The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART FOUR | INNER KNOW-HOW
to reveal itself. But through the experience of wrestling all night, a
bond was created between Jacob and the angel and, as a result, a
new name was given to Jacob. His new name was Israel–one who
has wrestled all night. Learning how to wrestle means learning how
to relate to the divine energies of creation. Everyone who is serious
about creating something has trials and stubborn obstacles, so
remember that learning through creativity is what will deepen your
work and make it more meaningful to yourself and others.
During design development, the designer needs to learn how to
wrestle his or her idea down to earth without losing any of its
creative power. The primary tool for this transformation is a continuous
and evermore precise questioning that is directed toward the
first images at the creative heart of the project. This process of testing
the idea or inspiration is really a search for the soul of the work.
In order for us to find the soul of the work, the work needs to shed
its spiritual starting point and acquire physical characteristics.
If wrestling seems to be too dramatic a term to describe the
creative experience, then consider for a moment how often the most
unexpected kinds of misfortune, mistakes, and illnesses befall
designers as they bring their projects to completion. Presenters lose
their voices or forget their material. Lack of sleep, psychosomatic
illness, and anxiety color our ability to think and create. Students fall
off their bicycles and seriously cut themselves before major deadlines.
When the unconscious is ignored, it is more than willing to
wrestle with our best intentions in order to make itself heard and felt.
Design development ideally brings us to the full integration of
drawing, physical modeling, computer-based imaging, and visualization.
More and more of the design work can now be accomplished
through exposing the project to testing and questioning.
The question-and-answer approach is guided by an honest search
for the soul of the work. The right question strengthens the work.
This ensures that although the project is moving into matter, it is
not losing it’s spirit. It is becoming stronger and clearer.
The Child in the Adult
As designers, our effectiveness is greatest when we are able to stay
in the adult part of the self–the negotiation, follow-through, and
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