i recieved a copy of this article from my boss. sorry for the lengthy post, but it's worth a read.
"The Best Time to Be an Architect
The Cocktail party allows the rare opportunity for stroking a starved ego.
The passion of architecture can really beat up a person. After an arduous five to eight years of schooling, an internship that is met with long and thankless hours rewarded with irrationally low pay, the dreaded licensing exam, and years of stair, door, and bathroom detailing, one can only hope that he or she will be among the lucky few who can actually boast of seeing built what they dreamed of on paper. But there is one small indulgence that life has afforded the architect. It is an occasion where he can saunter as the true leader of the civilized world that he has always envisioned himself as. It is the one opportunity offering some sort of hope to a vast ego that is habitually starved for veneration. It is...the cocktail party.
Architects are all the rage at cocktail parties. People at cocktail parties love to talk to architects because they love to talk about themselves. This is primarily because everybody at a cocktail party has at one time in their life wanted to be an architect. And the more one has to drink, the closer he or she was to becoming an architect.
I have never been to a cocktail party and talked to someone who hasn't considered architecture as a profession. Now, why aren't these people actually architects? Unscientific poles show that the top six reasons are as follows:
1. I wasn't good at math. 52%
2. I rather like making a living wage. 42.9%
3. My parents wanted me to be a doctor. 34.8%
4. Outside of cocktail parties architects are losers. 32.9%
5. I don't look good in black. 15.9%
6. I have no creative abilities. 4.0%
(Though a valid reason until 1979, "I was a woman" no longer registers a perceptible percentage among cocktail party participants.)
You might notice that these add up to 183.2 percent. That's because people at cocktail parties usually have multiple reasons for not becoming architects.
In addition to having the past desire to be an architect, most people at cocktail parties have also designed their own house or cabin. Polls show that 53.2 percent of all people who attend at least one cocktail party a year say they have designed their own home (or are in the process) while 75.4 percent of all cocktail parties are usually held in houses that were designed by the owner who originally wanted to become an architect. Thought it is difficult to obtain information about the overall quality of these designs, visual inventories by professional suggest that they are proportional to the actual schooling these non-professional designers have had in architecture. It can be assumed that most never really had any.
The great popularity of architects at cocktail parties allows the professional great latitude in conduct and appearance. The slightly tousled appearance (black, of course) is expected because it is assumed that the architect has been pondering great civil thoughts and has no time for personal pampering. His gorging on the hors d'oeurves and drinks is excused because of reasons already mentioned. (Remember: He's no bloody artist!) A very important factor at cocktail parties is the architect's ability to listen, since, as implied previously, he really won't actually be talking about his own work.
For those of you who are reading this analysis and have a cocktail party plan in the making (and are not of the aforementioned vocation), I would appeal to you to not do a George Castanza and take on the persona of an architect at the gathering for reasons of vanity. The is not because it is difficult to imitate architect. Their behavior is quite stereotypical. I rather appeal to your sense of charity since this is one of the few pleasures in life yet afforded those in the profession.
- Ron van der Veen, AIA
Ron van der Veen, AIA, practices with Mithum Partners in Seattle and frequents cocktail parties to invigorate his ego. He often wears black and thinks he's the next true leader of the civilized world.
Article reprinted with permission from ARCADE Architecture & Design in the Northwest, 21.4 June 2003."
It's funny how automatic the responses are to the mention of our profession...
Even though I've only studied and worked for a short time, I'm more than familiar with, "Oh, you must earn a lot of money," "I'd love to be an architect," and "Gosh, that's a long course!"
The first point's worth discussing, because I like to explain that money's not the priority for me in this game. If it was, I would be hustling property, not designing.
The second response usually receives a grin from me - as the article above implies, it's easy to say flippantly that you'd like to be throwing up buildings but the reality's harder than people might think. Still, it's pleasant to know that your job is envied and hopefully valued. In a past life I had to tell people that I studied computer science; architecture is a far better chat up line, I can assure you.
The third is certainly common in the UK. We have to study a pure architecture degree for three years, then another two, and work for at least eighteen months before taking the final professional exams. People tend to think that you study in one place for seven years straight. Thankfully this isn't the case, but even when this is explained they're scared by the length of time. I'm not so bothered by the commitment any more, and argue that you'd need to endeavour for seven years to achieve such a position of responsibility in any field.
how about the lines from people who really want to talk architecture, but seemingly have no clue...
