Being halfway through the Erasmus exchange, the pace has definitely increased in the studio. I have arrived at a moment in which the company is preparing for a big exhibition in the Serpentine Gallery. Continuously, my colleagues remind me of the extra high pace of the studio and that I indeed have arrived in a moment of action.
The high pace has also left me to gain an in dept understanding of the pros and cons of the company, getting to know my colleagues in a state of pressure as well as myself for that matter. As a developing entrepreneur and architect, I am getting to know myself in moments of frustration and impatience. This time has for me been invaluable in terms of getting to know my ways of communicating and how I am perceived from an outside perspective. Many of my colleagues here have given me the precious trust with their honesty and this helps me a lot to review my own strengths and weaknesses.
My assessed tutor has given me freedom in aiding the design of the curated objects within the exhibition, pushing me in making things, fast, drafting. This helps a conversation to happen whilst designing and inviting your colleagues into a discussion. For me this slightly new way of working has been frustrating too, I am not going to lie: this method I experienced slowed me down in the beginning, going around in circles. I was pressured to give the results, and this as fast as possible. In these moments, my tutor reminded me about our task as architects, which is to design and to communicate our demands of chosen materials, communicate that we need more time if so. Before letting go of my own ideas of presenting deliverables as fast as possible, this was annoying and put me in a position where I had to struggle with my own expectations.
In terms of the larger scale, zooming out from myself and my professional development, I have gotten to realize that the divisions of the departments here in this multi-creative environment has its function in terms of organization and that the employes in time gets the information. This relates to the idea of doing your job as a designer, and not necessarily think about others’ expectations on you: t5hat could be to deliver a drawing as fast as possible… Things all have their time, sometimes it is time to inform, other times are for work: Push and pull.
What I also have come to learn about myself is my flexibility to reorganize myself and structure my work in times where a lot can feel a bit overwhelming and chaotic. Moreover, I believe I have started to understand the essentials in focusing on your own work and your own contribution within a team. Understanding that you are a part of something bigger, but first you need to produce quality, giving your creations the time and respect, they deserve, before putting it in its context. It doesn’t only help you as a designer, it also helps the view others might have on your work. In the end, people can have their opinions in your work way, the work in itself, personal opinions (you name it) But if you do your part, I believe the attitude and professional understanding aids the process of working collected in times of pressure and times where others expectations are very present. Keep the integrity. I hope to continue develop this in my continuous work experience at the studio Saraceno. Realizing the exchange is lasting until end June, I still feel there are so much more to explore here in order to reach my entrepreneurial goals.
