The secret to becoming an overnight success
Creativity is as much about hard work as it is about genius or giftedness. Architects can learn from masters in other artistic fields about the value of hard work and daily execution.
Month: February 2010
Teamwork is just a word we like to use
William Caudill encouraged a new approach to architectural practice in his book, Architecture by Team published in 1971. His philosophy was beautifully captured in a bio by Randle Pollack originally published by American School and University in 1983 upon the inauguration of an annual citation in his name. “Of all the giants in 20th-century architecture, …
What I have learned…(revisited)
I created the first version of this list in 2008 at the request of George Smart whose surname understates his genius. George inspires me every time I chat with him. His website, Triangle Modernist Houses is a splendid work of art (see number 11 below). Learning has more to do with listening and doing than …
Get out of the bathroom and into the game
About 60 architects and I spent a full day last week learning (among other things) that the spacing from the center-line of a toilet to the adjacent wall has changed 1” with the most recent revision to the building code. It was a seminar on the new accessibility code in our state and we were …
Pencils? We don’t need no stinkin’ pencils….
Fasten your seat belts. A brave new world of visual communication is coming…or is already here. As I watched this video clip demonstrating how Wired magazine is planning to use the technology made available by the Apple iPad, my mind started racing through all the ways architects communicate visually. The implications for how this tool …
Architecture after Architects?
Most of us who were students of Vernon Shogren at the NCSU College of Design in the 1970s remember his irreverence for the Profession of architecture. He was passionate about the value and role of architectural thinking and doing, just not terribly impressed with the trappings of architectural practice. One afternoon during a studio discussion …
The high value of the first follower
My three year side trip into photography exposed me to an entirely new set of people and ideas. Sabbaticals now make sense to me! Here is a link to a fascinating video clip about leadership and the value of being a “first follower” offered by Derek Sivers and introduced to me by Bob Lefsetz. These …
“Lead, follow or get out of the way” -Thomas Paine
My father drummed this quotation into our heads as children to the point that it became an unconscious mantra. Not one to attribute his wisdom to others, I had no idea where it originated until I Googled it five minutes ago. Dad chose to lead…always, even when it may have been more prudent to follow. …
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No one had heard of Photoshop in 1989
John Knoll and his brother, Tom conceived of what came to be called Photoshop at at time when digital photography did not exist in any commercially viable form. Photoshop was launched by Adobe in 1990 when a Kodak DCS-100 digital camera sold for $13,000. Now, in only 20 years nearly every person alive has heard …
Vampires can’t stand sunlight
I’ve been devouring a couple of books by Seth Godin. Godin has a remarkable take on the new economy and the role of the artist. I find myself flooded with ideas; ideas for long term projects and for short blog posts. You might notice that it has been 5 days since my most recent. The …