The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART FOUR | INNER KNOW-HOW
The answer is not to suppress, steamroll, or ignore that childlike
part of us, but to become aware of our own emotional needs.
Once they have been identified, we can take responsibility for our
own needs rather than expecting others to mother and father us.
There are times when a playful, honest mind is our greatest
resource. A raw, stubborn determination may be necessary to safeguard
an important design principle. But there is a great deal of
skill required to bring our best decisions through to the built
world. The line between child and adult is a fine line that is easily
crossed and, once crossed, usually results in endless misdirection,
suffering, and confusion. Our work has unconsciously slipped into
the part of ourselves that is least equipped to solve the problems we
are facing. It is extremely unfair to ask a child to carry responsibility
for decision making in areas where he or she has no real
expertise or experience. A simple start to addressing this is to work
with the above diagram to bring your own adult and childlike
needs to the surface and let this knowledge accompany you into
the inner studio. This can be done by writing out the childlike and
adult qualities you are aware of in yourself. Use this diagram as a
way to track this attributes and, if you are experiencing a difficult
time, carry it with you.
Drawing First Drawings
Mozart sat down and wrote entire symphonies in a single sitting.
Perhaps, for a genius, inspiration comes in such long, sustained
pulsations. But for most of us, the act of creation is incremental
and involves working with glorious hints and many hard-to-decipher
moments. It is often a process of three steps forward, followed
by at least two steps back. Eight steps forward promises seven
steps back. The fortunate thing is that you need very little to begin.
All you need are two things: a glimpse, drop, moment, or simple
clue, and a willingness to make a drawing that represents that
image. That’s all you need. If you have that and approach it gently
and gather it in and appreciate it, then the act of designing is
underway.
There is always a great temptation to get to the end of the project
before a clear beginning has been established. Giving in to this
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