...yes you know how to finish that one.
Recently, an architect told me that they didn't feel a particular need to do great design work. And I was, well, astonished. And, I wondered, but why not? To argue against design seems to argue against quality, against improving our place on this earth. Design makes things better. Design solves problems. Design makes for the best environment we can have. What's not to like about this?
If I were to pose this question to the Architect who does not need to pursue great designs, I think the answer would be simply, the cost is too high. Now cost in this case means either hardship, or stress, or discomfort... Because as we all know (right) its not a great design (right) unless it meets its budget and can be built well. RIght? Right.
And this is where we can use the old quote from Michelangelo:
“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
Pamela Slim describes it from a more personal perspective, "Work...is the way you translate your feelings, your thoughts, your hopes and your desires into something valuable, tangible and useful every day. You can choose to make work into a dreaded, necessary evil that you can't wait to finish so that you can get busy with your 'real life.' Why not just do work you love?"
Now I think this is a fine position. But the next thing she says probably comes closer to answering my questions of why not? And gives a hint into the reason why my associate says achieving great design is not that important.
"Fear is the great inhibitor. All of the excuses that you find for not doing work you love have solutions. You do not enact them because you are afraid: of showing up too big in the world; of failing; of appearing as an imposter; of living in poverty."
Ahhh, I think we are getting closer. So if you have studio-mates that think like my associate. And you decide, as I have, to help them past their fear of design. Consider Pamela's recommendation, "There is nothing wrong with fear. Feel it, talk to it, examine it and walk with it. Then step out and let yourself show up, warts and all. It will liberate you."
And maybe give me some suggestions on how to help these folks see this wisdom.
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