i graduated this past may with a b.arts with a maj in architecture (4yr prog) and decided to take a detour in my career path and go to japan for a year or 2 and teach english.
i still intend to go into architecture, hopefully get a job first for a couple of years before going to graduate school, but i don't want my most recent work 2 years from now to be projects from my sr yr of college. recently, i've just been sketching and am planning on entering a competition (for the first time) at some point, but i was just wondering if anyone here had any suggestions for a noob like me.
and i hope 3d modeling programs don't completely change in these next 2 years or i'll be screwed
Nice advice. Ditto fantasy architectural projects -- this could be the last block of time you'll have for many years, to explore your own vocabulary and commit ideas to paper.
Well lets see, I am making my portfolio for USC, and even though I am at a community College, I am comming up with my own designs, (actually one of my projects is furniture design) Also, look at other school projects and mimic them(but your own design/ideas of course).
Aren't you going to use some of your stuff from undergrad?
I think you might have a red meat fetish.
I heard kobe beef is massaged by Geishas...perhaps your thesis can be a masage parlor for cows headed-off to slaughter. Japan is perfect for this type of research....ultra modern, sanitary....see Ellen Allien's 'Down' for inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0_pz2hnSE
also possible to take some cool photos for exotic flavor.
you are with JET program? where will you be? if big city then i suggest travelling a lot on weekends and seeing as much as you can. if in small town will be harder, but maybe a few trips around country will open eyes a bit.
i have been living in japan off and on since 1992 and best piece of advice i have is to try and see beyond romantic first impressions of the country and keep an open mind. geishas do not really have anything to do with japan anymore, less than cowboys do in north america, and it is important to realise that.
monty python is funny. geishas massaging kobe-gyu? ehhh...not so much. sorry.
but i was making the point not as a critique of the cow joke but as a real comment about learning from japan. a lot of people who come here take a long time to get past the culture shock and see what is really here. the sooner it happens the better the understanding of architecture in japan. there are enough really good and important things to learn from japanese architecture that are too easily obscured by the stereotypical pop image.
as for cowboys? hell man i was born amongst em. learned to ride right after i learned to walk, and i still get all icky thump when i hear a bit of cold hard Cash. but cowboy culture ain't the definition of american culture no more, if it ever was. japan's connection to its symbol-laden roots (like geisha and so on) is even farther away and less relevant. not a dis against cowboys, just a recognition that north america has moved on...and so has japan.
mmm thanks for the suggestions and advice everyone. i'm in kyushu in a decently-sized city in "the country" but i've already been fortunate enough to have the chance to travel to tokyo and kyoto and i've gone to fukuoka city many times as well. still lots to see and learn!
and i will definitely use stuff from my undergrad portfolio but i don't want to get too rusty. to think that i'll be competing with the class of 09 kids for jobs when i get back to america....crazy
Nov 6, 07 1:47 am ·
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suggestions for portfolio beefing while doing non-arch job
i graduated this past may with a b.arts with a maj in architecture (4yr prog) and decided to take a detour in my career path and go to japan for a year or 2 and teach english.
i still intend to go into architecture, hopefully get a job first for a couple of years before going to graduate school, but i don't want my most recent work 2 years from now to be projects from my sr yr of college. recently, i've just been sketching and am planning on entering a competition (for the first time) at some point, but i was just wondering if anyone here had any suggestions for a noob like me.
and i hope 3d modeling programs don't completely change in these next 2 years or i'll be screwed
thanks!
or not even for portfolio beefing - just learning since i have the luxury of lots of free time once again
design furniture and do shop drawings for them. make really really pretty technical drawings and hone your ability to communicate details effectively.
Nice advice. Ditto fantasy architectural projects -- this could be the last block of time you'll have for many years, to explore your own vocabulary and commit ideas to paper.
Well lets see, I am making my portfolio for USC, and even though I am at a community College, I am comming up with my own designs, (actually one of my projects is furniture design) Also, look at other school projects and mimic them(but your own design/ideas of course).
Aren't you going to use some of your stuff from undergrad?
travel in japan - take pictures, sketch, learn from what you see.
I think you might have a red meat fetish.
I heard kobe beef is massaged by Geishas...perhaps your thesis can be a masage parlor for cows headed-off to slaughter. Japan is perfect for this type of research....ultra modern, sanitary....see Ellen Allien's 'Down' for inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0_pz2hnSE
competitions are best bet for new design content.
also possible to take some cool photos for exotic flavor.
you are with JET program? where will you be? if big city then i suggest travelling a lot on weekends and seeing as much as you can. if in small town will be harder, but maybe a few trips around country will open eyes a bit.
i have been living in japan off and on since 1992 and best piece of advice i have is to try and see beyond romantic first impressions of the country and keep an open mind. geishas do not really have anything to do with japan anymore, less than cowboys do in north america, and it is important to realise that.
neither does humor, apparently.
BTW...there are planty of cowboys left, jumpy.
monty python is funny. geishas massaging kobe-gyu? ehhh...not so much. sorry.
but i was making the point not as a critique of the cow joke but as a real comment about learning from japan. a lot of people who come here take a long time to get past the culture shock and see what is really here. the sooner it happens the better the understanding of architecture in japan. there are enough really good and important things to learn from japanese architecture that are too easily obscured by the stereotypical pop image.
as for cowboys? hell man i was born amongst em. learned to ride right after i learned to walk, and i still get all icky thump when i hear a bit of cold hard Cash. but cowboy culture ain't the definition of american culture no more, if it ever was. japan's connection to its symbol-laden roots (like geisha and so on) is even farther away and less relevant. not a dis against cowboys, just a recognition that north america has moved on...and so has japan.
mmm thanks for the suggestions and advice everyone. i'm in kyushu in a decently-sized city in "the country" but i've already been fortunate enough to have the chance to travel to tokyo and kyoto and i've gone to fukuoka city many times as well. still lots to see and learn!
and i will definitely use stuff from my undergrad portfolio but i don't want to get too rusty. to think that i'll be competing with the class of 09 kids for jobs when i get back to america....crazy
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