ASSUMPTION DESTROYING TRAINING DEVICE

MFA Project

Many of us are guilty of allowing assumptions into our decision making, assumptions about appearance, socioeconomic status and education for example. These assumptions act as menaces and can keep us from making sound decisions. Allowing assumptions into our decision making can jeopardize relationships and ultimately negatively effect the course of our lives.

I decided that being able to see an assumption would be the best way to identify with and understand why we allow them into our decision making.  I began designing an assumption doll by working on multiple rounds of conceptual sketches. I wanted to ‘personify’ assumption but what does assumption look like?

Allowing assumption into decision making is simply ignorant, so I decided I will create a doll that appears unintelligent. I also wanted the doll to look both clumsy and dopey, so I designed its posture to seem unsteady. The doll’s block shaped head represents the way an assumption can inhibit, or block, us from making a grounded decision.

After designing, 3D modeling and 3D printing the assumption doll, I struggled with what I wanted to do with it. I just designed and produced something that I’m trying to get rid of, right? Ultimately, we want to destroy these menacing thoughts, but just like any other bad habit, we can’t just stop cold turkey.

I decided that I needed to create a training device, the Assumption Destroying Training Device (ADTD), which would allow participants to reflect on their faults, strengthen their ability to keep harmful assumptions away from any decision making and finally destroy their assumption.

HOW TO USE ADTD:

1. Acknowledge the assumption/s you allow into your decision making. Choose the doll that coordinated with your assumption and stand it in one of the four holes in the face of the Assumption Destroying Training Device.

2. With a ball in your hand, step behind the marked line, take aim and throw your ball at your assumption. Work to destroy your assumption. If you do not break your assumption on your first attempt, which most won't, continue to practice. Do not stop trying to destroy your assumption until you succeed.

3. After destroying your assumption doll collect the broken pieces from the floor and place them in the package supplied. Then complete the label on the side of the package.

4. Take your broken assumption doll with you as a reminder of how menacing as assumption can be in decision making and how awareness, practice and conditioning will allow you to destroy each assumption.