Things I learned

Lesson three

More on positive and negative space.  See below.

Lesson two is all about stuff and the space around that stuff.

What did I learn?

Obvious really.  That the space is as important as the things in that space.  Whether that’s words, speech, pretty shapes, planets and me.

Am I important?  Erm, better not answer that.  Do I think the stuff around me is as or more important - certainly not the material things, definately the people.  But, material things are important, not because of their perceived monetary value, more because of how they can change a space and how it makes me feel in that space, like where I live.

This week I had far too many shapes in my calendar, this made me feel a bit overwhelemed.  Next week, I have nothing in my calendar, that feels good.  Doesn’t mean I won’t do anything, just means the way I’ll do things is different and based on how I feel in that space (shit that sounds new age, I’m so not new age).

In a way, this covers lesson 3 as well, I’ll upload my doodles soon.

Lesson 1 - How to draw a line

I remember when I first picked this book up.  I was with a client, helping them to get organised with a few things.  He had it on his desk and during a quiet moment I flicked through the pages.  I remember laughing at the first lesson - I’m not sure why.  Part of me started thinking about how messy my lines were, wishy washy with no particular ending or begining.  Part of me wondered how important a good line really was in my life.  The conclusion I came to was that a confident line with a good start and end point really could change the power of whatever those lines were part of, be it a box, underline or complex drawing.

I then started thinking what this meant in other areas of my life.  A good start and end are important when telling a story or speaking in public.  The same is true when it comes to writing (I’m no expert as you will be able to tell).  I think the same is also true when it comes to life in general, especially the start bit.  Not sure what the definition of a good start in life is - the obviuous stuff is lots of love, support, boundaries, respect and consistency.

What did lesson 1 teach me?

Not sure it taught me anything new, maybe it just confirmed a few things or made me think about things I’m starting right now and how important it is to have clear definition at the start in at least one aspect of the project or thing.

Over the next few months I’m going to try and learn stuff from the book ‘101 Things I learned in Architecture School’.  I’ll stick doodles, thoughts, learnings and stuff here.

I’m not an architect,  just someone that likes to learn new things.  I figured the stuff in this book would have benefits to anyone interested in space, design, doing stuff and creativity.

I must thank James Box for introducing me to this great book.