Name:
Daryn Wakasa

Age:
27

Hometown:
Montebello, California

Mentor:
Michael Worthington

2/3 year program:
3 year program

Area of design interest:
Cinematic motion design

Favorite place to eat in Valencia:
Dinks

Marital Status:
Single

Design inspiration:
Social/Cultural issues

First thing that comes to mind when you think of the grad crit room:
Wall-E

All of the images below are stills from Daryn’s thesis project A Lost Generation. The film will be premiering in the Frame by Frame animation showcase, which will be held at a theater in Los Angeles in September of 2010.

Reason you came to CalArts:
I came to CalArts because I knew the design program would push our thinking as designers and then push our form-making to accurately reflect our ideas. The other big reason I came to CalArts was to be exposed to the plethora of creative talent and resources that exist outside of the graphic design department.

Did you achieve it:
My critical thinking as a person AND as a designer was definitely challenged here at CalArts but more importantly, I feel that CalArts has taught me how to communicate through my graphic design. I have always struggled between functioning as a designer (someone who can make good looking form and can conceptually communicate an idea or message with that form) and an illustrator (someone who just makes good looking form). However, the CalArts’ design program has taught me how to think through my form-making and in turn make it reflect the idea and message that I intend to communicate using a plethora of tools (motion, sound, language, typography, images, sequencing, storytelling, etc.)

What makes CalArts unique?
The philosophy of experimentation, exploration, and collaboration seems to make CalArts unique. As a collective creative community, CalArts’ students have the mindset to try something new even if it “fails”, they have the strength as individuals to express themselves in any way that they see fit (even if it means walking around naked while playing an instrument), and more importantly they have the curiosity to seek out other creative people and collaborate on projects that have the potential to yield unexpected results.

How did thesis effect you?
Wow, big question. For me, thesis was that bookmark in my life that I will never forget because it took everything that I knew (both as a person and as a designer) to complete it. I literally applied design thinking to every aspect of my life. First, I had to apply design-thinking to my role as a director and writer. I had to figure out how to write a screenplay and have the story communicate the current cultural and social issues of the Japanese American Internment camps. Second, I had to apply that same design-thinking to directing my talent, sound designer and music composer. Third, I have always struggled with making meaningful and communicative form so I had to attack this weakness and figure out how to make every design and animation move mean something or else my thesis film would not be functional as a dramatic narrative. In addition to the creative challenges, I also had to apply design thinking to my life because I had to figure out how to get more energy with less sleep and I also had to figure out how to organize myself so that I would minimize my mistakes when I was tired. Lastly, thesis allowed me to grapple with the question of “what graphic design means to me and what separates it from other fields of study (ie: art, illustration, animation, etc.). Thus, thesis was that benchmark in my life where I was able to accomplish something that at many times seemed utterly impossible. It felt good to risk failure on that level. I have a lot more to accomplish and a lot more to learn about design and film but being able to complete my thesis has provided me with the confidence that I need to take myself to the next level.

How has Valencia evolved for you?
Valencia was never an area that i felt comfortable in because of the culture and demographic. However, over the 3 years, I developed this love/hate relationship. On some levels, I like not having a lot of street traffic, being away from the LA culture, and being surrounded by the beautiful desert and hills. However, On the other side of the equation, i can’t wait to get out of Valencia because I have never been in an environment where people have been so culturally naive to what exists in this world. Valencia is a strange, manufactured, secluded environment that makes me feel uncomfortable at times, but I must say that over the years, Valencia has grown on me.

How is the design community/program unique?
The design program is unique because we spend SO much time together. We are constantly in our studios together and we engage in very vulnerable, critical, personal critiques. I think the amount of time that we spend together makes this program more unique than other departments or schools.
What also makes this program unique is the faculty. Maybe I’m biased but I feel like we have an interesting, well-rounded faculty. The knowledge that the faculty have is just an amazing resource. No matter what your interest is, I feel like our faculty is equipped to handle just about any topic/area of interest. I also think that the faculties’ collective design philosophy really challenges us to push our design into new, exciting, unexpected areas.

What is your most memorable experience?
My favorite experience at CalArts was my thesis presentation. I can’t believe that I am going to admit this in a public forum but I literally almost shed tears during my presentation because that project took so much out of me. I have never pushed myself that hard for so long and I have also never been able to surprise myself upon the completion of a project. When the faculty was talking about my thesis project, I think it hit me that I was able to do something that I never thought I would do and it had a large part to do with my education at CalArts. My worst moment at CalArts was during MFA-1 year when my apartment flooded, a family member was really sick, I had issues with the program and curriculum, I lacked the inspiration and energy that propelled me throughout my first year, and in general, I just felt like I wasn’t learning anymore. I think the combination of everything led me to pure frustration and at that point, I really questioned whether or not CalArts was worth continuing. However, in hindsight I have learned that when it rains, it pours, and life is about dealing with the curve balls that it throws your way. I think this was a valuable learning experience because I had to learn that i can only worry about what I can control and that I have take responsibility for my actions and change what i don’t like.

What advice do you have for future design students?
Be a “go-getter” and don’t wait for things to come to you. CalArts is a great learning environment if you take it upon yourself to get what you want out of it. It is not structured to spoon feed you and because of this, it requires extra effort on the student’s part to seek out the opportunities that will provide a fruitful, learning experience. I also think that there are parts of this school that are just dysfunctional and disorganized. The goal of the student is to not let that hinder their learning experience. No college/learning environment is perfect, so the student should accept this and work with what they have and create the opportunities that they yearn for. Also, don’t design in a vacuum. This saying is usually told to designers so that they look at more varied design work but I want to use this phrase to mean, do not just stick to what the design department provides. There is a lot of talent and a lot of valuable resources in the other programs. In fact, learning about animation and film helped me understand how to be a better graphic designer. Learning about other disciplines helped me understand what makes graphic design unique. Sometimes when we just surround ourself with design, we have nothing to compare it to so it is hard to situate ourselves within the world at large, especially for those of us who are dealing with areas of design that bleed into other areas of interest (for me this was motion design). This school is an amazing place and has a lot to offer, UTILIZE it! and GO GET IT! You are paying for it, so why not take advantage of everything that this school has to offer.

All of the images above are stills from Daryn’s thesis project A Lost Generation. The film will be premiering in the Frame by Frame animation showcase, which will be held at a theater in Los Angeles in September of 2010.