The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

THE INNER STUDIO
you will find that it is possible and effortless to bring these two activities
together. If you are experienced, you can begin directly with the project
you are working on. Beginners may want to practice visualizing a favorite
place, a place that has a healing quality, or a safe place that you really
find peaceful. It may be your secret sanctuary in the city or the forest, it
may be on a beach or in a special room.
Close your eyes and begin by thinking about the place and watching
for an image in your mind’s eye. You may think of one thing, but the
image that arises may be different. Try experimenting with different
internal directions to get a feeling for the kinds of inner directions that
are most effective for you. Direct the visualization to follow what you are
curious about. If you enjoy the way light is falling into the space you are
imagining, make an image of that phenomenon. These drawings are
copies of what we see in the mind’s eye. The drawing may depart from
the visualization, just as the visualization may have departed from your
first image. Go with your creative instincts and follow the images inspired
by your imagination. It is really impossible to draw anything without first
seeing this image or having a felt sense of it. In fact, it probably isn’t
helpful to draw at all if no images are forthcoming. Some people enjoy
the act of drawing and create this way, but behind the movement of the
pen, mental images are guiding what appears on the page.
It’s helpful to get the feel of playing with images in your mind’s eye
to shift your attention to the images and pictures in your mind. It’s a
process whereby you allow images to float and move through your
mind’s eye as if you were watching a school of fish swim by. If you see
something that moves you, you might choose to look at it more closely.
When you feel yourself losing interest in an image and your concentration
wavers, let it go–whether it is a drawing or an internal image. The
beginning stage is not the time to fight through. Instead, return to the
intention of the exercise you began with.
We want to take advantage of internal states of imagination, which
are free of many of the worldly restrictions a design project will eventually
encounter. With your eyes slightly closed, there are no problems with
budget, there are no physical constraints of the site–you are completely
free to tune into your imagination. This approach acknowledges that we
usually draw what we have already visualized, but the process may occur
so quickly that we are not aware of the step of visualizing. Now we want
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