Architecture a 24/7 job

Writing a blog post is a little like driving. You could study for months, read a billion articles on the driving, regulation and how to change the gear. But nothing could prepare you for the real thing. That is sitting behind a wheel and driving through the city traffic, i.e. the Indian city traffic.

I would say Architecture would be the same in this matter. You can spend five years learning about this profession but nothing really prepares you for the 24/7 commitment the job requires. This has come to my notice as I continue my internship at Sandarbh. Recently Sai went out of town with his family to celebrate Vishu. And though he was away he still was always in contact, messaging on our group and giving instruction. Same went for anyone in our office. Even though we would take an off we would volunteer to work on our assigned duties.

Yes, people "volunteer" to be the key word here. We opted to work from home. And I realized it was because not only was each one of us is dedicated to our duties but it is because we cared.

Architecture is a 24/7 job. It is something you hear everyone say. But what they don’t tell you is that it isn’t a 24/7 job that you have to do, it is a 24/7 job that you would want to do.

Stories - continued

Each person is unique, so are their stories. The definition for luxury for me isn't the same as the definition of luxury for you. 

So, in continuation to yesterday's post, (you can find it here) - you can ask me, how do we bring your story to your design?

The definition of luxury changes from person to person - the 5 year old and her mother, the husband and the wife, the architects and their clients . While we know that the minimum requirement for every line we draw, every design we make, every house we design is beauty, how do we know if your sense of beauty is the same as the one we try to achieve?

For some, luxury may mean largeness, huge scale, for others, it maybe the beauty of the material that brings luxury. You can love the imperfections of the hand made tiles, or find beauty in the rhythm of straight lines. Your garden may be a space you want to spend your weekends with your family around or a space where you watch the rain fall while sipping coffee from the porch. Luxury could be in the functionality or it could be in the aesthetics. You may get excited by the wall covered by books or the elaborate AV room that you possess. 

How do you define your sense of luxury? 

So, we start from day one. We develop a process that makes sure that your ideas have a space to develop.We ask you questions, we exchange ideas, we have conversations which might digress far away from Architecture.  We take help from other inspirations around the world. We develop mood boards, we exchange sketches, we ask you to criticize. From the first hand sketch to the final working drawings and the modifications through them, together we understand and define your sense of luxury.

And ,in this journey of discovering stories, your home is created.

Dreams

"How would you guys want your dream office to be 
like?", Sai would ask each of us once in a while.

As the others talk about their version of a dream office , I would rack my brains for memories of when I imagined my future office during college times. Images of Google's fancy offices where it seemed like fun and work went together would pop up. But I get that here too, I would think. A job with a travel company where I would get paid to travel would be nice too, I would think.

So when my turn comes, I would talk about the little things. The coffee machine within our office space, or a fridge filled with goodies, or a vending machine. I would think of the coolest furniture, or probably more holidays and travel ,or having a workshop within the office. The furthest we would go is moving our office to a more fun locality like Indiranagar.

"Okay let me rephrase", Sai would say after listening to all of our versions of a dream office and job.

"How would you want to turn Sandarbh to be your dream office?"

And I would think, didn't I just explain that?

After multiple times of going through the same process, realization struck.

And so, I began to think. I thought about the travel, I dream of doing some day, the books I wish to write, the diverse people I want to meet, the world I wanted to see, the stories I wanted to hear. Why did it have to exist within a vague frame of the future inside my head? Why did I have to join a travel company to travel? It is all there right here, I just needed to bring it to me.

I really didn't have to look around the world in order to find my dream job. I just had to really dream about it.

 "Each of our minds gets contained within a bubble that we create around it.", Sai would say.  Everything outside the bubble seems like it is stuck in infinity. All we need to do is break the bubble.

And so, I  begin to dream.

I want it all, I want now.

So you guys tell me, what would your dream job be like?

Find your Tribe

In general terms inspiration is thought of this mystic force that hits you from time to time and just all the problems in your life gets sorted. It’s something that “comes along”, something you have no control over. Of course you can always wait for inspiration to strike and just work on other things, however what happens in case of a deadline? Or you need to get a project started? You can’t just sit around for this mystic force to strike! You have to go and make things happen.

You can find inspiration in almost everyone and everything.

Here is what I propose.

Surround yourself with people who share your passion.

At Sandarbh, believe me when I say, no two people are the same. Everyone is different, with different talents and hobbies.

Drashti makes amazing drawings.

Meghna is the sketcher.

Rambo wants to start with this carpentry hobby.

Ananya is the well read one.

Aafreen is the hustler.

And the list goes on and on and on.

However no matter how different we all may be we share the same love and passion for architecture. And so working in a symbiosis we not only achieve our goals but also have fun while at it.

We inspire and motivate each other constantly. And that is what keeps us moving forward.

So find yourself a group of crazy people who share your passion. 

Find your tribe. 

No matter how colorful they maybe, it will be worth it!