Whims, or flights of fancy, are a common occurrence in many creative fields, including architecture. Architecture students may be prone to whims as they explore and experiment with different design concepts and ideas. While whims can be a valuable part of the creative process, they can also be a distraction from the task at hand. It’s important for architecture students to strike a balance between pursuing their creative ideas and staying focused on the practical aspects of their work.
One way to manage whims in architecture school is to set aside specific times for exploring creative ideas. For example, a student might schedule a few hours each week to work on experimental designs or explore new materials and techniques. This can help to channel creative energy in a productive way while also ensuring that important coursework and deadlines are met. Another strategy for managing whims is to collaborate with others. Working with classmates or professors can help to ground creative ideas in practical considerations and keep them from becoming too impractical or unrealistic.
Ultimately, the key to managing whims in architecture school is to embrace creativity while also remaining focused and disciplined in the pursuit of practical goals.
- People calling you ‘Architecture’ (happens even before joining the architecture school and would stick for your entire life)
When we are done with schooling, there is a constant bombardment of questions on our plans for the future. We think we have all figured out for at least the next five years. So we tell them of our dream to pursue architecture with a smile on our faces. Not knowing how it would haunt us for the rest of our lives.
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No matter what, submissions have to be done | Whims
An architecture school is different from the rest in terms of academics and how these things work. When given an assignment, that is something to be well thought. It could be copied, neither from the internet nor from our friends. They could trigger the idea. Initially, when joining the school, these are the things that had been discussed and, if we missed those classes, would take time to understand the rules. One of the students of my batch joined a week late. There has been a list of submissions already assigned. One of the faculty didn’t entertain late submissions, so he told her that he would not take it. The girl, on the other hand, got all perky and excited, asking him that now she does not have to work on that project and move forward. The look on the face of the professor was of shock at first, which ended up slightly in a smile telling her that she has to work on that and submit later.
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Fell asleep while working
Pulling up an all-nighter is something students of architecture have to do regularly. Though, there have been times when the days are hectic and you cannot sleep because of the submissions due the next morning. Manually drafting the sheets are fun in a way but falling asleep on it while working, crippling and wrinkling the paper, the elevation of the building rendered with the drooling. Panicking after waking up as what to do but, then you submit it anyway. Who would know that was because of drooling?
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Sneak out to the canteen | Whims
The continuous three to four hours in the studio feels claustrophobic, starving too because most of the students forget to have breakfast too when it comes to working day and night long on a project. Getting fresh air in the face only helps. After being done with the discussions, sneaking out of the class to the canteen, either to have a glass of juice or to while away the time till the class ends, became a routine. The faculty notices or doesn’t that’s not certain but, they surely pretend like they don’t.
- All the world conspires to make the day full of obstacles when you have to carry your model
The wind starts to blow and, to reach the destination, the faculty building, the only way is to face the storm and move ahead. The whole world seems stable, just yours falling. The trees had blown away, so was the roof of the top of the building. Other people point out that you may have dropped something that looked like a house. You could not even pick it up. People laugh at you (maybe) and you laugh at yourself too. Why did you take architecture? What were you thinking? Deep down to know that it is all worth it.
- Motivation is not driven by the desire to do something, but by the amount of work your classmates are doing.
Consulting each other about the progress of the work has been a driving force since always and maybe not only in architecture but in every field. Peers act as a driving force in terms of progressing with a particular project.
- Mutually deciding not to bring in submissions, but then you are the only one in class without one.
Not trusting one another, or when there is no unity among the students, there is a benefit of the doubt that someone may double-cross. So everyone comes with work except you.
- Redo. If the whole of the class gets that.
If you fall alone, there is a moment of embarrassment that one could not perform up to the mark. But when the whole lot is in a slump, it feels funny. That’s the thing with getting a redo or repeat in architecture. Students don’t consider it something worth worrying about because they have been used to it since the first day they stepped into the architecture school. Felt frustrating at first, but later became normalized and fun.
- Friends from other fields compare their life with you.
They spend their weekends having fun. Architecture students, on the other hand, defined having fun differently. Their weekends were when they did not have submissions to make. No one trusts them when they say they get assignments every single day and have submissions due every day of the week.
- There are students in architecture who get 8 hours of sleep. HONEST.
This one gets hard to believe. The demand for the course even requires consecutive sleepless nights too. That seems too good to be the truth, but certain people can sleep and still manage to bring in submissions (that’s what they think, the faculty do not consider such submissions. They surely wonder how to make students pull more all-nighters.)
