My Vision

"Your vison of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have. Without having a goal it's difficult to score." 

One of the first sentences of Paul Arden's book "It's not how good you are, It's how good you want to be" was one of profound impact. As I sat trying to design my business cards to be produced for upcoming graduate interviews, I was stuck with the problem of how I would refer to myself. At the end of this year I can no longer hide behing the term "student" but as I will be graduating with a Town Planning degree do I simply call myself a town planner? What about my interests in urban and graphic design? sustainable and temporary architecture? I started to think "How good do I really want to be?" and the answer was I want someone to feature me in their "Urban Hero" article just like mine on Candy Chang and a number of others to come. The solution came to me unexpectedly when I realised "Urban Hero" was not the right term - I want to be someone who brings about change and challenges the way cities function. What I want to be is part of a network of; 

Rethink: The Way You Live

I recently purchased, read and loved Amanda Talbot's book "Rethink: The Way You Live". Not only is this book so full of glorious pictures and outstanding design that it should take the place of pride on your coffee table, but it is full of useful, innovative and important ideas and concepts. What I enjoyed most is that although the book presents a large range of big ideas on living more sustainably and changing the way we treat our homes and daily life, it never took on a "preachy" tone. 

One of my favourite spreads from Rethink via The Design Files

The above spread was one of my favourites in the book and the simple quote and idea that the way we as humans are interacting with the world is changing. This sparked particular importance for me in the way that our ideas in architecture and urban design can no longer rest on the same historical ideas but must push towards a brighter future. 

I especially relate with the idea that a single room does not need to have a defined purpose, a typical "bedroom" throughout the day can function also as an office, a living room, a meeting area, a quiet space and a range of other things so why limit it to just being "a bedroom". I think this idea, as well as the fact that we should always be growing, should also be applied to the urban realm. A park does not just have to function as a recreation and leisure area but can also be where people meet, work, meditate, etc.