A strange thing has happened to me one afternoon during design studio. In a sudden our professor decided to make a home jury. We pinned our sheets and sketches. And started the discussion I rushed to be the second to present. However, when I started to talk I trembled with my own words, and falter in my speech. I looked nervous and couldn’t speak my mind out. As a consequence I failed in reaching my concept and ideas, in addition it was a bad closure for the week.
Still, at that weekend I didn’t stop thinking of how to make things better. I knew I have the concept in my subconscious mind. I used to vision how would by the building look like. But there was a hidden power blocking my hands to interpret it to sketches and models. I took a pause from work for a day, but my mind didn’t want to give up. My ideas were all about how to overcome that moment of failing in expressing my thoughts, and didn’t want to repeat it again in my upcoming juries.
As much as I used to force myself to work on it. My sketches used to look ordinary, without any uniqueness. Although, I wasn’t satisfied with whatever I produced so far I stayed positive that I would reach the vision I always imagine when I close my eyes for the project.
As the project is a live-work housing type, where freelancer would live and work in the same building (s). I started again and again sketching and modeling. I used to think of it as a housing project and then discuss it with my professor she replies with “where is the other main part of the project, the working community that you are neglecting.” And when I start thinking in the working modules they come nice on my tracing papers and sketches yet, struggling translating my vision to architectural language from line, shape and form.
Late afternoon, in the beginning of the next week, stayed alone working without any disturbing or distressing from my friends and family. Trying to staying focus on the focal aim of the project with its user’s. Finally after six hours of working hard, experimenting my ideas, modeling and sketches, the vision was there on tracing paper. I knew that strange things happens for a reason to know the weakness and strength in yourself. Overcoming my obstacles of reaching the concept was a good lesson in life to not repeat my mistakes again. Always be confident and don’t rush to present in juries.
Adoul Jibrel
Student of University of Bahrain
ajibrel@gmail.com
