I don’t even know where to begin because these last three months have been challenging to say the least, for everyone but I know it has been the toughest for you.
Deep down you didn’t imagine that the last few months of your degree would be like this.
You have been closed off from the studio space that once welcomed you with the smell of sawdust and glue, the sounds of chatter and encountering tripping hazards from all over the place. You had to say goodbye to the space that held so much more than the desk and chairs you produce your best and sometimes your worst ideas in.
You fought in these spaces, to be understood in tutorials and to be accepted in crits and jury’s. You grew here even though these spaces remained the same dimensions. This was where architecture became a language you were slowly getting to understand. The highs and lows of the stress that it came to embarking on the journey of your curiosity. Initiating ideas from briefs and tutorials, from your peers to history and theories older than yourself have become memories on pieces of paper written in the past as proof of your learning.
Your tutorials and presentations moved places even though you remained in the same spaces in front computer screens, to produce what you called architecture, even though you were still trying to figure out what that meant. You had learned the value of communication - what was clear and what was not. You might have imagined things to be different, your mental health and overall health might have suffered because of this sudden change. If you’ve come out the other end just know that you have become adaptable and that is a skill not everyone can prove.
I hope the time indoors that you’ve spent has made you realise how important change is, in the studio, in your drawings and in your mindset. Design, good design you’ve learnt can facilitate an ambience that encourages your creativity but it doesn’t stop there.
Your grades, the final ones should not dictate whether you are a great designer, just that you have learnt to learn and the measure of that will always be debatable. There is no full stop to learning - so don’t think that this is the end just yet. If you haven't already realised there is still so much learning that you have to do. And that is a lifelong journey if you want a career that is fulfilling.
It can be difficult to swallow the idea that there isn’t a symbolic ceremony for some of you. But don’t let that dictate whether your hard work was valid, because it has and will always be valid. You need to find it within yourself to pat yourself on the back, you did it. You have learned a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Your portfolio is witness to that.
So where does this leave us then?
I don’t have an answer for that because that is yours alone to give. You’ll find an opportunity where you ask for it, and I wish I knew this sooner but it is the truth. So put yourself out there - and your work alongside it of course. Explore another avenue if you must, if that is what appeals to you, there isn’t a right way of going about this, just a way that is yours to define. Be afraid of stagnating and only say yes to things that you are genuinely passionate for, and even if they aren’t what you expect them to be at least that is one thing you can add to your CV.
The real lessons, or rather the life lessons will happen outside of the studio, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. No number of blog posts, youtube videos, tutorials or podcasts will ever stop you from making the mistakes you need to be better.
Your portfolio will change - don’t be mistaken by that, you’ve got work to do if you want to find work. Your portfolio is the passport into the practice you want to get into, and like countries each are unique in their own way. You’ll find a way to learn the language that you need to get there.
Just don’t forget that your current portfolio is new to you - but it will expire soon so don’t forget to renew it because that is what will open the borders to new opportunities in whichever industry you choose to pursue.
Well done, you did it and if you love architecture as much as you think you do you will get better, eventually it is just a matter of when and how I’ll leave to you.
I pray you find reassurance in this post, you may not be ready for the next phase of your architecture journey and that is okay. You've proven to yourself that you didn’t need to be ready - you just need to be willing to push through whichever obstacle was coming your way.
Congratulations class of 2020.
You did it.