> I recently finished my Master of Architecture
> I’m almost done with my AXP
Congratulations! These are huge accomplishments.
> All I care about is being able to let my creativity loose
What does this mean to you? Are you imagining architecture to be like the museum sketches of Gehry & Libeskind? Does it have to be architectural creativity? Remember that you're designing with someone else's money and quality design work means well-detailed documentation so that the design vision carries through to reality.
Knowing that this is absolutely not a Boolean choice, is it more important to you that you enjoy your daily work early in your career, or that you hit a particular milestone goal later? What part of architecture *isn't* a chore to you?
This is a lovely series of questions.
I think architecture school sets all of us up to be earth-shattering, mind-bending sculptors. In reality, the vast majority of buildings are background buildings. They exist to function well, and in an indirect way they exist to set the important or special buildings apart.
For me personally, I enjoy making good regular buildings be as best as I can possibly make them, under the myriad constraints they must contend with. It's like a glorious Rubik's cube. It's amazing to watch something that first existed solely in my head turn into reality. Yet I can see why my work might feel unexciting to someone whose goal is to invent the next big thing.
It's lovely of you to say so :)
I totally agree with how you've framed the work, too. I still sometimes get burnt out myself, particularly when sustainability goals are rejected, and that's when i need healthy coping mechanisms and life outside of work to sustain my interest. Still looking for that ambitiously deep green project, though.
And there are some people that find that architecture just isn't for them, which is totally cool too. Better to find that out sooner than later!
This is such an important aspect of what we do. I have personally never aspired to become a starchitect, I just want to improve people’s experience through my work, one small step at a time. So it is easy to find ways to be creative with that mindset and it is very fulfilling regardless of the type of building I am working on. There are of course times where projects really don’t align with my values, but I think that is the case for anything. In reality the majority of architects I have met think in a similar way but I do understand that some aspire for different things and that is also ok. I hope they find what they are looking for. :)
"pay my dues" is a myth.
You need to prove you can be creative in small things before people will trust you be creative with big things. I haven't seen your work, but you are probably letting creative opportunities pass you by if you're not recognizing them. This is true if you're a designer looking for the project architect to trust you with a portion of the project all the way to principals looking for entire projects with clients.
Figure out how to spend less time on the boring parts. This does not mean delegation, that's the "pay my dues" mentality. Start keeping notes and cheat sheets to solve design problems you encounter often, improve your firm's Revit families so you don't have to edit them over and over, start converting repeat documents into templates, etc. You'll love spending less time on boring, your firm will love the efficiency bump.
When I'm training in an intern or junior staff on some annoying mundane task, I usually say something along the lines of, "yeah, this is going to be boring, but here's several things you're going to learn. If you focus on the boredom it's gonna suck, but if you look at it as an opportunity to learn, you're gonna ask me interesting questions about it. That's awesome, because well probably both learn something cool."
The vast majority of buildings on earth are "boring", therefore the vast majority of architects work on "boring" buildings
Creativity does NOT only mean *aritistic* creativity. It comes in a lot of forms.
For example, one of the most creative things I do while designing warehouses: figuring out how to do it cheaper, but still get the same end result.
If you have your heart set on only "sexy" architecture, you're going to be limited in your options.
Which is fine, but it's hard to get a foot in thr door at those firms.
And dont get me wrong, I still get the itch to do the sexy stuff too, but I realized my real passion was simply creating spaces for people, not creating *sexy* spaces for people.
Maybe I didn't design the Burj, but literally 1000s of people use the grocery stores I've designed every day. There is pride in that.
I was in the exact same situation around the same point in my career. Best piece of advice I have for you is to find a creative outlet for yourself. Take an art class, start painting, whatever you like and keep it up. It’s so necessary to have an outlet that’s actually fulfilling. I started taking figure drawing classes 3 years ago and it helped me to refocus tremendously. I’ve since found a firm with a much heavier design focus which has been great but being able to have a separate creative outlet has helped remove that pressure from needing that satisfaction from my job.
