Studio Culture

Studio is an everlasting process of learning. I do learn a lot from my professors, but I would say overall I learn the most from my piers. We are constantly feeding ideas off of each other and helping each other work through design stumps. Studio is like a large body of knowledge, with multiple resource to help provide for everyones interest and needs. I appreciate that everyone genuinely wants to help each other. It is a practice of selflessness, if you are open to helping others, then they are more likely to help you. It is a valuable lesson of life to be able to work in harmony when others, especially when we are in competition. I would definently say we are in healthy competition with each other because we all want each other to do the best we can. We are all going through the same process that involves challenges, overcoming weaknesses, patience, overwhelming stress, and seeking success. I think we work together to deal with all that studio involves. I consider my piers my support group. I have developed many close friendships that I value. I could not be successful or be the person I am today without them.

I can remember one time getting very bogged down with my project. I felt that it was going nowhere. I was out of ideas. Some of my friends in my studio were walking around and looking at everyones process and stopped to talk to me. I had showed them where I was at and what direction I was looking into going and we sat down for 2 hours drawing out ideas on trace. They could have easily just encouraged me verbally, but they decided to stop and help me move forward with my project. I really appreciated there care and concern for my project to progress in a positive direction. I now find myself making sure I am available and concious of making sure my studio friends are doing well in their design process. Helping a person teaches you something regardless if it is directly related to your individual project. I enjoy persuing the learning of architecture from all direction so I maintain a well rounded umberella of architectural knowledge.

House transforms to Home

In the beginning…your home starts off as a house. It is the memories that we make in our houses a home by providing a specific identity. It is man’s homecoming, where we find our comfort, security, and refuge. All of the memories in my home that I just shared played a distinct role in what I remember of my home. I could share many more, but it is just a glimpse of how my past experiences have overlapped and unfolded to map my memories and tell a story of my childhood. The most valuable characteristic about my house is its heritage. It was passed down to my parents from my great grandparents. There are various parts about my house that hold family traditions and ornamentations, but the one that is special to me is my great grandmother’s hats in the attic. I used to play dress up with them. All of my memories are revealed throughout every part of my home. I grew up in this home and my parents will live there until they pass, so it holds a special place in my heart and I will never be able to call another place ‘home’. One of my most vivid memories of my home is coming in the kitchen and crawling my way up to the counter to wash my hands for dinner. On one specific day, I came in from playing outside and was so excited; my mom had made my favorite dinner- chicken-pot-pie. The kitchen smelt of delicious home cooked chicken and fresh baked crust and the oven was still warm. After I got done drying my hands off I jumped off the counter without realizing the wooden cabinet underneath the sink had opened. The corner cut my stomach right where someone would have appendicitis. It left a scar, just as all of my memories have. I have mostly good and few bad memories of my home, but the important thing is they have left a mental scar/image in my head where I will always have a place that is special and unique to me and I can call it ‘home’.

Do you think it will be hard for us to be to recreate another place for us to call ‘home’? Eventually, we will all be out on our own living in either a previously owned house, apartment, home designed by ourselves, on the road, etc? How will we be able to capture our memories in a place to dwell? What will you preserve about the home you lived in most of your childhood and what will you dismiss?