So this was sent to me the to me the other day as a joke. And immediately I circulated it to other ahem “hot” architects within my group! To receive a yayy, thumbs up, awesome all super positive comments!
Super positive comments received on being labeled as psychotic! Share something like this with a designer and most likely we take pride in it. A bit off. A bit weird. That’s us and we are proud of it!
Why do they call us weird though?
Perhaps it’s something to do with our identity?
That we choose to be in this field we wear it with a badge of honor this slightly eccentric nature of design itself is what probably led a lot of us to it. We enjoy the fact we are a bit different, a little odd. Please don’t dish out mainstream, that’s not us at all! God forbids “typical design”! It’s utterly mortifying when a client says” just do something normal, no budget!” Such though, is our trade and we do what we need to survive.
Perhaps it’s something to do with our fashion?
Just take a look around, see a funky dressed kid, hair colour most definitely not typical, don’t forget to check out the shoes. You ever spot those here and there? They seem to hang around those cool cafes that are popping up.
Chances are they’d be in some interior, media, graphic, or any design related field of study. Working architect professionals probably have a bit less give although ladies have slightly more freedom to stray from the conventional white collar standard ughh “corporate uniform”. If you ever come across a lady architect check out her shoes. We like to don coloured, designer boots. Me personally, my knee high cowboy boots are one of my faves.
Sharing an experience many years ago starting out, someone told me “hey, you can’t dress like that in a corporate office!” to which my reply was, “sure I can. I’m a designer bah!” That’s us, our profession blankets our fashion choices and our fashion choices probably identifies with our profession. So there!
Perhaps it’s something to do with the way we talk?
Speak to a designer. A true designer and by that I mean people who have soulfully chosen this rough and treacherous path toiled through blood sweat and tears just to get here. Speak to them and you will find when you hit the right frequency they’ll most certainly go off in tangents no other non-designer can follow. We speak with our hearts sometimes more so our souls speak and our brain also tries to catch the logic of the conversation sometimes haha! One can always spot a true architect or designer by the way they communicate and we welcome them into our little nooks of safety where we can share crazy things.
Perhaps its something to do with our personal involvement on our work?
Designers do like things pretty. For the boys, I’ll use the term aesthetically pleasing just to be non-sexist. The main function of design at the end of the day is to achieve something that looks great. Of course its gotta serve its purpose as well but a designer would gladly choose aesthetic over function! That said, we are usually not allowed to unless you have a great client! We get lost in the design process and the magical art of creation that sometimes it hurts to the very core when the design gets critiqued or worse, rejected by the client. Such is our love what what we have lovingly brought to life. Ask this of any other profession, mostly likely nothing any client does really hurts. A bruise to the ego maybe, but their psyche is probably intact. I once spent 2 sleepless nights over the colour of a wall! Such is our life, our magnificent life!
We like to be a bit psychotic a little bit weird. We’d like to think that our little contribution to the material world in what we do makes a wee bit of difference. We are limited edition. And we’re proud of it.
Post first appeared on Ask An Architect
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