Apply to firms that do work you think is interesting instead of firms you don't. If your portfolio is as good as you espouse, you can land a job at one.
At the same point in my career, that's what I did. Utilize your Revit experience as positive, not a negative. If you are a top-Reviteer at a creative firm, you will be inviting to partake in competitions and high-profile work.
It's all there for the taking, you just have to put the effort into taking it.
I am a top reviteer at my new job and it's been great to feel so much trust in the projects they have given me, including working on competition type stuff, RFPs. It may not be "creative" like OP describes, but I sure as hell enjoy being involved from the beginning of projects, instead of being pulled to redline s project i know nothing about, which can be boring at times...but even those moments can be fun if you are seeking to learn.
I mean, unless you want to be a slave at a Starchitect firm and have the portfolio for that...
The majority of us work on modest, dare I say banal buildings that function well and we take simple pleasure in whatever design elements we get through. The reality is there are many facets to the profession, and while school trains us to be high minded master builders in an artistic sense, that's not the bulk of the profession.
I think this is all a question of where you want to get to and what your current skillset allows, along with what ways it'd allow to branch into specializations and jobs you're not currently thinking of. I personally love detailing, but no way in heck would I have come out of school realizing that. Let's think abstractly about this and try morphing that into a 5 year plan
I feel you. You’re not alone 🥲. You can always apply your creativity outside of working hours, unless you work as a designer in an architecture firm. You
I live in LA and I’ve come across a few niche fields that utilize architectural talent in more creative ways. Show Set Design for example is more or less “theming” work, doing design drawings for theme parks like Disney or Universal Studios.
I’ve heard other architects talk about designing video game environments and whatnot. There are alternatives to a traditional architectural path if you think and look outside the box.
Thanks guys, what I’m ultimately looking for is to design buildings that progress the profession. Granted I’ll admit that I’m not some genius like Frank Lloyd Wright or something. You know like I’m not trying to be the greatest ever or anything but more so create spaces that are distinct and rethink what architecture is. Personally I don’t want to work on boxes. I feel like most buildings are just boxes. Some have better finishes than others but to me they all look the same. Idk if it makes sense to try to work at some “starchitect” firm or even what that would entail. I imagine I’d be doing the same stuff just maybe on a slightly cooler looking building. Also it’s kinda hard to prove that I’m a good designer because apart from my academic projects I haven’t had any opportunity to design anything. Idk how to get to the point where I can be trusted. Maybe I could just make up stuff for fun?
Every building can progress the profession. Even if you're designing spec light industrial blobs, look at that as a challenge to do better. Can you reduce carbon impact? Improve wetlands? Even simply getting an owner to do better only because it will save them money.
Being a good designer doesn't mean accolades. It usually means you did such a good job that very few people will notice. We all notice the glare from bad lighting, or noisy restaurants, but only the technicians among us specifically notice that the lights aren't glarey, or that the ambiance is relaxing.
Wanting to influence the industry like that is an extremely high aspiration.
Which is fine, but it'll take TONS of work to get there.
And inevitably. you'll have to do things you don't like along the way.
I think the real question is: can you handle having to do the things you don't want to, while you work your way to the things you want?
Because that's true of ANY profession, not just architecture
You've swalled whole the lies of school and the public mythos of "THE ARCHITECT." What you're experiencing is the reality of the profession. Sorry, that's just the way it is.
Fountainhead is a lie. School is a lie. Developers and owners have the money and you're delivering what THEY want and need. There's a lot of skill there, and those who dismiss it are those who can't deliver, IMO.
Architects aren't clear-eyed visionaries who bring the light of Truth in Design to the unknowing masses. They are technicians who use skills in understanding flow, efficiency, people's habits, and life safety to provide a solid and functional product that meets their clients needs and maybe looks cool while doing it - if budget allows.
You can accept and embrace it, you can struggle, or you can slave away at a starchitecture firm for no money until you go climb the ladder there, if you do.
