When I tell you - "24 hours is not enough!", how well do you understand this phrase?
Well, I never understood before! But now....I do. So the fortnight long sabbatical from my blog. And also why, being a designer myself, my view of my first Kala Ghoda Festival which ended on the 15th of this month, is not yet featured in my blog. I will come back to it in my next post! But now (before I forget the premises), there is something else that I would like to write about.
CAUTION: This is a little too personal for my blog's taste and style. Yet, I wanted to put it out there in the Universe.
In my professional world, people consider me to be an architect. My friends and relatives think either I am working as a Civil Engineer or designing buildings in an architecture firm. And as of me, few months back I decided 'Designer' best suits my skills. But lately, based on some office talks and friendly, technically 'intellectual' arguments that we had had, I am wondering - Does this designer tag fit me? Am I an architect? What professional am I in this design world????
With that para, I think I might have confused you - the reader. Let me explain.
I was a wannabe architect since my high school. For some reason my parents did not want me doing architecture. And for many reasons my attempts in convincing them were futile. So I ended up doing Civil Engineering, which was a 'Core engineering' (where the surety of you getting a job, post graduation - is confirm!). Of all the other core engineering courses, why Civil Engineering? And that too for a 'girl'!? Well, credits to me! I wanted to work only in the architecture field, and the then 'Education Plus' had shown ways for a Civil Engineer to enter the Architecture world. So, of what my parents and myself understood, B.E. Civil was a safe bet.
Heee haa! haa! (*evil spirits laughing* :|)
Why? Well because, neither was I accepted for internships in any architecture firms nor was I accepted for admission into an Arch Design course by of the design schools in India, simply because I had done B.E.Civil and not Architecture or Interior Design! Fantabulous right!? I cannot blame the firms at least! So I had to fly North West - to London, where of course I was not allowed in a MArch degree, but had an option of the same design modules for either a MSc / PGDP degree.
Without going into the nitty gritties of what I had to go through in shifting my field, choosing my course or what kind of design training did I get there, in India, after my post graduation, for the Indian design firms, I was eligible to get the wannabe 'Architect' status mainly because my course title had the word 'Architecture'. Success!! :) :)
Now what? I have a curious mind. I need to have a futuristic goal, in order to comprehend where I am heading with all this. So I figured out and worked towards it, which has now brought me to where I am - a 'Behaviour Architect'. No! no! I am NOT going to explain what it means, in this blog. Essentially I work with trained designers (graphic/product/architecture)..and various other theorists. And we tend to have this discussion on - What do designers do? If only 10 have survived in this demolished world, should there be a designer in them? What kind of designers are there? Don't architects know about Graphics? Why do we need product designers?
So you see, most of these questions have exclusive graphic designers and product designers to argue and defend their field. They have been trained exlusively to confidently defend their profession. But for architecture, the pointer turns to me! And you know - I have already explained my assorted conditions! Am I a trained architect? Are my itsy-bitsy learnings and one year postgrad experience enough to train my brain to think like architects? Am I eligible to defend the architecture profession?
If you had read one of my previous posts on 'Choice', you would understand when I say - what we choose to study or work, is what we will become. For, those years of education, learning and experiences create and alter our neural networks in the brain. And so, our train of thoughts get influenced. Which is why, an engineer's thinking, a designer's thinking, an artist's thinking, a doctor's thinking, a lawyer's thinking or a carpenter's thinking of the same scenario, might have a drastically different logic! So, coming back to my dilemma, being philosophical nature, trained to think both as an engineer and a designer, what am I? I have been trying to figure this out since long, and yesterday I got an answer! Or...so I think! Let us see.
As we were conversing, by colleague and I, I had mentioned that I am not an architect and that I am a product of two worlds! To which he answered - "Civil Engineering is one that is most related to architecture right? Then what!? Professionally, you can call yourself an architect!". There was this bright light of clarity that I could visualise on hearing those words! It made so much sense! I chose to work in this field, albeit my route to the destination was atypical. I am like an albino among the smooth tones.
Now, do I acknowledge this explanation? - Yes.
Do I accept this explanation? Well what can I say. I personally feel guilty to address myself as an architect. For, I am not a trained architect! My brain is NOT trained to think like an architect. I have learnt design but did not get to opportunity to get trained with those learnings. Yet...........with all the experiences I have had in my search for thyself as a design professional, I HAVE trained my brain.
I have trained my brain, the unconventional way of course, to design spaces and analyse spaces. So, may be a 'Spatial Designer' better fits me, than an 'Architect'.
Sometimes, circumstances mandate us to self create opportunities and develop a profession that best fits us. And these thus become our way out from the web of this 'super-speciality' era in which we are caught in.
