From being an aspiring architect to being endorsed with an Ar. prefix, this journey has been all about learning and experiences. The course is very vast and each one of us has different things to take back home. Initially, I presumed the course to be all about drawing, creating technical and software skills along. This is pretty much what it turned out to be.
While we culminate these experiences and step into the real world we structure our practice on these aspects. Along with these learnings you as an individual evolve through the process, I believe that this evolution weighs more than most other learnings. In any field, the facade you build or the first impression you create becomes the basis of what lays ahead.
In a field like architecture where you become the sole representative for your creation, the facade you create for yourself becomes more vital. This isn’t something that is taught to you, it slowly needs to grow on you as you evolve. This facade is probably the most crucial and important aspect that I have imbibed through the course.
On a personal level, I believe that architecture gives one a sense of identity. It is not just the tag you receive with your name but more of what you stand for and believe. Up until the 12th grade, everyone, or at least most of us are running a marathon. Which college to get into, what field to choose and what we need to be able to get through. These decisions shape your life and help you get closer to that dream job but there is more to the word ‘you’.
We hustle to fill in the puzzle of life without a hint of the bigger picture. By the time a person reaches college, most of the puzzle pieces have found their place. Now the crucial job would be to imbibe the bigger picture and embrace it. Although the identity of a person is mostly anchored to the person’s career, there is still the aspect of ‘you’ that makes you distinct in that career pool.
In college, an entire class is devoted to a single design brief. At the end of the semester when we all come up with design solutions and ideas for the brief one can realize that not a single design resembles another, as long as there are no virtual thefts. We all work and discuss with one another, take help at certain instances, yet each of our design outputs is distinctly exquisite.
So, therefore, the distinction of ideas narrows down to an individual’s thought process, perspective and belief. This sense of uniqueness not only reflects in his designs but also resonates as a trait. Over the years this trait grows on you and becomes a crucial part of your facade. This not only helps you with your career but also boosts up one’s confidence and ability to face a crowd. Therefore, a design idea is not just an expression of a person’s ideas but also an extension of their personality.
Right from the beginning, Each student is made to express their ideas on paper as well as vocally present them to a jury. As easy as this sounds, speaking about your design in a way that you convince the jury isn’t about explaining what goes into the paper, but it’s about what’s not present. This challenges each student to bring out a certain sense of peculiarity to the table.
Over the semesters there is a lot of learning and unlearning that happens and finally, a certain tone specific to an individual is found and this not only represents his creative approach but also gives him a sense of identity. The course indirectly is responsible for this sense of identity.
Maybe it’s not a subject out of a book, but the credit goes to the curriculum and maybe as a field on its own. Even in the real world, it’s your facade that helps you get a certain project, convince your client and create a mere sketch to a real form.
For someone who isn’t vocally expressive about his ideals and thoughts, architecture to an extent could be of great help. It not only helps overcome this drawback but it gives a stronghold on your design output too. A design on its own can completely blow a jury’s mind, but just that perfect addition of ‘you’ could make a whole lot of difference.
I believe that if not for architecture I would never be able to create this sense of identity and vocal expression. It also helped me understand that certain fears can turn into your biggest assets. Writing, speaking are forms of expression not all kids are born with, over time they either make peace with it or maybe overcome the fear.
As you walk out of college with mere experiences that could last a lifetime and a sense of ‘you’, there is nothing that could stop you from being a flamingo in a flock of pigeons!