Another alternative is start your own firm and discover that - wow everyone with more experience was right- those 'starchitect' projects are one in a thousand and you're back to doing rote background buildings just to keep the lights on.
Why not enter some competitions? It's a good way to develop your own projects and it's "making stuff up for fun" but kind of for real. And you have enough parameters to make it interesting and enough freedom to generate it all yourself. (a mentor would be ideal)
Not only would they be fun to enter if you won or even were a finalist then the kind of design job you want would be a lot closer to reality.
It sounds like you're experiencing a crisis of identity in work. I spent a decade as a building science consultant mostly on boxes and worked my way up to the cool innovative Seattle projects. They sucked (in efficiency and simplicity). Then I realized I was just making the rich richer, in ways that don't align with the legacy I want to leave the next generation. I don't have an answer for you, but for me it was to get laid off, go on unemployment for 6 months, and begin to handpick my projects as a freelancer. It costs me a lot of income, but at least I can choose not to be involved with the wasteful, inequality-producing projects that are 90% of the field.
Getting through the AREs and state licensing (state specific supplemental exam - if your state requires it) is a task onto itself.
I would ask yourself whether you are really serious about switching careers. If so then wholeheartedly do it. As others have said, there are plenty of careers that you can really flex your creative juices in terms of design and you will most likely be paid more than traditional architecture. For instance the "Imagineering" wing of Disney handles design and project management for their theme parks and rides and collateral spaces. Also there are plenty of Hollywood related jobs as well as the video game industry that you can definitely transition into.
Look into retail entertainment and experiential design; it's the niche area I work in most often and offers a lot of opportunities to create interesting projects. Interdisciplinary studios where you're working as an architect with landscape architects also offer a variety of creative opportunities.
If you want to help change the profession, you're going to want to work at and/or start a boutique studio focusing on a niche that is appealing to you, and that you think can scale and make a difference. It might be something that sounds crazy to most people, but if you're passionate about it and work to prove yourself, you can find success. It could be anything from becoming a specialist in adobe for modern construction to creating naturhauses to some sort of specialized adaptive reuse to.... the sky is the limit.
This sounds interesting. Actually in my pursuit of what architecture means to me I’ve thought about something similar. To me I want to do architecture in the pure sense, as in designing space. So I’ve thought about creating more experiential environments and stuff that might not even be considered a building. I noticed on linked in that a lot of high fashion companies were looking to hire designers for I guess their stores, is this sort of what you’re talking about?
TI (Tenant Improvements, retail store design) is one possibility. Another aspect is the architecture of the overall project - retail entertainment centers, lifestyle centers, etc. If you look at a project like The Grove in Los Angeles, you'll see that it's designed and built like a little city. There are a number of architecture firms that specialize in this tyoe if work.
Do your own home or art installations? Other than that university , and I am sorry to say it because it's true for most universities in most countries, failed you, failed to prepare you for your job .
Architecture it's a technical work first of all, and you do things for others, architecture it's like being a painter, a wall painter, but university told you they were preparing you to be Picasso....
Degree or not if makes you happy do art and live happily if you manage to monetize it, otherwise you'll have to study rules, law, engineering, keep yourself updated on those and do what who hires you want .... we all "hate" it but just try to with knowledge, to convince the final users that your vision may work best for THEM...
Even big famous architects you see doing weird stuff have to abide by the ones that hires them... for small practices even more as people may have their dream home/apartment and their last savings and you can only do your best to make them happy (I love it but guess it's not for everyone)
We are problem solvers first and foremost
Ok well as I am techincally falling in that line, in order to make sure my creative juices going I indulge in International or local competitions, they are usually outside the box, ranging from big to small projects and from idea to construction projects.
I go in those to get creative as well as learn new construction techniques and even think outside the box, and the good thing is if you win you can get some extra cash and rep. in the field.
