{"id":212,"date":"2025-05-07T01:06:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T05:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/?page_id=212"},"modified":"2025-05-07T01:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T05:10:49","slug":"interview-with-emily-norton","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/?page_id=212","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Emily Norton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>March 6, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" data-id=\"215\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/Design-Thinking-Initiative-Building-Exterior.jpeg\" alt=\"Design Thinking Initiative Building Exterior.jpeg\" class=\"wp-image-215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/Design-Thinking-Initiative-Building-Exterior.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/Design-Thinking-Initiative-Building-Exterior-300x188.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/Design-Thinking-Initiative-Building-Exterior-768x480.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Design Thinking Initiative Building Exterior.jpeg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"425\" height=\"425\" data-id=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/emily-norton-crop.jpg\" alt=\"Emily Norton\" class=\"wp-image-214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/emily-norton-crop.jpg 425w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/emily-norton-crop-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/emily-norton-crop-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Emily Norton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How would you describe your role at the DTI<\/strong>?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As director she oversees where the initiative is &#8211; what they do and where they\u2019re headed\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mission and goals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrate design and making as ways of thinking into the Smith experience\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Co-curricularly + individually\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Her + studio manager + part time admin + part time communications\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 people running programming\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One person on tech and support student staff<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One for curricular side<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Co-directing concentration + teaching classes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Face at the admin meetings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How did you end up pursuing this job?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>She has background in art and design\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Undergrad in hands-on making program\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Did grad school for more conceptual art<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dismayed by the individualistic aspect of artworld<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excited by collaborative projects<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Design thinking\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Designers bringing creative approach to other fields&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interested in moving into educational space<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are some approaches that help people feel comfortable being creative in a new medium?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Personality\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Being able to break down projects into phased\/step by step&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visuals + demos + chances for people to try themselves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visual to follow along with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are some ways to create a self- sustaining creative community within a creative space? (how do you create an environment where people are comfortable trying new things)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Getting out of the way\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Trust others leadership&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a space that feels more student led than staff led\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allowing the space to be emergent and responsive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoiding structure that would make it feel like some people don\u2019t belong\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hard to avoid having a lot of stimulus&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are there any practices you maintain to help ensure people will be respectful of your equipment and materials?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Its a shared resource so breakage and losses and disappearing things are inevitable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intention around creating community guidelines and community use expectations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Introduce those expectations to any new people<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being mindful of all the problems could come up\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Generally smith students are very good at it&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What challenges generally come up with helping customers who are passing through stay focused, engaged, and supported?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Challenge of just getting people to come in\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Working with classes helps and can lead to interesting things\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Helps people realize this resource could be for them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People who do come in but don\u2019t know what to do\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Studio design partners who help make it feel approachable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making sure that the people who work here feel comfortable approaching someone and checking in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making them visible in the space&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Signs everywhere that are affirmation signs for letting people interacting with the space<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Next to every machine- pictures of people who know how to use different machines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offering workshops that students can lead\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Co-curricular workshops that are specific to material or approach<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intro level<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are there any digital creative databases that you find helpful or that would be good examples of how to create helpful learning spaces?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Linkedin learning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Youtube<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DTI website\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students created \u201cresources beyond DTI\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cTutorials and equipment\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reed bartone johnsone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Instructables&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Books<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open source libraries&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>March 6, 2025 How would you describe your role at the DTI? How did you end up pursuing this job? What are some approaches that&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/?page_id=212\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Interview with Emily Norton<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":5516,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-212","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5516"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=212"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224,"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212\/revisions\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}