The key to any creative pursuit, whether it’s writing the artist’s prayer or parenting, is willingness to make a commitment. It’s critical to give undivided attention.
My younger daughter's senior year of high school. She is leaving for college in a few months. As I am used to involving kids in the decision-making process, we're discussing my next career move. The idea of providing online architectural services that support DIY home improvement enthusiasts came to mind when I was walking through a garden designed by a landscape architect I interviewed to help me with mine.
I have been preoccupied with how to nurture my kids' creativity ever since they were born. Recently my daughter Mia told me that a toy I made for her when she was approximately five years old is the inspiration for a collection of handbags she is designing: “Your favorite handbag as a transitional object.”
Opening your mind to undefined possibilities is what they call thinking outside the box. My friends reached out to me last-minute; they were starting a project in the backyard — installing an outdoor kitchen and a new hardscape.
Space-saving design is born out of necessity. It solves, simplifies, and gives an alternative. Sometimes, it even anticipates a problem before it occurs.
Imagine turning a house into a home. House vs home. What is the difference? I conjure up an image of an apparatus programmed to cooperate, even anticipate and inspire. It's a sophisticated contraption attending to all of my whims — ascertaining that my emotional and physical wellbeing is taken care of. It's designed with efficiency and adaptability at its core to make life delightful.
My kids, my students, and my fellow DIYers (those home improvement enthusiasts I consult online as Alla DIY Ally) have all heard me exclaim time and time again: “That’s a blessing in disguise!” I love when perceived design problems (like the ones I've encountered while designing an above-ground pool) are turned around and emerge as opportunities. It's so much fun to use constraints to your advantage!
Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: last week. My creative teens have practically learned everything about how to think like an architect. We've come full-circle and are practicing how to masterplan through mind mapping and collaging. It's the final step in DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method.
Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: week seven. My creative teens are mastering the concept of uniting parts with a whole as they learn how to think like an architect while we work our way through the steps of DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method.
Architecture class at ArtCenter’s Saturday High: week six. My creative teens are practicing how to think like an architect while working on steps 8 and 9 of the DIY Like an Architect: 11-step method.