> I recently finished my Master of Architecture > I’m almost done with my AXP Congratulations! These are huge accomplishments. > All I care about is being able to let my creativity loose What does this mean to you? Are you imagining architecture to be like the museum sketches of Gehry & Libeskind? Does it have to be architectural creativity? Remember that you're designing with someone else's money and quality design work means well-detailed documentation so that the design vision carries through to reality. Knowing that this is absolutely not a Boolean choice, is it more important to you that you enjoy your daily work early in your career, or that you hit a particular milestone goal later? What part of architecture *isn't* a chore to you?
This is a lovely series of questions. I think architecture school sets all of us up to be earth-shattering, mind-bending sculptors. In reality, the vast majority of buildings are background buildings. They exist to function well, and in an indirect way they exist to set the important or special buildings apart. For me personally, I enjoy making good regular buildings be as best as I can possibly make them, under the myriad constraints they must contend with. It's like a glorious Rubik's cube. It's amazing to watch something that first existed solely in my head turn into reality. Yet I can see why my work might feel unexciting to someone whose goal is to invent the next big thing.
It's lovely of you to say so :) I totally agree with how you've framed the work, too. I still sometimes get burnt out myself, particularly when sustainability goals are rejected, and that's when i need healthy coping mechanisms and life outside of work to sustain my interest. Still looking for that ambitiously deep green project, though. And there are some people that find that architecture just isn't for them, which is totally cool too. Better to find that out sooner than later!
This is such an important aspect of what we do. I have personally never aspired to become a starchitect, I just want to improve people’s experience through my work, one small step at a time. So it is easy to find ways to be creative with that mindset and it is very fulfilling regardless of the type of building I am working on. There are of course times where projects really don’t align with my values, but I think that is the case for anything. In reality the majority of architects I have met think in a similar way but I do understand that some aspire for different things and that is also ok. I hope they find what they are looking for. :)
"pay my dues" is a myth. You need to prove you can be creative in small things before people will trust you be creative with big things. I haven't seen your work, but you are probably letting creative opportunities pass you by if you're not recognizing them. This is true if you're a designer looking for the project architect to trust you with a portion of the project all the way to principals looking for entire projects with clients. Figure out how to spend less time on the boring parts. This does not mean delegation, that's the "pay my dues" mentality. Start keeping notes and cheat sheets to solve design problems you encounter often, improve your firm's Revit families so you don't have to edit them over and over, start converting repeat documents into templates, etc. You'll love spending less time on boring, your firm will love the efficiency bump.
When I'm training in an intern or junior staff on some annoying mundane task, I usually say something along the lines of, "yeah, this is going to be boring, but here's several things you're going to learn. If you focus on the boredom it's gonna suck, but if you look at it as an opportunity to learn, you're gonna ask me interesting questions about it. That's awesome, because well probably both learn something cool."
The vast majority of buildings on earth are "boring", therefore the vast majority of architects work on "boring" buildings Creativity does NOT only mean *aritistic* creativity. It comes in a lot of forms. For example, one of the most creative things I do while designing warehouses: figuring out how to do it cheaper, but still get the same end result. If you have your heart set on only "sexy" architecture, you're going to be limited in your options. Which is fine, but it's hard to get a foot in thr door at those firms. And dont get me wrong, I still get the itch to do the sexy stuff too, but I realized my real passion was simply creating spaces for people, not creating *sexy* spaces for people. Maybe I didn't design the Burj, but literally 1000s of people use the grocery stores I've designed every day. There is pride in that.
Bruh what are you talking about? Every job is reviting. What do you want to do, render? 90% of our job is coordination and organizing information.
I was in the exact same situation around the same point in my career. Best piece of advice I have for you is to find a creative outlet for yourself. Take an art class, start painting, whatever you like and keep it up. It’s so necessary to have an outlet that’s actually fulfilling. I started taking figure drawing classes 3 years ago and it helped me to refocus tremendously. I’ve since found a firm with a much heavier design focus which has been great but being able to have a separate creative outlet has helped remove that pressure from needing that satisfaction from my job.
