As Architects or students of Architecture, we all agree on the importance of visualization in our field. Be it client meetings or academic juries, the power of a well-rendered visual drawing has always been the focal point of our work. With the steady growth in technology, our world has become more informative and easier to access. One can almost find anything and anyone on the web. Then why do we still hesitate to showcase our work and market ourselves when we have the opportunity to do so?
Show your Work!
Imposter Syndrome is described as having self-doubt and feeling like a fraud. It forces people not to take a risk, for fear of failure. A lot of us as Architects struggle with this imposter syndrome. The constant pressure to come up with something original is increasingly daunting and a hefty experience. After struggling with major concepts throughout our academic years, our work is often diluted by the demands of the clients and the strict municipal guidelines. The constant internalized fear of not being good enough or being exposed as a fraud due to a lack of originality is rampant in our industry. With a never-ending catalogue of tools and software’s to learn, it is almost natural for this feeling of self-doubt to creep up.
“Being a valuable part of a scenius is not necessarily about how smart or talented you are, but about what you have to contribute—the ideas you share, the quality of the connections you make, and the conversations you start”
Autin Kleon’s Show Your Work! is a book based on this common struggle many of us go through. He discusses how instead of wasting time networking, one should take advantage of the network. By sharing your work and ideas, one is more likely to gain an audience than go after one. Social media like everything is dual-natured. Using it smartly is what makes it a boon. Networking has become common and the easiest, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin that help people connect with others for collaboration. This further helps one gain an audience that becomes aware and interested in the work you do, often leaving them inspired.
Why should you get your Project Featured?
“if your work isn’t online, it doesn’t exist.”
The internet has given birth to a wide range of platforms, for like-minded users to come together. Networking is important for us Architects to gain new possible clients. By getting your designs and projects featured on these platforms and virtual magazines, you increase the chance of your work being recognised. Here is why,
- It helps in boosting your profile.
- It increases the possibility of collaborations.
- Possibility of attracting potential clients.
- It is the easiest way of marketing and establishing market recognition.
- It brings in several opportunities by aiming at a target audience.
Ways to Network
Build your website
A website is the easiest way to showcase your work and services to potential clients and collaborators. Creating a project page on your website makes it easier for the user to view your work and design style. Firms like MAD Architects even have their conceptual designs up on their website. The important thing is to show everything you do, even the smallest of the sketch.
Collaborations
Knowledge shared is knowledge gained. As Architects, we collaborate with many specialists and contractors during live projects. We often learn and network during material and product sourcing which help us to promote and market our work.
Visual Renders
Have the habit of posting daily renders of your upcoming projects on your website or social media. Keeping the viewer posted about your work is the easiest way to understand your design and working style.
Social Media
Your profile speaks a lot about you and your firm. Posting about your ongoing projects or even site pictures makes it real for the people who view your profile. Sharing design ideologies or even about yourself is the easiest and the most efficient way of marketing yourself. Surely there will be a bunch of people who will relate to you.
Enter Competitions
Competitions always help make one aware of the vast ideas and solutions Architects from other parts of the world put forward. It is fun because of its challenging nature and opens up various doors of acknowledgement regarding your position as a designer. It also brings in the scope of winning and building a propitious clientele.
Magazines Submissions
It is one of the easiest and fastest ways of promoting your work. Magazines and web blogs such as A.D, Domus, Archello, and Dezeen are some of the many platforms, which advocate and highlight Architects, projects and products around the globe. They are well-read by students and fellow architects of the design community. Getting your work featured on one of these is the easiest way to self-promotion and one of the best ways to flush your Imposter Syndrome down the toilet P-trap.
Citations from Book:
- Show your Work! – Author: Austin Kleon
