Almost everyday since I began studying for my professional degree , I have struggled with my decision to become an architect. I saw my future self suffocating in a field that is overworked and underappreciated, battling each day for what I believed and desired against a constant army of naysayers. The rare win always seems to cause more stress than it is worth. I have had many discussions upon this subject with my colleagues, and those have led me to believe that I am not the only one who feels this way. It is a definite problem.

I came to grad school not only to strengthen my design thinking, but also to seek answers as to why designers, despite being held in great esteem socially, are so underappreciated within the world of business. I desired to know what could be done about it. I spent the first few terms focusing in particular on the suburbs, one of the largest building markets in the country and also one in which architects are virtually absent. I sought to find an answer as to what drives the American housing consumer, and how this knowledge could help a designer succeed in the current building market. After a few terms of study and a much deeper understandng of the subject, I have still yet to answer that question. Everytime I try, I come to a paradox: either a designer places their “art” on the back burner and rides the waves of the market like a developer, or they remove themselves to the fringe and create their art for ideal clients in ideal scenarios. Most, it seems, are enticed by the latter, despite its incredibly long, difficult and potentially unattainable path. It is an ideal that we glorify in schools, and train for incessantly despite the fact that it is a rare achievement. We all know that most architects end up on some aspect of the former pathway. So why do we continue to train for the role of the artist architect, and even when we do not achieve this ideal and end up on the other path, still continue to chase after it, sacrificing our time, money and sanity for the sake of an ideal? Is this really necessary? Is there not some way to bridge the two and practice our profession in a world that returns its appreciation? A few have may stumbled upon ways, but their numbers are much smaller than they should be.

Because architects achieve personal satisfaction through building the world into a better place, they are often willing to accept that the business world does not appreciate their work as it should. Although this is a decidedly lofty way of viewing your work, it is not necessary. There is no reason that architects should work soley for “the sake of the art,” and not be compensated accordingly by our society. In fact, I believe the only reason the field gets shafted like it does is that architects do not play the marketing game in a way that is beneficial to themselves. Perhaps it is disinterest, perhaps a lack of knowledge. More likely, though, it is considered a “fringe benefit” to place time and energy into such an activity- ironically, a mirror of the attitude that much of the general population holds toward design.

I know many believe that to play the “marketing game” is to reduce yourself and your values, but I feel that attitude is actually the mark of someone who is marketing themselves wrong. Good marketing should glorify your individuality, which is most evident in your ideals. If you find a way to spotlight those, you have the potential to be hired to achieve them. In bad marketing, you hide within what other expect rather than what you expect, which may get you a job, but one in which you will be miserable.

Although simply standing for your ideals may sound easy, it is the more difficult path because it does create limits on your options. When you become specific on what you are willing to do, the jobs that don’t fit those criteria are no longer available. As a result, you need to search harder, make yourself stand out more. It is a daunting task, but one that I believe is becoming easier to achieve recently because of the digital age.

The best way to gain attention in any field is to get yourself published. There are many prestigious publications dedicated to to architecture out there, and they do a great deal of good in the promotion of architecture to fellow architects and the general public. However, the amount of designers such a publication can promote is limited, and the messages they send about those designers are chosen by the publication staff, not the designer. And as far and new, upcoming designers are concerned, publication within these arenas is virtually impossible. You have to already be a superstar designer to attract such attention. However, in the self-publication abilities of the internet, there arises great possibility. Many designers already have created online portfolios and have reaped the benefits. With their work online, access to their ideas, values, and design skills is unlimited. Potential employers and clients are attracted to them, rather than the designer having to exert multitudes of time, money, and energy into portfolios and other hardcopy publications which still reach less people. With the more recent phenomenon of blogging, the ultimate self-pubication, the possibilities of the internet for designers really are endless.

With these thoughts, I decided to embark on an experiment. I want to see if my idea of self-publication online is a legitimately helpful way of marketing yourself, and what can be done to make such an idea truly successful. This blog page is the beginning of it all. I plan to write a thoughtful entry at least once a week. The subjects of the entries will transform along with the site, and honestly I am not quite sure yet where that transformation is headed. Currently, my only criteria is that the blog pertain to architecture, and have something to do with promoting my design ideals. Also, as soon as I can code it, I hope to have an online portfolio attached to this page. I then plan to continue to improve the website, looking in particular into its effect (if any) and also attempting to increase its readership. I have no idea how successful such a thing can be, but I thought it would be worth a try.

Most likely, if you are reading this entry now, you are my friend whom I have specifically directed to the site. I have requested your advice and opinions on any and all of this experiment- whether my entries are interesting, well-written, if the site is well or poorly-designed, and any suggestions and improvements you may have. In other words, tell me your truthful opinions and help direct me into a more successful page.

So, let the games begin.