Well, I never understood before! But now....I do. So the fortnight long sabbatical from my blog. And also why, being a designer myself, my view of my first Kala Ghoda Festival which ended on the 15th of this month, is not yet featured in my blog. I will come back to it in my next post! But now (before I forget the premises), there is something else that I would like to write about.
CAUTION: This is a little too personal for my blog's taste and style. Yet, I wanted to put it out there in the Universe.
Source: http://blog.runrun.it/en/create-your-opportunities-and-get-noticed/
In my professional world, people consider me to be an architect. My friends and relatives think either I am working as a Civil Engineer or designing buildings in an architecture firm. And as of me, few months back I decided 'Designer' best suits my skills. But lately, based on some office talks and friendly, technically 'intellectual' arguments that we had had, I am wondering - Does this designer tag fit me? Am I an architect? What professional am I in this design world????
With that para, I think I might have confused you - the reader. Let me explain.
I was a wannabe architect since my high school. For some reason my parents did not want me doing architecture. And for many reasons my attempts in convincing them were futile. So I ended up doing Civil Engineering, which was a 'Core engineering' (where the surety of you getting a job, post graduation - is confirm!). Of all the other core engineering courses, why Civil Engineering? And that too for a 'girl'!? Well, credits to me! I wanted to work only in the architecture field, and the then 'Education Plus' had shown ways for a Civil Engineer to enter the Architecture world. So, of what my parents and myself understood, B.E. Civil was a safe bet.
Heee haa! haa! (*evil spirits laughing* :|)
Why? Well because, neither was I accepted for internships in any architecture firms nor was I accepted for admission into an Arch Design course by of the design schools in India, simply because I had done B.E.Civil and not Architecture or Interior Design! Fantabulous right!? I cannot blame the firms at least! So I had to fly North West - to London, where of course I was not allowed in a MArch degree, but had an option of the same design modules for either a MSc / PGDP degree.
Without going into the nitty gritties of what I had to go through in shifting my field, choosing my course or what kind of design training did I get there, in India, after my post graduation, for the Indian design firms, I was eligible to get the wannabe 'Architect' status mainly because my course title had the word 'Architecture'. Success!! :) :)
Now what? I have a curious mind. I need to have a futuristic goal, in order to comprehend where I am heading with all this. So I figured out and worked towards it, which has now brought me to where I am - a 'Behaviour Architect'. No! no! I am NOT going to explain what it means, in this blog. Essentially I work with trained designers (graphic/product/architecture)..and various other theorists. And we tend to have this discussion on - What do designers do? If only 10 have survived in this demolished world, should there be a designer in them? What kind of designers are there? Don't architects know about Graphics? Why do we need product designers?
So you see, most of these questions have exclusive graphic designers and product designers to argue and defend their field. They have been trained exlusively to confidently defend their profession. But for architecture, the pointer turns to me! And you know - I have already explained my assorted conditions! Am I a trained architect? Are my itsy-bitsy learnings and one year postgrad experience enough to train my brain to think like architects? Am I eligible to defend the architecture profession?
If you had read one of my previous posts on 'Choice', you would understand when I say - what we choose to study or work, is what we will become. For, those years of education, learning and experiences create and alter our neural networks in the brain. And so, our train of thoughts get influenced. Which is why, an engineer's thinking, a designer's thinking, an artist's thinking, a doctor's thinking, a lawyer's thinking or a carpenter's thinking of the same scenario, might have a drastically different logic! So, coming back to my dilemma, being philosophical nature, trained to think both as an engineer and a designer, what am I? I have been trying to figure this out since long, and yesterday I got an answer! Or...so I think! Let us see.
As we were conversing, by colleague and I, I had mentioned that I am not an architect and that I am a product of two worlds! To which he answered - "Civil Engineering is one that is most related to architecture right? Then what!? Professionally, you can call yourself an architect!". There was this bright light of clarity that I could visualise on hearing those words! It made so much sense! I chose to work in this field, albeit my route to the destination was atypical. I am like an albino among the smooth tones.
Now, do I acknowledge this explanation? - Yes.
Do I accept this explanation? Well what can I say. I personally feel guilty to address myself as an architect. For, I am not a trained architect! My brain is NOT trained to think like an architect. I have learnt design but did not get to opportunity to get trained with those learnings. Yet...........with all the experiences I have had in my search for thyself as a design professional, I HAVE trained my brain.
I have trained my brain, the unconventional way of course, to design spaces and analyse spaces. So, may be a 'Spatial Designer' better fits me, than an 'Architect'.
Sometimes, circumstances mandate us to self create opportunities and develop a profession that best fits us. And these thus become our way out from the web of this 'super-speciality' era in which we are caught in.
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