Archinect - Reflections of my Duplexity

It's the Final Countdown enter Europe

2018-04-14T22:06:41-04:00

Sorry to be so silent! Life has been a roller coaster going 500mph.

Here I am in the last 10 days of my semester at Taubman College. I can't believe how time has flown, with two years down and one to go. There have been countless experiences, learned moments, new friends made, and brain fried.

With the end of the semester comes pondering on where I will end up for the summer, what firm will I be working for, what grades will I get, can I take another year?? But all in good hearts, I feel as though I have grown and matured as both a designer and a person. I have acquired new skills and assets I couldn't image I would have a year ago.

I have come to love and be amazed by new professors I had never met and loath those I had known to the point I would never recommend taking them again This is the most trying year I have ever had, between two masters, 5 classes a semester, constant travel, and family health concerns, but in all I am almost there. Home base is coming up, and the ball is out ...

Summertime Sadness?

2018-03-12T22:36:10-04:00

Now that the semester is coming closer to an end, the annual Taubman College Career Fair is right around the corner, or this Thursday...same thing you know. This event presents itself as a huge opportunity to find work for the summer, but even more so, network and connect with the alumni and firms that the university brings in for us students. The two biggest questions and fears on one's mind is "Am I prepared?" and "Am I good enough?". My last few weeks have been spent dwelling on those two thoughts in the free time between studio and other classwork.

Am I prepared? I would like to think so! I have spent hours reproducing my portfolio, bringing it to date from where I had left it last year. Looking through my projects and work, I can see a natural progression. Better graphics, more attention to line weights and color pallets, complex and well thought through ideas, and so on. I am proud to see where I have come since I began here at Taubman College nearly two years ago. Back then I ...

Dam Nations, Missile Tests, and the Wild West (pt.2)

2018-03-01T17:06:00-05:00

When I last left off with my travel I had passed out from a mixture of exhaustion, timezone, and several of those original classic margaritas from the Kentucky Bar (lets be honest it was mostly the margaritas), getting a few hours of sleep until the morning came, and the single most epic road trip of my life thus far would begin.

The second day of our travel was designated for a day long road trip that would begin in El Paso, Texas and take us along the water way of the Rio Grande river north throughout New Mexico. Covering a total of 400 miles and nearly twelve hours of driving, this highway excursion has left me infatuated with the American Southwest.

My alarm goes off at 6 A.M. and I roll out of bed, groggy but excited for the day that would unfold before me. Meeting up with the other designated drivers and professor Velikov in the hotel lobby, we took an Uber over to Enterprise where our metallic chariots awaited. In typical rent-a-car fashion, every vehicle they had was painted...

Dams Nations, Missile Tests, and the Wild West (pt.1)

2018-02-28T12:09:00-05:00

There is something fascinating when you hear about a particular place so much via the news, word of mouth, or cultural perceptions that when an individual finally gets the chance to visit, their preconceived notions are shattered and whatever they thought of that place before are proven entirely wrong. The southwest, El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico left me in just such a state of mind.

Last week my studio, led by Kathy Velikov who is one of the most forward thinking and brilliant academic minds I have had the honor to be taught by, traveled to the American southwest to the border city of El Paso, In the news and other media, this area is portrayed as a hell hole, with murders, death, drugs, all located in a barren landscape, with the governments fighting to control a otherwise lawless region. this is entirely false. That is why we traveled to Texas and Juarez, Mexico to study the transnational conditions, to prove that the conceived notions of the border and how it is shar...

Caffeine, Stress, Studio, and a Compass for the "True North"

2018-02-15T01:06:05-05:00

Throughout the duplexity of my dual master journey, there comes a time in every semester where I question everything. I believe it is something that every designer goes through, contemplating their point along the path of their education and life.

Of late I think to myself if the work I am doing is really productive or helping me achieve my goals, are the professors the right fit or should some even be teaching that course, will I be able to find an internship for the summer, have I been prepared enough for the real world, and are my degree(s) worth the intense emotional, mental, and physical stresses. The life of a graduate student has so far been detrimental to my physical health (like weight and sleep) and emotional/mental health (questioning my value, periods of silence and the need to escape for brief periods, and inner sense of happiness). Since starting my dual-degree I have been asking these questions more while I continuing to take on more classes, credit hours, and requir...

Modern Meanderings - Ann Arbor Mid-Centuries

2018-02-09T02:18:29-05:00

One of my favorite classes here at Taubman College has been my Fieldwork in American Modernism elective with Professor Sarah Rovang. This course focuses on the mid-century modernist architecture, architects, and other works of design from the 1920's-1960's within the Ann Arbor and greater Michigan region. Through this class I have become aware of the fantastic architecture within the Midwestern region and the designers behind their creation. Professor Rovang is not only a wealth of knowledge but is an equally enthusiastic, kind, and energizing individual who is able to get everyone engaged with the course and creates an environment where you not only enjoy what you learn but also desire to know more.

This week's class we did something special and went on a local field trip to conduct some Fieldwork in American Modernism right here in Ann Arbor. Our travel brought us to the Geddes neighborhood in the city, known for its beautiful homes and as a hub of mid-century modern residential a...

Throw Back Tuesday - Mexico Pt.1

2018-02-06T23:13:27-05:00

Throwing back to last semester, and in light of my forth coming travels, I wanted to reminisce on my time spent in Mexico last semester for my urban design studio. The studio's focus was theorizing how Detroit could leverage it's UNESCO Creative City Network, City of Design designation to benefit the urban, social, and economic landscape of the Motor City. The network was holding it's annual meeting in Puebla, Mexico , to which our studio was invited to sit down to listen and watch what was to be discussed by the global network.

We began our trip in Mexico City a few days before the meeting in Puebla to admire the largest metropolitan city in North America. The class took Uber's and walked dozens of miles throughout the city, all the while overloaded by the incredible sites and senses that Mexico City provided us. I saw 15th century cathedrals built at the inception of the city by Spanish conquistadors, the older downtown core which is filled with opera houses, museums, open markets,...

Studio Roulette - The Joy of Balloting

2018-01-25T21:11:24-05:00

Beginning my fifth semester of my dual degree at Taubman College I have balloted several times for professors for different classes throughout my time here and one would think I would be used to this process. Yet, each time I ballot I get nervous that I would end up not getting one of my top picks, especially when it comes to a six credit course like studio. You desperately want one of your top choices since you don't want to feel as though you are wasting 20 plus hours a week and six digit tuition dollars on a studio, or professor, that you did not desire.

These emotions and thoughts compounded that much more when you know there a certain faculty members on the ballot that you've been told one to many horror stories about by other students. My head is processing these factors as I listen to each potential studio give their run-down of it's goals and objectives. I am relieved that most of the studio options are really incredible. From travel to Barcelona for food markets, studying b...