The QR Project was a final grade for one of my classes here at Texas State University.
For this project, I placed QR codes all around campus and downtown. And I mean ALL OVER campus/town. I haven't been able to take all of them down yet, and I can't remember where I taped some of them.
Though a few of them were fliers containing early submissions, most of them were left vague as to entice someone's curiosity. From what I've seen, if there are more clues as to what the code is for, then people may be more likely to not scan. This may not be true, but it's just a hunch I wanted to explore. I also really didn't want to overexplain myself (a.k.a. I was getting lazy). The QR codes redirected them to a blog section on my website, which has a submission box at the very top of the page (see corresponding image).
This work is for the curious, as it leads them to a blank area where they can ask for a little doodle.
doo·dle[/ˈdo͞odl/]: a rough drawing made absentmindedly.
The website does not send them a confirmation that their comments were delivered, so it leaves people wondering if they will actually get a doodle. It usually leads to a pleasant surprise when I email them back with their doodle and a short thank you.
The work is completely online. The QR codes lead to a specific site, the submission box requires internet connectivity, and I am interacting with these people in two ways: I email them back with a picture of their doodle, and then I place the doodle publicly onto a blog post.
On the public blog, I make sure to keep their privacy and only state a given first name.
Overall, I've received around 34 requests, most of which deal with a cute little creature enjoying their time in whatever they were doing. Most of the submissions were light-hearted, maybe comedic, but were lively and quite invigorating to doodle (there was also that one with a spooky Mariah Carey defrosting, but it was fun nonetheless). I'm more surprised that I wasn't able to get some of my friends to scan and request a little doodle, but to be fair I just put the QR code in the group chat and left no explanation, and it was finals. Most of my classmates, save for two, didn't respond either; that was expected, though, because for most of the class they just stared at me when I was presenting projects (TO BE FAIR, I was nearly incoherent with my speech, and it seems to have gotten worse over the years. I don't think I'll fare well in a communications class).
In truth, I wasn't really expecting a response back after I emailed them back the pictures, but it was pleasant to have mostly positive feedback from everyone! Out of all 34 requests, 7 people have reached back to me to give me positively, which made me feel warm and fuzzy!
To finalize the whole thing: would I do this again? Most likely. This was a good exercise for drawing things you've not really done yet (frogs, celebrities, pop culture icons), it helped relieve some stress people had during Finals by giving them something that they wanted, and it helped me develop a sense of belonging without having to step out of my comfort zone too much. Sometimes it feels as if I'm floating outside this earthly plane, watching everyone's colors and liveliness while on the outskirts of them all and wanting to be a part of it all.
Anyways, I want to thank everyone who participated in this project, and for those in school I especially wish you only the best vibes for your finals! Please, don't be a stranger!
-Celina Vidaña
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