State ment I have always been partial to my left brain, it’s always there for me. In times of trouble, I can count on myself to find the answer through logic and analysis. Upon entering architecture school, I was sure that my logic would carry me through to the end, since architecture is filled with physics, engineering, structure, and codes. I never would have expected my thinking process to be flipped upside down and even become, at times, void, moving toward a more free and chaotic sense. It was a shock to me when my analytical thinking and above average math skills weren’t getting me through my first semester of studio with flying colors. I knew I had to either adapt or get left behind. And while I didn’t quite understand the conceptual mindset of some of my classmates, my interest was piqued and I knew I was at just the beginning of a very long, possibly frustrating, but always gratifying journey of discovery and growth.
I didn’t get a very good taste of the rewards of creativity until I reached my spring 2012 semester. In that studio I started to realize that although it may be frightening to trust my instincts, they can sometimes manifest into ideas that my left brain would never have conjured up. As soon as I experienced this fleeting feeling of clarity when my two personalities collided I jumped on its tail and knew I had to catch up with it. Even the smallest glimpse got my blood pumping and I realized why so many people chase the high of creativity. As I worked harder in studio I realized that in order to reach that high, it was necessary for me to let go of control and let myself experience pure uninhibited creativity. The courage that this requires is immensely more than I ever thought. I suddenly realized why so many people say they are not creative people; it was terrifying to embrace that part of myself. While my right brain would spill out crazy ideas I forced myself to draw them, or write them and to get them out of my head, regardless of how impossible and illogical they seemed. I slowly started to embrace the scribbles that my possessed hand would create and my sketchbook became the platform of communication between both sides of my brain.
I have since learned to sort out the crazy thoughts, the useful thoughts, the good ideas, and the bad. My left brain has learned not to fear my right brain, and they can come together to add logic to creativity and all of a sudden my architecture has stopped being arbitrary and unknown, and has started to manifest into creative and, dare I say, logical solutions to real world problems. I am excited to continue on my journey and keep chasing the high that comes hand in hand with design and architecture. I look forward to the day, when my right and left brain can fully understand each other and my thoughts can flow freely between the two. Until then I am a student of architecture and I will continue to learn and grow and surround myself with inspiration and motivation to push me through those times when I am scared to let my creativity flow.
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