Prime Fallacy

From what you've seen on my page, I might sound like I'm contradicting myself with this post, but follow my line of thought while I expound...

I was at WORLDBEX (World Building Exposition at the WTC Manila) the other day looking for new products and methods/techniques we can make use of for our work, and to grab brochures for detailing work and the BT part of the Boards, was also hoping to run into a few people along the way (and I did)... but the highlight of the exhibit for me would have been the architectural design section by Manila's bigger, and more pr-savvy firms...

I think that the number one fallacy contained in everyone's thought/idea of architecture is the Fallacy of the Beautiful Drawing.

From the start of one's career in design, we are immediately pigeonholed as persons who draw/color/illustrate well. I couldn't blame people for thinking like that because thats precisely the only thing they see about the profession... the pretty drawings, the fancy lines, the colors, the dreamy images, etc.

I myself am guilty of this as I've peppered my online/actual portfolio with perspectives, elevations and a few plans...

But as I get older and learn more about the line of work, I'm realizing that drawing per se is really just another language or means to communicate an idea, a solution, a strategy, a concept or an emotion.

What most people don't realize is that the beautiful perspective you see is just the product of a process, that depending on the designer/s may be one or a combination of the ff.:

- a deep, intense, iterative, learning-filled, emotional, fiery process  (something resembling a long drawn-out  thesis)

- a eureka moment, wherein you just stand there at the beginning of a project, look at the site... and just get it...

- a scatterbrained, protracted and oftentimes disheartening wandering through a pastiche of ideas and imagery... just like Moses and the Israelites...

- an artistic binge of cramming... (ala school work again) wherein you just wait and do nothing for days hoping that inspiration hits you... and you end up coming up with really crappy work... frustrated that the idea is so clear in your head, but execution wise... you didn't get to do it right because of time constraints...

- design as a business/management procedure wherein you just try to slap something and get it done so as to efficiently bill the client... and get paid... before the real creative thought happens...

I guess, people don't realize that for every finished building, designers did so many iterations on the original concept... sacrificing layers upon layers of hopia/tracing paper (I consume about half a ream of a4 tracing paper a week).

At the end of the day... what you're exhibiting in your drawing or work is not the image... but the quality of thought, the depth of process that you took to arrive at your work. (OR THE lack thereof)...

Whats frustrating is... when you see something slapped or built without much evidence of thought... when one perspective is merely slapped onto another creating pastiche after pastiche of work...
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Architecture/design is supposed to be a process/journey of thought... not just the photoshopping of imagery... THAT'S the ideal to strive for...

I feel like I'm kicking myself in the ass too... hehehehe...