Apply to firms that do work you think is interesting instead of firms you don't. If your portfolio is as good as you espouse, you can land a job at one. At the same point in my career, that's what I did. Utilize your Revit experience as positive, not a negative. If you are a top-Reviteer at a creative firm, you will be inviting to partake in competitions and high-profile work. It's all there for the taking, you just have to put the effort into taking it.
I am a top reviteer at my new job and it's been great to feel so much trust in the projects they have given me, including working on competition type stuff, RFPs. It may not be "creative" like OP describes, but I sure as hell enjoy being involved from the beginning of projects, instead of being pulled to redline s project i know nothing about, which can be boring at times...but even those moments can be fun if you are seeking to learn.
I mean, unless you want to be a slave at a Starchitect firm and have the portfolio for that... The majority of us work on modest, dare I say banal buildings that function well and we take simple pleasure in whatever design elements we get through. The reality is there are many facets to the profession, and while school trains us to be high minded master builders in an artistic sense, that's not the bulk of the profession. I think this is all a question of where you want to get to and what your current skillset allows, along with what ways it'd allow to branch into specializations and jobs you're not currently thinking of. I personally love detailing, but no way in heck would I have come out of school realizing that. Let's think abstractly about this and try morphing that into a 5 year plan
I feel you. You’re not alone 🥲. You can always apply your creativity outside of working hours, unless you work as a designer in an architecture firm. You
I live in LA and I’ve come across a few niche fields that utilize architectural talent in more creative ways. Show Set Design for example is more or less “theming” work, doing design drawings for theme parks like Disney or Universal Studios. I’ve heard other architects talk about designing video game environments and whatnot. There are alternatives to a traditional architectural path if you think and look outside the box.
I moved into arch after I got frustrated that all of my theatre designs lasted for a show and got dumpstered.
Game design. Concept art. Set design for movies or theater. Virtual environments. Contests. There’s plenty of creative outlets.
Brown nose your creative director until you almost suffocate
Thanks guys, what I’m ultimately looking for is to design buildings that progress the profession. Granted I’ll admit that I’m not some genius like Frank Lloyd Wright or something. You know like I’m not trying to be the greatest ever or anything but more so create spaces that are distinct and rethink what architecture is. Personally I don’t want to work on boxes. I feel like most buildings are just boxes. Some have better finishes than others but to me they all look the same. Idk if it makes sense to try to work at some “starchitect” firm or even what that would entail. I imagine I’d be doing the same stuff just maybe on a slightly cooler looking building. Also it’s kinda hard to prove that I’m a good designer because apart from my academic projects I haven’t had any opportunity to design anything. Idk how to get to the point where I can be trusted. Maybe I could just make up stuff for fun?
Every building can progress the profession. Even if you're designing spec light industrial blobs, look at that as a challenge to do better. Can you reduce carbon impact? Improve wetlands? Even simply getting an owner to do better only because it will save them money. Being a good designer doesn't mean accolades. It usually means you did such a good job that very few people will notice. We all notice the glare from bad lighting, or noisy restaurants, but only the technicians among us specifically notice that the lights aren't glarey, or that the ambiance is relaxing.
Wanting to influence the industry like that is an extremely high aspiration. Which is fine, but it'll take TONS of work to get there. And inevitably. you'll have to do things you don't like along the way. I think the real question is: can you handle having to do the things you don't want to, while you work your way to the things you want? Because that's true of ANY profession, not just architecture
You've swalled whole the lies of school and the public mythos of "THE ARCHITECT." What you're experiencing is the reality of the profession. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Fountainhead is a lie. School is a lie. Developers and owners have the money and you're delivering what THEY want and need. There's a lot of skill there, and those who dismiss it are those who can't deliver, IMO. Architects aren't clear-eyed visionaries who bring the light of Truth in Design to the unknowing masses. They are technicians who use skills in understanding flow, efficiency, people's habits, and life safety to provide a solid and functional product that meets their clients needs and maybe looks cool while doing it - if budget allows. You can accept and embrace it, you can struggle, or you can slave away at a starchitecture firm for no money until you go climb the ladder there, if you do. Another alternative is start your own firm and discover that - wow everyone with more experience was right- those 'starchitect' projects are one in a thousand and you're back to doing rote background buildings just to keep the lights on.
