The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART TWO | THE CREATIVE INSTINCT
and your responsibility is to find out what level you are addressing
when you undertake your work. Many people unconsciously
address the intention of their project by having a photograph of
someone they admire or a project they admire near their desk.
Defining the intention of your project is like describing the door
you will go through during the design process. The door may be
large or small, humble or grand. It may be a door that has meaning
only for you or it may matter to a very large community.
Similarly, you can “close” a design session by giving thanks for what
you have received. The important thing is that you make an effort
to be conscious of what you are doing and that you not get caught
in blaming others for the status of your work.
The Question
The questions we ask are perhaps the most underrated aspect of
the design process. They are underrated because so much of what
prompts our design decisions are unconscious questions inherent
in the creative process. To some extent, design is simply the answer
to a question we are not really aware we are asking. The process of
design is driven by making the questions conscious–some through
drawings and others as the result of reflection and visualizing
possibilities before creating images.
The purpose of the question is to bring the mind into the
process. I am not talking about negative or obsessive thinking, but
the creative and constructive activity of the mind that is brilliantly
capable of investigating through analysis and serious questioning.
This positive, questioning mind is an aspect of the ego that drives
the project forward like a motor, prompting, containing, and
grounding the unconscious. The question is the spark that ignites
creativity. It is sent into the unknown and we watch for what
tumbles from the place of unknowing onto the page before us.
Some Useful Questions
What’s it like?
Does this help? If not, what would help?
Is this what I want?
What helps me to feel good about this project?
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