"Nobody wants to do a background building."
The full quote was, "Too bad nobody wants to do a background building" by Lawrence Anderson, Dean of MIT School of Architecture.
I think we can all agree with this statement, and even still, I think we all know the sad truth that background buildings are needed. Everyone wants to be special, and do something noteworthy. This is something that I have found fascinating about our profession and architecture school in general -- so many of these new-bloods come in with eyes full of light and passion and have one goal in mind: becoming the next "starchitect."
It is a very common occurrence, and they don't even know more than probably 3 starchitects to begin with. One could say it is a good thing, passion and drive are great traits to possess, but in reality, they will soon find out that probably a select few or maybe even none of those around them will ever amount to anything world-changing. It is a harsh reality that many of us have come to face, but in many cases that fact is irrelevant, no matter what we are making a difference through the built environment. In my opinion, as long as one person is affected by my design I have done my part. (Though a magazine cover would be pretty sweet.)
I fell victim to the exact same thing, I wanted to be the next big thing when I first got here, and I didn't even know who Frank Lloyd Wright was. I saw the architects on the big screens and how cool they were and I wanted to be just like them. We all know how architects are portrayed on TV and in movies, its almost laughable how that stereotype only applies to a small number of us. Here's the thing: I know now that it probably won't happen, and I'm completely fine with that. However, if I didn't have that drive before maybe I wouldn't be here today. Even if all I ever design is background buildings, I'll know that I could still have the ability to either make someone's day, or really piss someone off.
I think we can all agree with this statement, and even still, I think we all know the sad truth that background buildings are needed. Everyone wants to be special, and do something noteworthy. This is something that I have found fascinating about our profession and architecture school in general -- so many of these new-bloods come in with eyes full of light and passion and have one goal in mind: becoming the next "starchitect."
It is a very common occurrence, and they don't even know more than probably 3 starchitects to begin with. One could say it is a good thing, passion and drive are great traits to possess, but in reality, they will soon find out that probably a select few or maybe even none of those around them will ever amount to anything world-changing. It is a harsh reality that many of us have come to face, but in many cases that fact is irrelevant, no matter what we are making a difference through the built environment. In my opinion, as long as one person is affected by my design I have done my part. (Though a magazine cover would be pretty sweet.)
I fell victim to the exact same thing, I wanted to be the next big thing when I first got here, and I didn't even know who Frank Lloyd Wright was. I saw the architects on the big screens and how cool they were and I wanted to be just like them. We all know how architects are portrayed on TV and in movies, its almost laughable how that stereotype only applies to a small number of us. Here's the thing: I know now that it probably won't happen, and I'm completely fine with that. However, if I didn't have that drive before maybe I wouldn't be here today. Even if all I ever design is background buildings, I'll know that I could still have the ability to either make someone's day, or really piss someone off.
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