The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART TWO | THE CREATIVE INSTINCT
Four Reflections on Being Creative
The conditions, experiences, and relationships that we find when
we look at the inner world of the designer are called reflections
because they are intended to be reflected upon. They are not rules;
they are tools for awakening and strengthening design instincts and
they point us toward the underlying dynamic stages of the design
experience. I invite you to explore your own creative instincts by
reflecting on the characteristics I have observed in the design
studio. They are intended as centering devices to help you contend
with the mind-numbing number of complexities that can occupy
designers when they enter into the process of designing.
There can be no better way for a designer to come to know his
or her inner world than to reflect inwardly while moving through
the stages of design. Designers process enormous amounts of information,
both consciously and unconsciously, on their way to
producing a design. On one hand they must deal with regulations,
dimensions, performance standards, clients’ needs, and so on. On
the opposite hand, designers receive images, signals, and inspirations
from the world of imagination, with its mysterious layers and
the feelings of things only faintly seen. Our ability to stand at the
center of these two worlds and not get caught in either, to work
with both, makes us modern.
Let’s look at the trajectory of how an idea develops. When
deconstructed and described, the inner states that constitute a
methodology of design may seem familiar because we are so intimately
involved with them. But we may not be aware of their
significance. By slowing down automatic or habitual practices we
can locate ourselves in the design process and reflect on our relationship
to the subtle forces that move our design work.
I have always had to use diagrams to help me think. Whenever
I find myself puzzled or facing a complicated situation I make a
diagram and in the course of creating the diagram I often uncover
a solution to the problem. This diagram is the result of trying to
explain to myself and to others the experience of design. I use it
like a map and as a way of reflecting on the mystery and power of
the creative experience. I hope it helps you contend with the
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