Angela’s Manual Scripts and Potato Printing
>> Click here for Angela's post >> Click here for my original post
I chose to reflect on Angela’s Task 4 – Manual Scripts and Potato Printing because the photo of her print immediately caught my eye. The backwards letters made me know I was not alone when I did this assignment – I too cut my letters backwards – oops!
Angela’s reflection included a commentary on how difficult early forms of writing and printing were, and how difficult and intensive it is to make the letters the same. I agree with her reflection on how it makes us appreciate the mechanization of writing – inventions such as the computer and the typewriter have helped humans be more efficient and faster at producing text.
I found it interesting how she approached it as a collaborative and playful activity with her son, while I chose to do the task alone. It was also interesting how differently we interpreted the instructions – she interpreted the assignment by carving two separate potato stamps and making two prints, whereas I used one carved set of letters to create two different prints – a tote bag and a sketchbook cover.
Her storytelling highlighted the fun and unpredictability of the task, whereas I focused more on structure and connecting the experience to course concepts like early printing technologies.
I appreciated how she captured the humour and imperfection in her reversed letters. It brought out the human side of her craftsmanship.
Both of our reflections seem to land on similar conclusions about how difficult early writing and printing must have been. Angela’s reflection emphasized how challenging and labor-intensive early forms of writing and printing were, especially the effort required to make each letter look the same.
We also agreed on how much we value of mechanization of writing and appreciate modern tools such as the computer that have made have made producing text far faster and more efficient. I love how her post emphasizes the joy of discovery.
Angela’s post highlights hands-on and collaborative literacies as she focused on the process of creating, experimenting, and learning through doing, especially with her son. Her reflection shows how meaning can come from play and shared experience.
Mine, on the other hand, leans more toward technological literacies, connecting the craft to ideas about printing and design. Angela’s approach celebrates creativity and the human side of making, while mine focuses more on structure and analysis. Both bring valuable perspectives to creating text, textiles, and technology.
One piece of feedback I would give for Angela to improve her writing is to connect her assignment analysis with academic literature from our course.
Featured image on this post is from Unsplash.com