--so what do you think about this whole form vs. function thing. (not bad)
--do you know of Frank Lloyd Wright? --i can't tell you how many FLW christmas/birthday presents i've gotten.
--so i'm stenciling my livingroom...
i have dedicated a whole room in my house to books, pictures, posters and other items deal with frank loyd write. not because i want to, but because i have so much of it from every birthday and christmass that is how much room it takes up Does anyone want to buy a frank loyd wright pop-up book, or maybe refridge magnets, or blank cards, or playing cards, or reproducd drawings? I have planty to go around
oh, and the best time to be an architect is at 4:30 on a saterday morning when all of your friends are passing out while you still have the stamina to drink another beer and break out the sharpie. While drawing all over them you talk the girl who has been trying to hang with you all night about how creative you really are. nothing like seeing your friends wake up with a rendering of ronchomp on their forhead.
I'm liking freq_arch's response to that regular query... Have definitely been thinking along those lines myself. "What kind of buildings do you want to design eventually?" "Morgues, graveyards and asylums, definitely..."
Come to think of it, they'd be more interesting briefs than some of those we were handed last year!
"The Best Time to Be an Architect"
i recieved a copy of this article from my boss. sorry for the lengthy post, but it's worth a read.
"The Best Time to Be an Architect
The Cocktail party allows the rare opportunity for stroking a starved ego.
The passion of architecture can really beat up a person. After an arduous five to eight years of schooling, an internship that is met with long and thankless hours rewarded with irrationally low pay, the dreaded licensing exam, and years of stair, door, and bathroom detailing, one can only hope that he or she will be among the lucky few who can actually boast of seeing built what they dreamed of on paper. But there is one small indulgence that life has afforded the architect. It is an occasion where he can saunter as the true leader of the civilized world that he has always envisioned himself as. It is the one opportunity offering some sort of hope to a vast ego that is habitually starved for veneration. It is...the cocktail party.
Architects are all the rage at cocktail parties. People at cocktail parties love to talk to architects because they love to talk about themselves. This is primarily because everybody at a cocktail party has at one time in their life wanted to be an architect. And the more one has to drink, the closer he or she was to becoming an architect.
I have never been to a cocktail party and talked to someone who hasn't considered architecture as a profession. Now, why aren't these people actually architects? Unscientific poles show that the top six reasons are as follows:
1. I wasn't good at math. 52%
2. I rather like making a living wage. 42.9%
3. My parents wanted me to be a doctor. 34.8%
4. Outside of cocktail parties architects are losers. 32.9%
5. I don't look good in black. 15.9%
6. I have no creative abilities. 4.0%
(Though a valid reason until 1979, "I was a woman" no longer registers a perceptible percentage among cocktail party participants.)
You might notice that these add up to 183.2 percent. That's because people at cocktail parties usually have multiple reasons for not becoming architects.
In addition to having the past desire to be an architect, most people at cocktail parties have also designed their own house or cabin. Polls show that 53.2 percent of all people who attend at least one cocktail party a year say they have designed their own home (or are in the process) while 75.4 percent of all cocktail parties are usually held in houses that were designed by the owner who originally wanted to become an architect. Thought it is difficult to obtain information about the overall quality of these designs, visual inventories by professional suggest that they are proportional to the actual schooling these non-professional designers have had in architecture. It can be assumed that most never really had any.
The great popularity of architects at cocktail parties allows the professional great latitude in conduct and appearance. The slightly tousled appearance (black, of course) is expected because it is assumed that the architect has been pondering great civil thoughts and has no time for personal pampering. His gorging on the hors d'oeurves and drinks is excused because of reasons already mentioned. (Remember: He's no bloody artist!) A very important factor at cocktail parties is the architect's ability to listen, since, as implied previously, he really won't actually be talking about his own work.
For those of you who are reading this analysis and have a cocktail party plan in the making (and are not of the aforementioned vocation), I would appeal to you to not do a George Castanza and take on the persona of an architect at the gathering for reasons of vanity. The is not because it is difficult to imitate architect. Their behavior is quite stereotypical. I rather appeal to your sense of charity since this is one of the few pleasures in life yet afforded those in the profession.
