archi-tecture: To Be an Architect ...

A lot of you, anonymous and non-anonymous, have asked me about “what it takes” to become an architect, a.k.a the whole process of becoming an architect. I can’t really post more than what I already have in this post, but here are some quick (okay, not so quick…) bullet points paragraphs.

To be honest, it’s not about the classes you have to take or the years you put into it. It’s the journey. Yes, to become a licensed architect anywhere takes years of time and money. But that’s just figures put together by your university and just curricula put together by architecture accrediting boards. They are the same requirements for everyone.

What it is about is you. It’s about your growth as a person and as a designer. Your designs are an extension of who you are. Grow as a person, and your architecture will grow. “What it takes” cannot be narrowed down to a few characteristics, good grades, and handiwork. What does it take?

Love architecture. It’s simple, sure. But a great many (too many, in my opinion) people fall into disciplines/careers/jobs that they hate. Becoming an architect will be torture if you hate it.

Be disciplined and determined. Architecture majors have strange schedules. We put ourselves through Hell just to design a structure that will never be built. You need discipline for that. The discipline to stay up until it’s done, the discipline to accept criticism, the discipline to learn your craft. You need determination as well. The determination to stay on the path you’ve chosen, the determination to acquire new knowledge, the determination to become an architect. Architecture is not for weak-willed people.

Be inspired. Architecture majors are fledgling artists. They do not know what drives them to create- they just know that they must. Find what inspires you personally. Anything and everything is architecture. Music, poetry, fashion, typography, sewing, cooking, sports, etc. Architecture can be found in everything. What makes you feel like soaring into the sky? What is your muse? All great artists have one or more muses. Find yours, and do not let it slip away from your grasp. Ever.

Give yourself time. Good things take time. If you can’t understand a program or your model making is not very good, you need time. Practice makes perfect. Practice requires time and effort. Put in the time, give it your all. And those good things will happen. Sometimes we are too immature, as in our abilities have not blossomed. We can’t force it. We just need time.

Take care of yourself, in every way. Stay healthy. If your mind needs a break, take one. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Organize yourself, and stay balanced. Work. But also play. Have friends. Eat well. Laugh. Make sure you’re happy.

Travel. Research the profession. Know your end goal, or know the possibilities. Buy a nice laptop. Save pictures of buildings you enjoy seeing. Write down feelings you have. Save magazine clippings of layouts you like. Play games that make you think. See movies with wonderful cinematography.

Know yourself. Know what your mind craves. Art is a play on how our minds are calibrated. It doesn’t matter if you’re not good at math. It doesn’t matter if you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re 15 with no experience or 45 and married with children. It doesn’t matter if you had to retake physics three times, or if you don’t know how to use AutoCAD. As long as you want to be an architect, then you can be so. But only if you know who you are and how you think. Stimulate your mind, and your creativity will follow. If you have enough of that stimulation, that inspiration, that drive, that ambition, that love… then you can build to the stars and moon.