The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

you begin with this drawing in order to focus and test your intentions
and ambitions.
To practice this way of seeing the built world, make a parti
drawing of the building you are in right now. If you have a favorite
place or building, draw it also. This form of drawing conveys a way
of seeing that values the spatial organization of things. It is a special
kind of coded language that any designer needs to develop in order
to communicate the idea-rich language of design. Very few people
are skilled across the full spectrum of the design process. More intuitive
designers who may be well-versed in “seeing” their creations
often struggle when they need to bring these images through into
material. Others may find themselves unable to “see” anything, but
feel extremely confident when they realize their ideas. The purpose
of getting to know your own strengths and weaknesses is that you
can consciously bring attention to those places in the design process
that will otherwise become stumbling blocks.
Inner and Outer First Critiques
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
–THOMAS EDISON
THE INNER STUDIO
In my fourth year of studying architecture I hit a roadblock and for
an entire term I couldn’t design anything. I tried desperately to free
myself by working extremely hard for long hours and drinking
endless cups of thick coffee, but nothing seemed to help. I hated to
admit it, but I was stuck and felt completely humiliated. It was a
confusing and depressing experience that I had seen strike others
but never thought that I would fall victim to. In the end, I managed
to scrape through with a project I didn’t like and can no longer
remember.
Looking back, I know that the problem wasn’t the difficulty of
the assignment, but the fact that I had encountered the great enemy
of design–a self-critical attitude and extreme judgment. My intense
struggle to improve the design had somehow made it worse and
taken away any chance of improving the project. It’s worth
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