- Ron van der Veen, AIA
Ron van der Veen, AIA, practices with Mithum Partners in Seattle and frequents cocktail parties to invigorate his ego. He often wears black and thinks he's the next true leader of the civilized world.
Article reprinted with permission from ARCADE Architecture & Design in the Northwest, 21.4 June 2003."
wow. it is a blueprint for cocktail party action. i don't get the true leader of the universe and all black paragraph. bit much.
hang on while I shoot myself in the mouth..
you really don't need to go to such lengths to get laid.
big-
if you want, you can use my grandfather's .375 h+h which he used while working in africa in the 50s.
Love it. All true, for the most part.
Only thing missed was one fact why people respect and are interested in architecture - money.
"What?? You went to school for how long and make nothing??" Of course, that explanation should be left to those you don't want to talk to.
It's funny how automatic the responses are to the mention of our profession...
Even though I've only studied and worked for a short time, I'm more than familiar with, "Oh, you must earn a lot of money," "I'd love to be an architect," and "Gosh, that's a long course!"
The first point's worth discussing, because I like to explain that money's not the priority for me in this game. If it was, I would be hustling property, not designing.
The second response usually receives a grin from me - as the article above implies, it's easy to say flippantly that you'd like to be throwing up buildings but the reality's harder than people might think. Still, it's pleasant to know that your job is envied and hopefully valued. In a past life I had to tell people that I studied computer science; architecture is a far better chat up line, I can assure you.
The third is certainly common in the UK. We have to study a pure architecture degree for three years, then another two, and work for at least eighteen months before taking the final professional exams. People tend to think that you study in one place for seven years straight. Thankfully this isn't the case, but even when this is explained they're scared by the length of time. I'm not so bothered by the commitment any more, and argue that you'd need to endeavour for seven years to achieve such a position of responsibility in any field.
how about the lines from people who really want to talk architecture, but seemingly have no clue...
--so what do you think about this whole form vs. function thing. (not bad)
--do you know of Frank Lloyd Wright? --i can't tell you how many FLW christmas/birthday presents i've gotten.
--so i'm stenciling my livingroom...
My personal favourite peeve - '...so what's your favourite style of architecture?'
If I'm really contrary I'll say 'slaughterhouse utility' or some other grotesque thing.
i have dedicated a whole room in my house to books, pictures, posters and other items deal with frank loyd write. not because i want to, but because i have so much of it from every birthday and christmass that is how much room it takes up Does anyone want to buy a frank loyd wright pop-up book, or maybe refridge magnets, or blank cards, or playing cards, or reproducd drawings? I have planty to go around
oh, and the best time to be an architect is at 4:30 on a saterday morning when all of your friends are passing out while you still have the stamina to drink another beer and break out the sharpie. While drawing all over them you talk the girl who has been trying to hang with you all night about how creative you really are. nothing like seeing your friends wake up with a rendering of ronchomp on their forhead.
or if your per,
the best time is all the time.
"So what type of architecture are you interested in? Churches? Houses?"
If only we didn't have to decide!
I'm liking freq_arch's response to that regular query... Have definitely been thinking along those lines myself. "What kind of buildings do you want to design eventually?" "Morgues, graveyards and asylums, definitely..."
Come to think of it, they'd be more interesting briefs than some of those we were handed last year!
(...i found this in the archives, thought it was funny, and decided to give it the bump...)
Do you do commercial or residential?
These are the same people that always give FLW gifts
But what to do when they cant make a difference between architect and a structural engineer?
"So you design houses, then what the engineer does?...
He calculates? Oh I get it...
Then what do you do?...
Ah so you decide how big will it be? and What colour?
I Decided the colours for my apartment/house my own...
It is quite lovely...
the colour is not the most important thing?...
Oh, then what is?
Function, program....????
Isn't that the engineers job?..."
this is the time I snap and leave withot any other words.
Coctail parties are for decorators, not for Architects. Never liked one, never liked the people that go there.
cocktails are good, though. and they tend to give them out at cocktail parties...
F!ck cocktail parties..ever introduced yourself as an architect at any rave-party !
then you'd wish all of real life was one continous rave !
I thought they quit having raves in the late 90s.
hang on while a give a shit
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