nick: Backstage, Esther told a handful of us "you have to remember, you're in school". Drink lots of water. Rehearse your thesis to anyone who will listen.

Steve: Practice, practice, practice. Know your shit!

Parting words of advice?

Gustavo: Don't worry about it. Really. You know EVERYTHING about YOUR project, so there's no chance you're gonna do it wrong. Good luck and kick some ass! Or as we say here in Brazil: Boa sorte e quebra tudo!

David: Manage your water intake and your bathroom breaks well. And above all: Confidence!

Nick: Be supportive of each other and don't talk shit.

The Thesis Forum is open to the public.

SVA MFA Design 2010 UNLEASHED Thesis Forum
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Click here to register

It's officially February, and we’re seventy some days away from the final thesis forum. Stories, narratives, and storytelling are central aspects of thesis. Below are concise and well articulated overviews of storytelling by Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. Glass discusses the building blocks of storytelling and gives profound pieces of wisdom for storytellers of all kinds. If you’re looking to develop your sense of narrative, take a few minutes to watch these. I included some notes I jotted down about each video.

Part 1: On the Basics



The building blocks of stories:

1. Anecdote – a sequence of actions. The story in its purest form.
2. Bait – raise question from the beginning. Constantly ask and answer questions.
3. Moment of Reflection – the point of the story. Why am I listening/watching this?

Be ruthless. "Have the perseverance to get an interesting anecdote with a supporting moment of reflection. The two interwoven will make something larger than the sum of its parts."


Part 2: On Finding Great Stories



The amount of time finding a decent story is more than the time to produce the story. Set as much time looking for stories as producing them.

"Not enough gets said about the importance of abandoning crap."

If you’re not failing all the time you’re not giving yourself opportunities to get good.


Part 3: On Good Taste



If you're doing creative work, you will go through years of producing work that falls short of your ambition. "The most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work." Only by doing a huge volume of work will you be able to catch up and close the gap between the work you make and your ambition.


Part 4: On Two Common Pitfalls



Don’t imitate: Be yourself.

"Everything is more compelling when you talk like a human being, when you talk like yourself."

Don’t leave out interaction: What’s interesting isn’t just your take on things, but seeing the interaction with other people.
 

More Ira Glass:
This American Life Radio
This American Life TV