Architecture, of all the arts, is the one which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul.
– Ernest Dimnet
What comes to your mind when you hear the word, Architect?
We know Architecture as a creative and essential profession, and just as quickly, most people assume that architects are nifty professionals who receive massive paychecks for doodling around on a computer screen. But only those of you who are acquainted with at least one Architect/Architecture student know that this is not always the case.
When I think about these misconceptions people have about architecture, I remember a hilarious incident that happened during my first year of under graduation. Before getting into an Architecture college, I was also one of those people who had many myths about this profession. At a young age, freshly out of school, I imagined all kinds of dazzling things related to architecture and made up my mind to do it. I, like most of my peers at that age, thought that it was only tough to get into an architecture college, and after that, it was just a cakewalk. I thought that I would have a fun and exciting college life for five years and after that, I would step into the world with a fancy college degree and a crazy line-up of job options to follow my passion for designing.
With an excited heart and a head full of expectations, I entered my undergraduate college. I still remember it as clear as day; we all took a tour of the campus, exploring the various studios and prepared ourselves to step into a new world. Two days into the orientation week, we attended an introductory lecture on Architecture. A very presentable and somewhat witty professor started talking to us about the course. As he started the session, he asked us the question “Who all are here by choice and who are here by chance?” It seemed like an odd question at that time, but without hesitation, I raised my hand stating that I was here by choice, with ten other students. He turned to us with a smile and asked us another question, “Why?”.
Everyone started answering immediately, and so did I. Many answers included, “to have a fun college life”, “it’s a creative profession“, “to be very successful”, “because of fancy jobs”, “architects make a lot of money”. He started laughing after listening to all these answers, which made us slightly confused. He settled everyone down and started explaining to us exactly why he was reacting that way. He began by saying, “First of all, none of this is true…” What came next was the most honest description of architecture I have ever heard. He told us that Architecture is indeed a very creative profession, and most of us would fall in love with it in the coming years. (thankfully this turned out to be true in my case…most of the time at least!) But Architecture is everything but EASY. It is a comprehensive process that takes a lot of effort and hard work. He said that it’s going to take more than just dedication to make it through the next five years and even then, it sure as hell won’t guarantee a successful position right off the bat. An Architect goes through extensive and almost torturous training for five years of college which involves long hours of handwork, back pains, constant dissatisfactions, and of course, lots of REDOs.
There will be many times where you would want to quit. There will be at least one jury experience, if not more, that will hurt your soul. Pulling all-nighters, spending all your allowance on stationery, having a messed-up sleep cycle, giving your all into a project and still finding faults with it the next day will become a part of your lifestyle. He paused, laughed a bit more and told us that all this doesn’t just end with college. Once you start working as a professional, you’ll find yourself constantly battling with clients for timelines and payments. Jobs are scarce, and the professional field is very competitive. Money doesn’t come very quickly to Architects at first. His lecture created a very disordered environment in the room. The professor seemed amused, but to us, this was a lot of unexpected information, ON THE SECOND DAY OF COLLEGE. As he was saying all this, he looked at the shocked faces of a few dozen teenagers. He smiled at us and said, “But if you happen to fall in love with Architecture, it all seems worth it.”
I don’t think I fully understood what he meant then and why he was saying all this without a hint of reluctance. But I think I get it now. Under graduation was painful, so is the practice. Not much has changed during and after college. My sleep cycle is still a mess, and jurors have graduated as clients. Learning and practising architecture is a lot more than it looks. I too have given my blood, sweat and tears, literally,(model makers will relate!) and survived. It took five years of college and four years of professional practice, but I finally understand what he meant. As shocked as I was that day, but I can’t help but smile when I think about what he said to us then. Architecture is, indeed, everything but easy. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!
One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again.
– Renzo Piano
References:
https://www.workflowmax.com/blog/architecture/top-101-exceptionally-badass-quotes-architecture-design-legends
https://www.instagram.com/leewardists/
