When it all started: Blog 1
When I was 16 in high school, I went on a field trip through the career center. Little did I know that it would change the course of my life forever.
Women in Architecture….that’s what it was called. And without even knowing if I had any interest in that career path, I decided on that fateful day…to attend the field trip anyway. I can kind of look at my life as “before field trip,” and everything “after the field trip.”
Pursuing the career as an architect is one thing…..but its infiltration into every part of my life, way of thinking, perspective, and perception has been a whole other thing. It’s as if, upon choosing to be an architect, you get a special pair of glasses to look through. Things are never quite the same again.
And I must say…these glasses are spectacular! They have given life meaning, depth, understanding, and purpose. Maybe we could all use a pair of these glasses. Since that might be a daunting task, and we certainly don’t need a flood of new architects in this struggling economy….I’ve decided to propose that you look through mine for the time being….
So that’s what this blog is about. Being an architect is a way of living.
It’s being an Architect 4 Life.

C-R-E-A-T-E: Blog 2
Life is made up of some pretty mundane things. We have to go to the grocery store, fill the car with gas, take out the trash….these string of actions and responsibilities can define our lives. They can fill our days as they numb our minds. Days, months, and even years can pass as we trudge along with our lists and schedules, feeling that we are accomplishing something, yet accomplishing no feeling at all.
And as we meander through life somewhat aimlessly, we often simply react to the events that “happen to us.” Or we can make a series of choices that put us in a proactive place where we create our life. If we would just change the letters around…from r-e-a-c-t-i-n-g to c-r-e-a-t-i-n-g our lives would be forever transformed. Much like an architect designs and oversees the construction of a project, we can build our lives with meaning and substance. That is the difference between basic construction and architecture. Most buildings would be understood in the category of “built construction,” while others provide more than the shelter and square footage that they achieve. Not every built work gets to be called architecture…it must have meaning, value, unity, complexity, and boundless aesthetic to take on such an honored name.
The root of the word architecture actually means the art and science of designing and constructing buildings. At its very definition, architecture is not just about construction, but rather it is a form of art that escalates our experiences and awakens our senses. Similarly, we have the choice to make our lives simple, mundane, and repetitive, or we can build lives that are rich in meaning, value, and passionate to then be worthy of being called architecture.