Dream Archive — PhD Dashboard
PhD Research Dashboard

Dream Archive

Month 13 · Wrexham University
🗓 Next Deadline
Digital Dragons 2026 — Kraków
Talk: "Designing Key Art for Game Worlds: Clarity, Scale and Impact"
—
DAYS REMAINING
Project Status
Contextual Review20%
Needs reframe → resilience as primary lens
Dream Archive — Lore55%
Narrative + Rooms complete, key art in progress
Digital Dragons Talk10%
Deck + 1–2 key arts needed
Practitioner Integration5%
Transcripts complete, integration = 0
Art Direction Bible0%
Not yet started
Thesis Connector Sentence30%
In progress — no final version yet
Production Phases 2026
Phase 01 · ACTIVE
Lock & Define
through mid-April 2026
Lock Dream Archive narrative. Define key art series as PhD output. Finalise thesis connector sentence.
Phase 02 · NEXT
Digital Dragons Sprint
mid-Apr → mid-May
1–2 key arts. 2–3 blog posts. Talk deck. Kraków.
Phase 03
Full Production
June → September
Full key art series. Documented process posts. Art Direction Bible draft.
Phase 04
Theory Integration
October → December
Contextual review rewrite (resilience lens). Practitioner integration. Framework finalisation.
To Do
—
Theory
Final Thesis Connector Sentence
Phase 1~3h
Admin
Supervisor conversation: resilience reframe
Urgent · open decision~1h
Creative
Define key art series as PhD output
Phase 1~2h
Theory
Art Direction Bible — outline structure
Phase 2–3~4h
Creative
Memory Room I (Silesia) — key art
Phase 3~20h
Theory
Rewrite contextual review → resilience lens
Phase 4~40h
Theory
Neurodiversity content integration (PL→EN)
Phase 4~8h
Theory
Integrate practitioner transcripts into framework
Cole, Paick, Alice, Bigloo~12h
In Progress
—
Digital Dragons
Talk deck — "Clarity, Scale and Impact"
Deadline: 17 May~8h
Creative
Key Art #1 — Room II Zagłębie (kitchen)
For DD + blog~20h
Creative
Dream Archive narrative — finalise
Grandfather as anchor~4h
Blog
Post: "Designing Key Art — my process"
Pre-DD~3h
Done ✓
—
Theory
Transcript: Dylan Cole
✓ Complete
Theory
Transcript: James Paick
✓ Complete
Theory
Transcript: Alex Alice
✓ Complete
Theory
Transcript: Eshan Bigloo
✓ Complete
Theory
ACT analysis: Clair Obscur Expedition 33
✓ Model for the project
Creative
Vëlinae lore + Memory Rooms
✓ Narrative foundation
Creative
Grandfather recordings (Sosnowiec/Abisynia)
✓ Source material for Room II
Event
Digital Dragons — slot confirmed
✓ 17–19 May, Kraków
Sprint: April 2026 — Phase 1 + Phase 2 kickoff
Week 1 · 14–18 Apr
LOCK
Final thesis connector sentence
One sentence. That's it. Sit down and write it.
3h
Define key art series as PhD output
How many? Which rooms? Write 1 page.
2h
Rough outline of DD talk structure
Slide headings + narrative arc
2h
Thumbnails Key Art #1 (kitchen, Sosnowiec)
Min. 5 composition variants
3h
Week 2 · 21–25 Apr
BUILD
Key Art #1 — value study + rough colour
Lock composition before rendering details
6h
Talk deck — first 10 slides
Intro + my context + clarity principle
3h
Blog post #1 — pre-DD announcement
Announce talk, show key art process
2h
Finalise narrative (grandfather as anchor)
Decide: guide / object of grief / both?
2h
Week 3 · 28 Apr – 2 May
POLISH
Key Art #1 — rendering + details
Final render ready for DD + portfolio
8h
Talk deck — all slides complete
All sections. First full run-through.
4h
Blog post #2 — key art reveal
Show the work + write about the process
2h
Week 4 · 5–9 May
REHEARSE
Talk deck — final revisions after feedback
You have a deck. Now improve it.
2h
3× run-throughs out loud
Record yourself. Time it. 25 min.
3h
Key Art #2 — start (optional)
If energy allows — thumbnails Room I
3h opt.
Blog post #3 — research / theory context
Theoretical context of key art
2h
Week 5 · 12–16 May
KRAKÓW
Final pass through deck en route
No changes — just settle your mind
1h
🎤 Digital Dragons — talk 17–19 May
You're ready. You did the work.
—
Blog post #4 — DD reflection
Write right after, while the energy is there
2h
🎨 Creative Practice
Vëlinae lore + Dream Archive
done
Memory Rooms (3 locations)
done
Narrative — composite grandfather
in progress
Key Art #1 — Room II Zagłębie
in progress
Key Art #2 — Room I Silesia
todo
Key Art #3 — Room III Kieleckie
todo
Art Direction Bible
todo
📚 Theory
ACT analysis (Clair Obscur) — template
done
Narrative foundation (PL) — v1
done
Thesis connector sentence
URGENT
Contextual review → resilience reframe
Phase 4
Practitioner integration (Cole, Paick…)
Phase 4
Neurodiversity (PL→EN)
Phase 4
PBR + DPM + ACT — full framework
Phase 4
🎤 Digital Dragons Sprint
Slot confirmed
✓
Talk deck structure
in progress
Key Art #1 to showcase
in progress
Full deck (all slides)
by 2 May
3× full run-throughs
May
✍️ Blog & Communication
Post: ACT / Clair Obscur
done
Post: pre-DD announcement
April
Post: key art process reveal
April
Post: theory / research context
May
Post: DD reflection
post 19 May
Baseline: 2 posts / month
ongoing
Now · Week 1, Phase 1

One task for today

Thesis Connector Sentence
Block: 3h · When: morning, before emails · Tool: text, pen or keyboard
One sentence. Format: "This research investigates X through Y, demonstrating Z."
You don't need to love it. You need something on the page.
Next three steps (no more)
01
Define key art series as PhD output
1 page · focus: how many works, which Rooms, why that's enough · ~2h
02
Thumbnails Key Art #1 (kitchen, Sosnowiec)
5 composition variants · input: grandfather recordings · ~3h
03
Rough structure of DD talk
Slide headings + 2 sentences per section only · ~2h
Note for your brain

Two things are equal priority right now: Digital Dragons and the connector sentence. Everything else — contextual review, practitioner integration, the Bible — is Phase 4. You do not need to touch those right now. Give yourself permission to have only one front at a time.

The Kanban is your external brain. When a new idea or obligation appears — drop it in To Do, close the dashboard, return to the task.