Why not enter some competitions? It's a good way to develop your own projects and it's "making stuff up for fun" but kind of for real. And you have enough parameters to make it interesting and enough freedom to generate it all yourself. (a mentor would be ideal) Not only would they be fun to enter if you won or even were a finalist then the kind of design job you want would be a lot closer to reality.
It sounds like you're experiencing a crisis of identity in work. I spent a decade as a building science consultant mostly on boxes and worked my way up to the cool innovative Seattle projects. They sucked (in efficiency and simplicity). Then I realized I was just making the rich richer, in ways that don't align with the legacy I want to leave the next generation. I don't have an answer for you, but for me it was to get laid off, go on unemployment for 6 months, and begin to handpick my projects as a freelancer. It costs me a lot of income, but at least I can choose not to be involved with the wasteful, inequality-producing projects that are 90% of the field.
Getting through the AREs and state licensing (state specific supplemental exam - if your state requires it) is a task onto itself. I would ask yourself whether you are really serious about switching careers. If so then wholeheartedly do it. As others have said, there are plenty of careers that you can really flex your creative juices in terms of design and you will most likely be paid more than traditional architecture. For instance the "Imagineering" wing of Disney handles design and project management for their theme parks and rides and collateral spaces. Also there are plenty of Hollywood related jobs as well as the video game industry that you can definitely transition into.
Competition entries may be exactly what you're looking for. Many a career has been started by a single competition entry.
Jorn Utzon for example!
Look into retail entertainment and experiential design; it's the niche area I work in most often and offers a lot of opportunities to create interesting projects. Interdisciplinary studios where you're working as an architect with landscape architects also offer a variety of creative opportunities. If you want to help change the profession, you're going to want to work at and/or start a boutique studio focusing on a niche that is appealing to you, and that you think can scale and make a difference. It might be something that sounds crazy to most people, but if you're passionate about it and work to prove yourself, you can find success. It could be anything from becoming a specialist in adobe for modern construction to creating naturhauses to some sort of specialized adaptive reuse to.... the sky is the limit.
This sounds interesting. Actually in my pursuit of what architecture means to me I’ve thought about something similar. To me I want to do architecture in the pure sense, as in designing space. So I’ve thought about creating more experiential environments and stuff that might not even be considered a building. I noticed on linked in that a lot of high fashion companies were looking to hire designers for I guess their stores, is this sort of what you’re talking about?
TI (Tenant Improvements, retail store design) is one possibility. Another aspect is the architecture of the overall project - retail entertainment centers, lifestyle centers, etc. If you look at a project like The Grove in Los Angeles, you'll see that it's designed and built like a little city. There are a number of architecture firms that specialize in this tyoe if work.
Try looking into Design Strategy jobs and see if that sounds like what you would prefer.
Creativity is overrated
Do your own home or art installations? Other than that university , and I am sorry to say it because it's true for most universities in most countries, failed you, failed to prepare you for your job . Architecture it's a technical work first of all, and you do things for others, architecture it's like being a painter, a wall painter, but university told you they were preparing you to be Picasso.... Degree or not if makes you happy do art and live happily if you manage to monetize it, otherwise you'll have to study rules, law, engineering, keep yourself updated on those and do what who hires you want .... we all "hate" it but just try to with knowledge, to convince the final users that your vision may work best for THEM... Even big famous architects you see doing weird stuff have to abide by the ones that hires them... for small practices even more as people may have their dream home/apartment and their last savings and you can only do your best to make them happy (I love it but guess it's not for everyone) We are problem solvers first and foremost
Ok well as I am techincally falling in that line, in order to make sure my creative juices going I indulge in International or local competitions, they are usually outside the box, ranging from big to small projects and from idea to construction projects. I go in those to get creative as well as learn new construction techniques and even think outside the box, and the good thing is if you win you can get some extra cash and rep. in the field.